KBKAST

In this bonus episode, we turn the tables around and feature KB as the guest of her own show. Jay Hira (Founder and Executive Director of MakeCyberSimple), an industry expert and long-time peer, takes the host’s seat and asks KB about her rollercoaster journey into the industry. From a belief in the transformative power of challenges to the importance of consistency and evolution, KB has navigated the ups and downs of entrepreneurship with determination. With gratitude for the support she’s given and the invaluable life lessons learned along the way, KB reflects on the wild and crazy ride of building her business and her brand. Join us as we delve into the power of perseverance, the impact of recognizing and believing in one’s identity, and the unwavering commitment to continual (and sometimes gradual) improvement. Get ready for an inspiring and honest conversation about triumphs, setbacks, and the exhilarating unpredictability of the entrepreneurial path.

Karissa Breen, more commonly known as KB, is a serial entrepreneur that founded KBI.Media, the independent & agnostic global cybersecurity media company. KB has been crowned LinkedIn Top Voice in Technology. KB is a Cybersecurity Investigative Journalist that hosts the flagship podcast, KBKast, interviewing cybersecurity practitioners from around the globe about security and the problems business executives face.

KB is known for asking hard-hitting questions and getting real answers from her guests, providing a unique yet neutral position on these topics. KB is also the Producer & Host of the streaming show, 2Fa.tv, where she asks questions to demystify the world of cybersecurity, providing insight into the world of security to business executives, and focuses on the downstream impacts these cybersecurity events have on our markets.

As the world starts focusing on sustainability and ethical business practices intensifies, organizations are increasingly embracing ESG initiatives to demonstrate their commitment to the environment, social responsibility, and good governance. While ESG programs encompass a wide range of considerations, one aspect that should not be overlooked is cybersecurity. In today’s digital age, the integration of technology and cybersecurity is paramount to the success and integrity of ESG programs. In this episode, we discuss the intersection of technology and ESG, highlighting how cybersecurity protects against potential damage and disruption to green energy production and efficiency improvement. Additionally, we address the growing demand for ethical behavior from companies, the risks of focusing solely on media attention and neglecting proper security practices, and how breaches in trust can have long-lasting negative effects on reputation.

ESG initiatives were among the winners in this year’s Federal Budget, with $4 billion in new funding commitments aimed at accelerating Australia’s clean energy sector. However, it is important for businesses to not overlook cybersecurity as a crucial component of their ESG strategy moving forward. While companies often prioritise social and environmental initiatives, they tend to neglect cybersecurity in those areas, viewing it as only a part of the governance initiative. It’s often left to regulators or insurance providers to handle, despite the fact that cyberattacks can have a direct material impact on social and environmental matters whether through critical infrastructure compromise, data privacy violations, the loss of social trust and other impacts to partner organisations. The risk from cyberattacks can then result in potentially weakening every aspect of an ESG strategy, and not solely in technical matters or governance.

In this deep dive, we are joined by Fernando Serto, Chief Technologist and Evangelist of Cloudflare. With a deep understanding of the potential risks posed by accelerating climate change and fast-paced advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), he advocates for a careful and balanced approach to development. Fernando emphasizes the need to reflect on the consequences of our actions and the urgency to reduce our carbon footprint. He highlights the interconnectedness of today’s world, where people increasingly rely on AI-powered devices. While acknowledging the potential risks associated with AI, he believes that we are not yet at the point of no return. As an advisor, Fernando encourages individuals and organizations to exercise caution and approach AI development with a sense of responsibility. He highlights the positive aspects of AI when implemented correctly, emphasizing its ability to simplify and enhance our lives. Finally, we also uncover the importance of patching vulnerabilities quickly, the need for better cybersecurity practices, and the challenges faced by organizations in securing their networks.

Fernando Serto – Field CTO for Asia Pacific, Japan and China at Cloudflare – is a highly qualified IT and Security expert with over 27 years of work experience. Fernando has held a variety of technical positions during his career, including Web Development, Unix, Networking, and Security. Fernando had the privilege of being involved with offensive security in the beginning of his career, and as a result, he has since gained a thorough understanding of both offensive and defensive security methods.

Fernando has spent the last ten years working with top technology vendors, where he has established a reputation for his skill in explaining difficult technical security issues to both technical and non-technical audiences. He has a demonstrated history of assisting Product and Engineering teams in creating cutting-edge security solutions based on client input.

Fernando is dedicated to remaining on the cutting edge of new security technology and has a thorough understanding of how businesses can use security to achieve their goals. He is passionate about assisting businesses in creating and putting into practise security plans that allow them to safeguard their assets and accomplish their objectives in the rapidly changing security environment of today.

In this episode, we are joined by Mike Mengell (CTO & Co-Founder – CTO Labs) as we dive deep into the challenges and solutions in the security specialist field, with a spotlight on the APAC region.

Mike is a passionate technologist.

He has over 20 years experience within IT and has worked in both corporate and start-up environments, often adapting technical engineering practices to varying clients, cultures and product requirements.

