Top Highlights from EMEA CISO Communities in 2023

At Evanta, a Gartner Company, 2023 was one for the books for our Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) CISO communities! This year alone, we launched our first Executive Summit for the Middle East community in Saudi Arabia, introduced the Italy community with an Inner Circle in Milan, brought the Nordic community together in Copenhagen for the first time since 2019, and this was the first year we ran two Executive Summits for the UK & Ireland community to meet the growing needs of our members. 

In addition, CISOs from EMEA communities completed our annual Leadership Perspective Survey at a record rate, and their insight shaped the agendas for each programme. They expressed an interest in integrating Gartner research in a way that complimented peer content, and we were happy to include the data and thought leadership from Analysts across many of our engagements. In 2023, security leaders focused on these three themes:

• Securing AI, Automation and New Technology
• Building Operating Models that Foster Agility and Security by Design
• Strengthening Cyber Risk's Role as a Driver for Enterprise Decision Making

With dozens of programmes conducted across the EMEA region, we are sharing some of the highest-rated content from CISOs this year.
 

Highly-Rated Presentations

Keynote: What's Next for the CISO Role - Evolution or Revolution
This inspirational talk by Naina Bhattacharya, Global CISO of Danone at the UK & Ireland CISO Executive Summit in October looked at how the CISO role could evolve from the perspective of CISO as a technologist, a business enabler and a storyteller. One of the best lines from Naina’s speech was, “Others sell dreams, we (CISOs) sell nightmares.”

Keynote: Stress and the CISO — Practical Strategies to Mitigate Burnout
Don Gibson, CISO of Kinly, and Marcia Goddard, Chief Culture Officer of The Contentment Foundation, gave this closing keynote at the UK & Ireland CISO Executive Summit touching on one of the challenges that connects all CISOs: stress and burnout. It was an open and honest conversation. Don shared his own experiences in facing burnout, which was complimented by Marcia's neuropsychological perspective to explain what causes these issues and how CISOs can overcome them.

Keynote: Tales From the Cybercrime Trenches – a CISO reflection on a Cyber Breach
Oliver Scherer, CISO of MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group, presented a keynote at the DACH CISO Executive Summit as an excellent way to close the day. Ransomware is one of the most significant stresses a CISO faces, and Oliver’s approach in walking the audience through his experience allowed many to learn from this challenging event. Many say to “use” the crisis to learn from and engage stakeholders, and Oliver used his learning to share with the community and aid them in protecting their own organisations. One community member commented, “A chilling reminder of the potential impact a ransomware attack can have, but it's a great story on how preparation, teamwork, and collaboration can overcome these adversities.”

Breakout: Translating Insight into Action to Enhance Incident Detection & Response
Jean-Jacques Mallet, Group CISO at L'Oréal covered one of the most requested topics of the year for the France CISO Community. In this very transparent and insightful testimony, Jean-Jacques shared his personal experiences of translating theory into action when dealing with a cyber-attack, including how to help teams respond better and faster. 

Breakout: Communicating Risk to Fuel Data-Driven Security Posture
Verizon's highly anticipated Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR) was published just in time to share with the Benelux CISO Community. Philip Larbey – Managing Principal & Head of Verizon's Threat Research Advisory Center EMEA – shared key findings from this report to allow CISOs to benchmark against their peers across various industries. Alongside this insightful report, Larbey presented a risk framework to help CISOs translate risk into a business need and, thus, push the security agenda forward at the board level.

Most Popular Content

• Infographic: 2023 CISO Leadership Perspectives
  In 2023, nearly 1,000 CISOs from the world’s leading organisations shared their mission critical priorities and planned investment areas in our annual Leadership Perspective Survey  – this is a summary of the findings.
• Infographic: CISO Community Pulse on AI & Your Business  
  Generative AI offers new opportunities for the enterprise, but it also comes with substantial risk. We asked nearly 400 CISOs about their outlook for generative AI and its impact on the future of business.
• Survey Report: Top 3 Goals & Challenges for CISOs in 2023
  Based on results from our annual Leadership Perspective Survey, this report details CISOs’ goals and challenges around their mission critical priorities for the year.
• Blog: Top 3 Areas of Focus for CISOs in 2023
  At the start of the year, we examined three themes we anticipated CISO to be focused on in 2023.
• Executive Blog: The CISO’s Guide for Reporting Cyber Risk to the Board in 2023
  In this Executive Blog, Aleksandar Radosavljevic, Global CISO for Global Fashion Group (GFG) and DACH CISO Community Co-Chair, shares his thoughts and strategies for reporting cyber risk to the board.

We’re excited to kick off a new year with the EMEA CISO community, and we will continue to provide actionable insights linked to their mission critical priorities. In 2024, CISOs will be focused on three themes:

• Improve and Achieve Operational Resilience
• Enable AI's Potential through Trust, Risk and Security Management
• Create Alignment with the Enterprise to Unlock True Value

Stay up-to-date with your Evanta CISO community by applying to join your local community or finding an opportunity to connect with CISO peers on our calendar.