JANUARY 21, 2025
In 2024, Evanta, a Gartner Company, facilitated 96 CISO community engagements across North America, 10 CISO programs across Europe, and 11 gatherings in Australia. In 2025, the Evanta CISO Community will persist in offering valuable insights and crafting content centered around the CISO's essential priorities.
The community events offer an environment conducive to sharing and collaboration among security leaders, with one CISO providing this feedback: “Very collegiate atmosphere - almost no posturing. We are all in the trenches together, willing to help each other out.”
The 2024 CISO Executive Summit agendas were shaped by three prominent and recurring themes:
- Balancing Risk Mitigation and Value Creation
- Facilitating Secure Decision-Making with Outcome-Driven Metrics
- Thriving Amidst Complexity and Uncertainty
Here are a few of the highest-rated session from CISO Executive Summits in the second half of 2024:
Highly-Rated Presentations By CISOs, For CISOs®
Keynote Session: A NIST Perspective on AI
Recent advancements in AI technology present significant opportunities for organizations, alongside new risks and impacts that must be addressed in cybersecurity. NIST is exploring how existing frameworks, like the Cybersecurity Framework 2.0, can support organizations in managing these emerging risks. Katerina Megas, Program Manager for Cybersecurity for IoT, Privacy, and AI at NIST, provided insights into NIST's guidance and research on the cybersecurity of AI systems, AI-enabled cyber attacks, and AI-enabled cyber defense.
One CISO shared this about the session: “Great presentation and the most useful conversation about AI that I’ve heard.”
Keynote Session: This is Resiliency — Navigating the New Era of Cybersecurity and Beyond
Achieving organizational resilience requires strategic planning to address security and risk challenges at all levels while anticipating future needs. In this session, Eddie Borrero, VP & CISO at Blue Shield of California, discussed how next-gen CISOs must maintain resilience and adaptability amid technological and third-party failures. He emphasized the importance of the CISO as a business leader and enabler before, during and after disruptions.
A participant shared: “Excellent points. Hopefully this encourages further discussion for attendees who have not thought through these issues.”
Breakout Session: Metrics that Matter
CISOs often dedicate significant effort to communicating security posture to boards, but their reports do not always resonate. In this session, Mustapha Kebbeh, Chief Security Officer at Ultimate Kronos Group, shared insights on addressing disconnects in communication and the importance of aligning security language with business objectives. He also advised on the need for clear and impactful metrics that resonate with executive leadership, and strategies for effectively demonstrating the role of cyber risk in strategic decision-making.
One attendee had this to say: “Outstanding session that provided metrics that are both operational and meaningful to organization leaders.”
Breakout Session: Shaping the Future -- The Next GENeration
As cyber threats become increasingly complex, developing a skilled cybersecurity workforce is more crucial than ever. In this session, Jonathan Hay, VP of Information Security at AmWINS Group, explored strategies for developing and upskilling cybersecurity talent within organizations, partnering with educational institutions and industry to create a pipeline of future professionals, and emphasizing diversity and inclusion to build a resilient and innovative workforce.
Among the feedback was this comment: “Good content and conversation around what is often a difficult topic to navigate.”
Here is what a few community members shared about their experiences at CISO community events this year:
This has been one of the most productive conferences I’ve attended in cybersecurity. It not only broadened my understanding of key issues, but also provided actionable takeaways that I can implement in my work. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to stay ahead in the ever-evolving field of cybersecurity.”
The CISO Executive Summit is always a valuable resource for me. I return to work motivated and ready for new challenges!”
Most Popular Content for CISOs
- Infographic: 2024 CISO Leadership Perspectives
More than 1,000 CISOs across Evanta communities shared their key priorities and opportunities in our annual survey – this infographic highlighted what they reported. - Blog: 8 Trends for CISOs in 2024
Here, we take a deeper dive into Leadership Perspective Survey responses and evaluate the changes between this year’s data and past years’. These are 8 observations about CISOs’ functional priorities, enterprise priorities and planned investment areas. - Town Hall Insights: CISO Hot Topics - What's Your Take?
What were the hot topics in cybersecurity as we started 2024? The Global CISO Community discussed the business impacts of emerging trends – these were their takeaways. - Blog: Three Key Themes for CISOs in 2024
Here, we reflect on key topics and conversations of the past year and synthesize them into critical focus areas for security leaders in the year ahead. These were the 3 themes we believed CISOs would focus on in 2024. - Leadership Profile: Laurent Amsel of Carrefour on 3 Priorities for CISOs Today
CISO Laurent Amsel of Carrefour believes that it is essential for CISOs to focus on three main priorities to be successful in their roles. Learn more about his insights into communicating with the board, collaborating with peers, and running the roadmap of cybersecurity.
In 2025, the Evanta CISO Community will carry on offering valuable insights and crafting content centered around the CISO's critical priorities. As we move into the new year, content for CISO will concentrate on the following three key themes:
- Integrating AI in Cybersecurity for Enhanced Risk Management
- Modernizing Security Operations
- Evolving CISO Roles for Strategic and Operational Resilience
Stay current with your Evanta CISO community by applying to join your local community, or register for an upcoming event to connect with your CISO peers in MyEvanta.
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