Anshul Srivastava
CISO
Toronto Transit Commission
Anshul Srivastava is the CISO of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and a Governing Body Member of the Toronto CISO Community. He has proven experience in building technology strategy, multifaceted customer experience programs with detailed execution plans, outlining multi year technology roadmaps, and he has extensive experience in managing cyber security operations, defining cyber security roadmap, managing executive updates and coordinating cross industry working groups at federal level. Anshul is highly experienced in managing teams in a hybrid environment with a knack of promoting culture of development, growth and cultivating a sense of belonging in team members.
As a fun fact, Anshul has lived, worked and studied in 3 countries. He says he still sometimes gets brain fog when he tries to convert the temperature from Fahrenheit to Centigrade or vice versa.
Learn more about the Toronto CISO community here.
Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
In my academic journey, I've been driven by curiosity to understand the inner workings of the systems and processes. This passion led me into the field of Computer Science Engineering, where I delved deeper into technology and eventually found my niche in Cybersecurity. The dynamic landscape of cybersecurity presents an array of challenges and opportunities for continuous learning. Initially, my focus centered on Information Technology (IT) aspects, but as a CISO, I'm increasingly transitioning into Operational Technology (OT), recognizing its growing integration with artificial intelligence (AI).
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
My mantra has been to develop deep and meaningful connections with peers, team members and with most people that I interact with on a regular basis. This has helped me in maturing my viewpoint and improving my ability to see their point of view.
What is the greatest challenge CISOs face today, and how are you addressing it?
Too many strategic and operational initiatives are grabbing the attention of the senior executives in the organization. I ensure that leaders within the organization are aware of the challenges and are clear about what plans do we have to cater to those challenges.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CISO?
Invest time and effort in understanding the landscape, ensuring that you develop clarity early on about strategic goals and objectives that drives organization's success. This clarity will help in driving your strategy, managing risk and ensuring that you get the support needed to further your objectives.
How do you measure success as a leader?
I think that as a leader your success is a direct measure of your ability to get other executives in the organization excited and supportive of your initiative and that they are able to see the correlation between what you are driving and how this initiative supports their own objectives.
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