Cybersecurity has become a board-level priority, a national security concern, and a defining pillar of global economic stability.

According to research from IBM and the Ponemon Institute , the global average cost of a data breach reached $4.44 million in 2025.

At the same time, cybercrime as a whole is projected to cost the global economy $10.5 trillion annually by 2025 - one of the largest economic threats in the world, comparable to the GDP of major economies.

The frequency and sophistication of attacks are also rising sharply. The Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report highlights that the human element is involved in 68% of breaches.

Meanwhile, the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence is creating a new layer of complexity. Research shows that 97% of organisations have experienced AI-related security incidents without adequate controls.

According to Gartner , cybersecurity spending is expected to exceed $213 billion in 2025, driven by escalating threats, regulatory pressure, and the need to secure AI-driven systems.

In such a scenario, leadership matters now - more than ever. I curated the top cybersecurity leaders around the world, along with my team at Citiesabc.com and Businessabc.net to outline how these leaders are: 

• Designing frameworks for digital trust and identity
• Shaping AI governance and ethical security standards
• Influencing global policy, regulation, and cyber diplomacy
• Driving innovation in fraud detection, threat intelligence, and resilience architectures

Top Cybersecurity Leaders Shaping a Secure Digital AI Future

The USA

Adam Zoller

Adam Zoller the Chief Information Security Officer at CrowdStrike . He is also a Board member at AdventHealth. Previously, he has worked at leadership roles at Providence , General Electric (including GE HealthCare and GE Capital Retail Bank/Synchrony Financial), Booz Allen Hamilton . He also served in cybersecurity and intelligence roles within the US Department of Homeland Security , while also spending over a decade in the United States Army Reserve.

Alex Stamos  

Alex Stamos is the Chief Product Officer at Corridor . He has held multiple leadership positions at SentinelOne , following the acquisition of his firm Krebs Stamos Group LLC . He is also a lecturer at Stanford University , where he also founded and led the Stanford Internet Observatory. Earlier, he served as Chief Security Officer at Facebook and Chief Information Security Officer at Yahoo! Inc. His earlier career includes roles at NCC Group (as CTO of Artemis Internet), co-founding iSEC Partners , and technical positions at stake and Loudcloud.

Dr. Alissa Abdullah, PhD  

Alissa Abdullah, PhD is the Deputy Chief Security Officer at Mastercard. She is also a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley. Previously, she has held senior leadership roles at Xerox, Stryker, and the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Her earlier career includes leadership and technical roles at Catapult Technology, Lockheed Martin Information Technology, McClendon Corporation , Eagle Alliance , Northrop Grumman, and the United States Department of Defense. She has also served on the board of Smartsheet.

Boaz Gelbord

Boaz Gelbord is the Chief Security Officer at Akamai Technologies . He has previously held senior executive roles at Dun & Bradstreet, Bloomberg, and Amplify Education (a division of News Corp). Earlier in his career, he led information security at The New School and headed the Security Technologies Unit at European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). He also held academic and technical roles at Leiden University and KPN Royal Dutch Telecom and TNO. Boaz has participated in national-level advisory initiatives including the US President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee.

Deepen Desai  

Deepen Desai is the EVP Engineering and Chief Security Officer at Zscaler , where he leads global security research (ThreatLabz ), cyber AI innovation, and the development of advanced zero trust and agentic security platforms. Prior to this, he held multiple roles at Dell Technologies through its SonicWALL unit. Earlier in his career, he worked at iPolicy Networks and Comprehensive Blood & Cancer Center . 

Emily Crose  

Emily Crose is the Senior Technical Manager at Sophos and is also an Adjunct Faculty Instructor at Oakland University , while contributing as a public speaker at the International International Spy Museum . She co-founded Neuralyz Inc., focusing on artificial intelligence initiatives. Previously, she held multiple roles at Dragos, Inc., specialising in industrial control system security. Earlier in her career, she worked at IronNet , MANTECH , and the United States Department of Defense, and University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University.

