Mohsen Azari
Director of Cyber Defense
goeasy
Mohsen Azari is the Director of Cyber Defense at goeasy. He is a public speaker at various DevOps, InfoSec, and AI conferences, and an advocate of agile security. Mohsen is currently leading the InfoSec portfolio overseeing confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Walmart assets, as well as protecting customer and associates information.
He graduated from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario in 1995, and obtained his CISSP, Microsoft Azure, ISACA CISM, and Lean Belt certifications. He is a Gartner Evanta governing body member, as well as an EC-Council advisory board member.
Some highlights from his career include co-authoring the first MPAA Anti-Piracy and Security Standard, otherwise known as CDSA APCP, Implementing Walmart Canada bank Security posture, and Walmart Photo Centre. He is a firm believer that dealing with modern security threats requires fresh thinking and innovation in all facets of technology. His recent work on GRC and Incident response has allowed him to build a framework for continuous risk evaluation and mitigation.
Learn more about leaders in the Toronto CISO community here.
Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
Mohsen Azari is an advocate of agile security helping businesses achieve organizational objectives through robust and timely security controls.
During the past 20 years, Mohsen has worked in the technology field helping people and organizations find innovative solutions to their business problems. He has led multiple teams of infrastructure, compliance, and security professionals, and he collaborated extensively with clients, business stakeholders, and executive leaders to achieve individual and organizational objectives.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Transparency.
With disruption being a key theme of the past year, where do you see your role as a CISO going in the next 1-2 years?
My role will be expanded in an international capacity.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the role as a CISO?
Have a direct and candid relationship with other key stakeholders to ensure you are considering all aspects of the business mission.
Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself.
- I’m an Astronomy fan.
- I play soccer.
- I’m an avid swimmer.
What is the value of joining an Evanta community?
The Evanta community has given me a broader view of industry best practices through collaboration with like minded peers.
Evanta Governing Body members share their insights and leadership perspectives to shape the agendas and topics that address the top priorities impacting business leaders today.
by CISOs, for CISOs
Join the conversation with peers in your local CISO community.