In this special Cybersecurity Today weekend interview, host David Shipley speaks with Amy Yee about leadership, resilience, and the human side of cybersecurity.

Amy shares her remarkable journey from electrical engineering and venture capital to becoming the inaugural Chief Digital Officer at Accreditation Canada and Health Standards Organization, where she helped build the digital foundation used by hundreds of healthcare organizations across Canada.

The conversation takes a deeply personal turn as Amy recounts leading through a ransomware attack that struck her organization before tabletop exercises and incident-response planning had become routine. She describes the chaos of the first 48 hours, the emotional toll on staff, the difficult weeks that followed, and the lessons learned during a 60-day recovery effort.

Amy also discusses her popular conference talk inspired by Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven, reimagined for cybersecurity. She explores five people every cyber professional encounters during their career: the person they protected, the person who challenged them, the person who gave them a chance, the person they failed, and the person they inspired.

This is a conversation about cybersecurity, leadership, resilience, mentorship, and finding meaning in a profession that often works behind the scenes.

Topics covered:

Ransomware incident response Cybersecurity leadership Healthcare cybersecurity Digital transformation Executive crisis management Building cyber resilience Career growth in technology Mentorship and leadership lessons The human side of cybersecurity

Guest: Amy Yee Host: David Shipley Podcast: Cybersecurity Today

#Cybersecurity #Ransomware #Leadership #

Chapters

00:00 Weekend Show Intro 01:22 Amy's Career Origin 02:13 Becoming Chief Digital Officer 03:56 Ransomware Wake Up Call 06:46 Inside the First 48 Hours 08:26 The Low Point Weeks In 10:57 Finding a Path Forward 11:55 Leadership Lessons After Incidents 15:01 Five People in Cyber 17:16 Invisible Impact and Resilience 19:38 The Five Archetypes Explained 21:42 Stories From the Community 24:14 Wired for Change Podcast 27:30 Advice to Younger Amy 28:49 Closing and Off Mic Wrap