• Emily Crose wiki in Businessabc.net: https://businessabc.net/wiki/emily-crose 
• Watch Emily’s interview in the Dinis Guarda YouTube podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICO3bKfxvLs 

Eric O'Neill  

Eric O'Neill is a cybersecurity expert, national security strategist, and former FBI operative with a career spanning intelligence, law, and private sector advisory. He currently is the National Security Strategist at his own firm Eric ONeill LLC . He is also the founding partner of The Georgetown Group , as well as founder of NeXasure. He also serves as counsel at Impresa Legal Group. Previously, he was National Security Strategist at VMware Carbon Black and held long-term leadership roles at Global Communities. Earlier in his career, he worked at CyberSponse, Inc., DLA Piper, and began as an investigative specialist at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), where he played a key role in counterintelligence operations.

• Eric O’Neill wiki in Businessabc.net:  https://businessabc.net/wiki/eric-o-neill 
• Watch Eric’s interview in the Dinis Guarda YouTube podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1sqsvARDAI  

Hayete Gallot  

Hayete Gallot is the Executive Vice President of Microsoft Security at Microsoft, having previously held multiple leadership roles at the company over nearly 16 years. She also served as President of Customer Experience for Google Cloud at Google. Earlier in her career, she spent over a decade at Nortel Networks.

Helen Yu

Helen Yu is the Founder and CEO of Tigon Advisory Corp. and holds board and advisory positions at organisations including Communications Engineering Company (CEC) , KEENFOLKS , Verras Capital LP , Global Cybersecurity Association (GCA) , Pypestream , and Jebbit, a BlueConic company. She also co-founded a cybersecurity startup focused on AI-enabled secure communications. Previously, she has worked at Adobe Marketo and held leadership roles at Adobe Systems and Oracle (including through its Hyperion acquisition).

• Read more about Helen Yu: https://businessabc.net/wiki/helen-yu 
• Watch Helen’s profile in the Dinis Guarda YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coBSw5Q71jU 

Johan Gerber  

Johan Gerber has spent more than 25 years at Mastercard , where is currently the Executive Vice President of Security Solutions. He previously held key leadership roles including for Security and Decision Products, Global Network Products, amongst others. He began his career as a fraud investigator at Standard Bank Group.

John Carse  

John Carse most recently served as Field CISO at SquareX , following key leadership roles at Dyson , Rakuten Symphony, Rakuten Mobile, Inc. , Expedia Group , Alert Logic , and JPMorgan Chase & Co-xcx. His career also includes various roles at CSC and Exelis (Now part of Harris Corporation) , Flowbridge Communications Inc , The John Carse Company, Cybersource , IBM Global Services, Paranet Solutions , Sunset Direct, and Apple .

John Suit  

John Suit is the CTO and Principal at Suit Advisor . He has also held leadership roles at DeepSee.ai, Cyber Reliant Corp ., and Xceedium . Earlier, he founded Nano Network Engines / Fortisphere and co-founded Silentrunner (later part of Raytheon). His career also includes leadership roles at Cloakware U.S. and CA Technologies, as well as advisory work with HealthCare Interactive .

• Read more about John Suit: https://businessabc.net/wiki/john-suit
• Watch John Suit in the Dinis Guarda YouTube Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAsOnogKOis 

M. K. Palmore  

M. K. Palmore is the Founder and Principal Advisor at Apogee Global RMS and serves in advisory and investment roles with Island, Dataminr , and BAG Collective. Previously, he held leadership role in the Office of the CISO at Google (Google Cloud), and Field Chief Security Officer at Palo Alto Networks. Earlier, he spent over two decades at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as Assistant Special Agent in Charge in the Cyber Branch, and began his career as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps.

Ross Young

Ross Young the Co-Founder and CEO of Clear Capabilities Inc, and also serves as a co-host of CISO Tradecraft and faculty member at IANS . Previously, he held key roles at Team8 Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation, and Capital One. He has also contributed to academia as a lecturer at Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering and instructor at SANS Institute. Earlier in his career, he spent over a decade at the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Reserve Board, National Information Assurance Training and Education Center, and National Security Agency.

Kris Virtue

Kris Virtue is the Vice President of Cybersecurity at Qualcomm , where he has spent nearly three decades in multiple leadership roles. Earlier in his career, he worked at MTI Technology and the University of California, San Diego - Rady School of Management . In addition to his corporate roles, he contributes to the broader cybersecurity ecosystem as Co-Chair of the San Diego Cyber Center of Excellence (CCOE) and serves on the board of Serving Seniors.

Scott Fanning

Scott Fanning is the Executive Vice President of Cybersecurity Solutions at Mastercard , Previously, he held key leadership roles at Aryaka , Palo Alto Networks , CrowdStrike , Citrix and McAfee, focusing on cloud security, SASE, and enterprise protection platforms. Earlier in his career, he spent over 17 years at Cisco Systems in various engineering and product leadership roles, and worked at TimeStep and Newbridge Networks. He began his career in the Canadian Armed Forces | Forces armées canadiennes.

Shaun Khalfan  

Shaun Khalfan is the SVP and Chief Information Security Officer at PayPal and is also an Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon University . Previously, he has held key leadership roles at Discover , Barclays , and Freddie Mac. His earlier roles include board-level advisory at Valimail, academic contributions at The George Washington University, and senior cybersecurity leadership positions within the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, United States Department of the Navy, and the United States Department of Defense. He began his career as a technology and communications leader in the United States Army.

Shira Rubinoff

Shira Rubinoff is the CEO of The Cybersphere Group. She has held leadership positions at The Futurum Group and Techstrong Group. She also co-founded Prime Tech Partners and was the President of SecureMySocial . She earlier founded Green Armor Solutions. In addition, she holds numerous advisory and board roles across companies including Trusona , Knox Systems, Inc. , CyberproAI, Capri Ventures, Memcyco , BankVault cybersecurity, Orchestra Group, Vaultree, Pypestream, TrueConnect, Mainframe, Pace University, and the Executive Women's Forum (EWF) | DSG Global .

Wendy Nather  

Wendy Nather is the Senior Research Initiatives Director at 1Password, with over 40 years of experience in IT operations and security. Her background spans financial services, state government, and industry analysis, with expertise in security program management, threat intelligence, risk analysis, and incident response. She also serves as Guest Editor at IEEE Security & Privacy , Advisory Board Member at Knostic , and Committee Member at the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE) . She majored in the University of Austin (UATX), where she has been giving lectures and presentations as a guest since 2015 on cybersecurity for computer science students.

The UK & the EU

Andrea Enria

Andrea Enria is the Senior Advisor at the Bank of England and member of the Prudential Regulation Committee. He contributes as a Senior Advisor to the Prudential Regulation Authority, while also engaging in research at the London School of Economics and editorial work with the Forum on Financial Supervision. Previously, he was Chair of the Supervisory Board at the European Central Bank and Chairperson of the European Banking Authority (EBA). Earlier in his career, he held senior roles at Banca d'Italia and served as Secretary General of the Committee of European Banking Supervisors (CEBS).

Antonio Grasso  

Antonio Grasso is the Founder and CEO of Digital Business Innovation Srl - dbi.srl and serves as a technical advisor to DeltalogiX. He is also the DigitalEU Ambassador for the European Commission. He has held numerous advisory and ambassador roles across organisations such as COcyber, AI4EU, FundingBox, Next Generation Internet, and companies including AgriUT , Busy Technology, asvin GmbH, and Xplorico. Earlier in his career, he worked at Holding & Management SpA, Sviluppo Impresa SpA, New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. 

• Read more about Antonio Grasso in Businessabc.net: https://businessabc.net/wiki/antonio-grasso 

Dr. Birgul COTELLI, Ph. D.  

Dr. Birgul COTELLI, Ph. D. is the Founder and CEO of SUITEKK . She leads initiatives such as BOARDS Interconnected Insights , while holding advisory and expert roles with organisations including Businessincub , World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) , WOMEN FOR THE BOARD , and the GCO, Association du Groupement des Compliance Officers de Suisse Romande et du Tessin. She also contributes to projects such as ImmersiveAssetManagement and related initiatives, and partnerships like Antonio Natale Contemporary Artist. Previously, she held senior leadership roles at Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, BCGE , Barclays, and HSBC Private Banking. Earlier in her career, she taught and carried out her research at European University and the University of Lausanne.

Brett King  

Brett King is the Founder and CEO of The Futurists Network , Co-Founder and CTO of LumaBrush AI , and Founder of Moven and Provoke Management. He serves in advisory and board roles with organisations including Mastercard , barq , Cxingularity AI , DrumWave Inc. , Central Bank of The UAE , Settle, and the Financial Health Network . He is also a media figure through Provoke.fm Media and his “Breaking Banks” show. Earlier in his career, he held corporate roles at Modem Media and Deloitte Consulting. 

Carlos Salas

Carlos Salas heads R&D at NordLayer . Prior to this, he worked at Briq and held technical leadership roles at Evertec. Earlier in his career, he worked at Banco Ahorro FAMSA and 7-Eleven Mexico. He also co-founded and led Altum IT Solutions , and held roles at I-Place Business Solutions, Mobile Solutions EU, Alt Labs SU, FEMSA, and Alestra.

• Read more about NordLayer in Businessabc.net: https://businessabc.net/wiki/nordlayer 
• Watch Carlos Salas interview in citiesabc podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeRBG-a1WCg

Colm Murphy

Colm Murphy is the Co-founder at Sentient Expanse. He has previously held senior leadership roles at Huawei, BSI. He also co-founded Espion Distribution, later acquired by Exertis. Earlier in his career, he worked at Deloitte , McAfee , and Entropy . 

• Read more about Colm Murphy: https://businessabc.net/wiki/colm-murphy 
• Watch Colm Murphy interview in the Dinis Guarda YouTube podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16kusw2Ua3c

David Terrar

David Terrar is the CEO of Tech Industry Forum and is Executive Director at ITBrix LLC, while also having founded Agile Elephant Ltd and led D2C Limited as CEO. He has held advisory and board roles with organisations such as Ctrl O Ltd, Bloor, EuroCloud UK, and techUK, and contributed academically at Sup de Pub - Groupe INSEEC. Earlier in his career, he held senior commercial and leadership roles at CODASciSys plc, Indus International, Interactive/DataWorks, IMI Computing, CSI Limited, Cyberaid Limited, and began her career at IBM.

• Watch David in IntelligentHQ interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XOjbXogbeI (in partnership with Groupe INSEEC London)
   

Donald Tse

Donald Tse is the Global Head of Cyber and Resilience Risk at Stripe. He is also a Board Director at Stripe International Finance Company. Previously, he held leadership roles at Standard Chartered Corporate & Investment Banking and Mox Bank. Earlier, he also worked at Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, Nomura, and Deloitte.

Sarah Y. Zheng, PhD  

Sarah Y. Zheng is the Senior Research Fellow at UCL and the Director of Inzenity . She previously worked as a doctoral researcher at UCL, focusing on social engineering and phishing detection, and gained industry experience as an AI Research Scientist intern at JPMorganChase. Earlier in her career, she worked as a Data Scientist at Perseuss and as an AI & Analytics consultant at IBM, and began with analytical roles at Nationale-Nederlanden. 

• Read more about Dr. Sarah Zheng: https://businessabc.net/wiki/sarah-y-zheng 
• Watch Dr. Sarah Zheng speak at the Businessabc AI Global Summit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO0jxVHd40E 

Jason Bloomberg  

Jason Bloomberg is the Managing Director of Intellyx , which he founded. Earlier, he served as Chief Evangelist at EnterpriseWeb and has held leadership roles at ZapThink LLC (later part of Dovel Technologies ). His career also includes roles at IDC , Wavebend Solutions (now part of Hitachi Vantara), eHatchery, marchFIRST, TransNexus, PNC, Lighthouse Systems, and his own consultancy Jason Bloomberg Consulting . He regularly contributes his insights to SiliconANGLE and Forbes.

Jaya Baloo  

Jaya Baloo is the COO, CISO, and Founder of AISLE™ , and previously served as Chief Security Officer at Rapid7 and Chief Information Security Officer at Avast. Earlier, she held a long-term role at KPN and Verizon Business. Her early career includes roles at Orange, Baloos.Org, and KPN International Consultancy. She began as an Internet Security Trainer at Bankers Trust.

Jean Lehmann  

Jean Lehmann is the CEO of Cyber Capital HQ and serves as a council member at GLG. Previously, he held senior leadership roles at ARIE Finance and Capco, alongside independent consulting engagements across Europe and Brazil. Earlier in his career, he worked at Norddeutsche Landesbank and Cambridge Place Investment Management , as well as advisory roles with Buzios Municipality. He also gained experience at Benetti Finance, Lombard Odier, and IBM Zurich Research Laboratory. 

• Read more about Jean Lehmann in Businessabc.net: https://businessabc.net/wiki/jean-lehmann 
• Watch Jean Lehmann in the Dinis Guarda YouTube podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6CqsUF_dVs 
• Download the book ‘Introduction to Cybersecurity’ by Jean Lehmann: https://www.intelligenthq.com/books/#

Jean-Christophe Gaillard

Jean-Christophe Gaillard is the Founder and CEO of Corix Partners and also founded The Security Transformation Research Foundation. He holds advisory and leadership roles across organisations including Digital Growth Collective, Thinkers360, Harvard Business Review, Chartered Institute of Information Security, Forbes Business Council, and Telecom Paris alumni. Previously, he held key leadership roles at Rabobank International, BNP Paribas, Strata Security Solutions. He also advised organisations such as Ascent Business Solutions, IAM EXPERTS LTD, and NextWorld Capital. 

Kai Grunwitz

Kai Grunwitz is the President of Kyndryl Germany and holds a board role at Bitkom. Previously, he spent over a decade at NTT DATA, and held senior leadership roles at Oracle and Sun Microsystems. His early career includes senior roles at netIX System Consulting, Amdahl Germany GmbH, and Compuware.

• Read more about Kai Grunwitz in Businessabc.net: https://businessabc.net/wiki/kai-grunwitz 
• Watch Kai in the Dinis Guarda YouTube podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epJ1pxDciLI

Nick Coleman

Nick Coleman is the Managing Partner at TechnologyDen and serves as Senior Strategy Advisor at Ofcom. Previously, he was SVP and Chief Security Officer at Mastercard. He also spent a decade at IBM in senior roles. Earlier, he served as the National Reviewer of Security for the UK Government and was the Founding Chief Executive of the Institute of Information Security Professionals (IISP). 

Steve Brown  

Steve Brown is the Vice President of Cybersecurity & Resilience at Mastercard, where he leads cybersecurity solutions and resilience initiatives across Europe. Prior to Mastercard, he spent over six years at the National Crime Agency (NCA). Earlier, he worked as a Criminal Investigator at the Serious Organised Crime Agency , focusing on cybercrime investigations, threat intelligence, and cybersecurity strategy across both public and private sectors.

Tony Moroney  

Tony Moroney is the Co-founder and Managing Partner at Access CX and Principal at The Digital Explorer. He also founded Saburai Consulting and co-founded Beta Digital. Previously, he held senior advisory roles at Berkeley Research Group, Grant Thornton UK , and Navigant (now part of Guidehouse). His earlier career includes leadership roles in financial services at Haven Mortgages, EBS Building Society, ICS Building Society, and Bank of Ireland, alongside board roles with European Mortgage Federation and Banking & Payments Federation Ireland. He also contributes his insights to platforms like the Digital Transformation Lab and World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF).

APAC

Andre Shori

Andre Shori is the Asia Pacific Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Schneider Electric . Previously, he held roles at Association of Information Security Professionals and at PSA Singapore. Earlier, he spent over six years at Hewlett Packard in various operational and program management roles. His early career includes positions at Entrepreneurs' Organization, NetCess Wireless Telecom, BC Rail, and ANO Office Automation. 

Irene Chong Suan Lian

Irene Chong Suan Lian is the Head of Cyber Security Risk & Policy at PETRONAS. Earlier, she held leadership roles at FrieslandCampina, where she managed global digital workplace operations, and spent over a decade at Shell in various roles spanning information risk management, IT strategy, and global service delivery. She began her career at Maxis and EXE Technologies, focusing on IT systems, project management, and enterprise solutions.

Jason Lau 

Jason Lau is the Chief Information Security Officer at Crypto.com . He sits on the board of ISACA , He has also held advisory and academic roles with Tencent, Microsoft, Hong Kong Baptist University, and Cyberport. Earlier, he spent over 16 years at Argent Software in multiple executive roles. Jason began his career at Herbert Smith Freehills . He contributes to initiatives with the World Economic Forum , FS-ISAC, and International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Dr.Jyoti Mante(Khurpade)

Prof. Dr.Jyoti Mante(Khurpade) is the Programme Head at MIT World Peace University, where she also leads computer engineering programmes within the MIT WPU School of Polytechnic and skill development. She is an active AI - Cybersecurity Researcher. Previously, she held a long-standing role as Head of Department for Computer Science and Engineering at Maharashtra Institute of Technology for over 18 years. Earlier in her career, she worked as an Assistant Professor at Babasaheb Naik College of Engineering,Pusad . 

• Read more about Prof. Jyoti Khurpade in Businessabc.net: https://businessabc.net/wiki/jyoti-mante-khurpade 

Nandan Nilekani

Nandan Nilekani is a key architect of large-scale digital infrastructure with significant impact on cybersecurity, digital identity, and data governance. As Co-founder of Infosys and former Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India , he led the development of Aadhaar, a biometric identity platform securing data for over a billion users. His broader work on India Stack, including collaborations with National Payments Corporation Of India (NPCI) , has enabled secure digital systems built on authentication, encryption, and consent-based data sharing. 

Shaobin Wang

Shaobin Wang is the Chief System Assurance Officer at Ant International. Prior to this, he spent nearly a decade at Amazon Web Services (AWS). Earlier in his career, he held senior roles at Intel and Huawei. He also worked in academia as a postdoctoral researcher at University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and as a lecturer at University of Science and Technology Beijing.

Srinivas L  

Srinivas L is the Joint Managing Director and Joint CEO at 63SATS Cybertech . He also holds a Non-Executive Director role at 9Point Capital , while also founding ventures such as Solvium , 72 Networks Private Limited , and Rooba Finance. Previously, he held senior leadership roles at Samsung Electronics and BlackBerry . He also worked in security and technology roles at Microsoft , Nevis Networks , McAfee , Dell Technologies , and Maestros.

Suresh Sankaran Srinivasan  

Suresh Sankaran Srinivasan is the Group Head of Cyber Security & Data Privacy at Axiata , Previously, he held an advisory role at Tenable and served as Associate Partner at EY. Earlier, he spent over eight years at Vodafone in multiple leadership roles across security engineering, privacy, and cyber defence, and worked as a Senior Security Consultant at Microland Limited. His early career includes roles at Mahindra Special Services Group , CSS Corp, Fourtune Computer Technologies Pvt Ltd , and Software Spectrum India. He also contributes to academia and mentors as a Program Leader at Indian School of Business , Adjunct Professor at Perdana University , and mentor with National Centre of Excellence.

Trishneet Arora  

Trishneet Arora is the Founder and CEO of TAC Security , where he has built a global vulnerability management and cyber risk quantification platform serving thousands of clients across more than 100 countries. He currently also serves as Chairman of TAC Security and sits on the board of CyberScope, a TAC Security Company , a TAC Security subsidiary. In addition to his core business, he is an angel investor in Oneiric Gaming and has been part of global leadership and advisory communities such as Forbes Technology Council and Forbes Business Council
 

Vishal Salvi  

Vishal Salvi is the Global Head of Cyber Security Service Line at Cognizant . Previously, he was at Quick Heal and Infosys . Earlier, he held senior roles including Partner at PwC , HDFC Bank, and Standard Chartered Corporate & Investment Banking . He began his career at Global Trust Bank , Development Credit Bank, and Crompton Greaves. Vishal is also an investor in CyberNxt Solutions LLP , while also holding advisory roles with AppSentinels and Safe Security.

Africa

Ayanda Peta  

Ayanda Peta is the Head of Cybersecurity (CISO) at Valterra Platinum and is President and Chairperson of the Cloud Security Alliance South Africa . Previously, he was Group Head of Cybersecurity (CISO) at African Rainbow Minerals Limited and held multiple roles at Accenture in cybersecurity and cloud security. Earlier, he worked at EY, BCX, and Dimension Data.

Dr. Daniel Adaramola  

Dr. Daniel Adaramola is the Director at Society for AI and Lead Consultant at Catalyst AI Hub . He also founded The Young CISO Network. Previously, he has worked at SunTrust Bank Nigeria Ltd , Unity Bank Plc , and Heritage Bank Plc . He was also Secretary General of the Committee of Chief Information Security Officers of Nigerian Financial Institutions. His early career includes roles at Enterprise Bank Limited , eTranzact International, eTranzact (UK) Ltd , MooreAdvice Limited, Francis Van-Lare Limited, and Digital Information Systems Company.

Dr. Harrison Nnaji

Dr. Harrison Nnaji is the Group Chief Information Security Officer at FirstBank Nigeria. Previously, he was at UBA Group and held a regional leadership role at IBM , managing network and security infrastructure across multiple African countries. Earlier, he worked in security and fraud management roles at Airtel Nigeria and Celtel Nigeria, and began his career in technical and network roles at Redington Nigeria, iTECO Nigeria, and Telnet Nigeria Limited . 

Kerissa Varma  

Kerissa Varma is the Chief Security Advisor for Africa at Microsoft and is President of Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) - Southern Africa Affiliate . Previously, she was at Vodacom and held multiple senior leadership roles at Old Mutual. Earlier, she worked in governance and security roles at SITA SOC (Ltd) and Electronic Toll Collection Co., Ltd. , and began her career in security and risk roles at Barclays and Telkom .

Lungile Binza  

Lungile Binza is the Chief Operating Officer at SABC . Prior to this, he was at FNB South Africa and South African Mint Company. Earlier, he worked at Liberty Life as Head of Information Management and held multiple roles at Absa Group .

Dr. Sindisiwe Nhlapho Dlamini Moloi

Dr. Sindisiwe Nhlapho Dlamini Moloi is the Chief Information Officer at Transnet SOC Ltd . Previously, she was at the the dti (Department of Trade and Industry: Republic of South Africa) (CIPRO) and led programmes as CEO of Liverpool University Programme College. Earlier, she worked at SAP , Q-Data Pesetel, and Unilever South Africa. She began her career at NHSS Bromfield Medical Centre in the UK.