Mike has a keen understanding that successful teams are a culmination of culture, behaviours, technology, architecture and development techniques. One particular area of interest is the challenge for tech leaders – and pragmatic strategies available to them across people, platforms and processes – in pursuing a deeply secure, fast and productive core engineering capability, critical for enterprise cyber resilience today.

Mike is highly proficient in a range of software engineering practices and has held the role of CTO in a number of companies. He believes in removing waste through repeatable processes and automation.

Mike believes in contributing positively to those around him.

Kyriakos “Rock” Lambros is the CEO and Founder of RockCyber. He is a seasoned Cybersecurity and Information Technology executive with expertise in aligning Cybersecurity and technology strategy with enterprise business goals to reduce the risk of revenue to the organization. This experience includes building multi-framework security programs, policy and standards development, architecture, operations, threat intelligence, governance, risk management, compliance, and incident response for (multi-billion dollar) global organizations with exceptional security and requirements. The frameworks Rock has supported include the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, CMMC, NERC/CIP, NIST 800-53, NIST 800-171, NIST 800-207 (Zero Trust), ISO 27001, SOC2, PCI, and others. Rock’s enterprise experience has spanned industries with vastly differing security and privacy requirements, including energy, eCommerce, government, banking, and manufacturing.

Rock has served in several senior Cybersecurity and technology roles for global, multi-billion-dollar companies such as MPLX (a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corporation), eBay, Honeywell, General Dynamics Information Technology, Wells Fargo, and Agilent Technologies. He built security programs from the ground up on multiple occasions. Rock was a pivotal contributor to M&A activities at numerous companies, including eBay’s acquisition of Shopping.com and Skype and Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s acquisition of MarkWest Energy Partners. Rock oversaw multi-million dollar budgets, led successful defenses against highly-publicized denial-of-service attacks, and built and managed large Security and Network Operations Centers.

Rock serves on the board of several stealth-mode startups as a corporate strategy and Cybersecurity advisor. He is also a member of the Secure Smart Cities Advisory Board at the National Cybersecurity Center and co-chaired the Rocky Mountain Information Security Conference from 2015 to 2017,

A sought-after speaker, Rock has spoken at the annual RSA Security conference, which is the Cybersecurity industry’s seminal yearly event. He has also spoken at the CIO Energy Summit, the Future of Data Security conference, the American Council for Technology, the ISSA CISO Mentorship series, and several industry association chapter meetings.

Rock is a member of ISSA, ISC2, the Cloud Security Alliance, and OWASP. He graduated with an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship from Arizona State University and received his BS in Management Information Systems from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Ben is an accomplished information security executive with over 20 years of international information security experience. Due to his many years of providing strategic C-level/board advice, he is able to apply technical threats into appropriate business contexts to determine overall risk to organisations. During this time Ben has been required to manage complex environments that requires balancing local and global organisational policies, domestic regulations, national security requirements, export control and international trade control restrictions, and applying the process, people and technology to ensure successful compliance.

Ben maintains his strong passion for the technical aspects of information security and recently has been focusing on creating new business opportunities by working across the breath of the global organisation’s capabilities while teaming and supporting small innovative start up technology companies.

Ben speaks regularly at international, interstate and local conferences, seminars and round tables

In this episode, we are joined by Mark Anderson (National Security Officer – Microsoft ANZ), as we dive deep into the challenges that executives face in today’s ever-evolving landscape. We discuss the importance of picking the right sources for insights, the non-IT ramifications of incidents, and the need for transparency and communication in the face of cyber attacks. Mark also shares his expertise on the commercialization of cybercrime, human-operated ransomware, and business email compromise that affect both small businesses and large enterprises. We also touch on the true cost of cybercrime and the importance of resilience-building through drills and scenario practice.

Mark has over 28 years’ experience in the IT industry with 18 of those at Microsoft in various roles across the globe. As the National Security Officer for Microsoft Australia & New Zealand, Mark is responsible for working with customers, partners, governments, and industry regulators to ensure that the Microsoft platforms are not only understood by policymakers but also adhere to their security, compliance and risk management requirements. In addition, Mark is accountable for the PROTECTED level assessment of Azure, Office 365, and Dynamics. Mark holds a Master of Cyber Security degree with high distinction from Edith Cowan University and is a Visiting Associate Professor at Macquarie University.

In this bonus episode, KB is on the go at the 2023 Tech Leaders Media and Journalism Conference, where she sits down for quickfire interviews with industry experts and gets their insights on hot topics in the media and cyber space. In this special segment, we are joined by the following experts:

An IT and cybersecurity professional, Gergana works with clients to develop creative approaches to reduce their cyber and data security risks. She assists organisations to improve their cyber security posture and supports them to achieve cyber resilient outcomes. Gergana believes that cyber is a business enabler; an intrinsic part of developing the business that can help organisations become more competitive in today’s world.

Gergana is an experienced and respected member of the cybersecurity community in Australia and Asia and an engaging keynote and public speaker on cyber security and privacy matters, risks and issues to the business community. In her spare time, she mentors young professionals and is an advocate for diversity.

Prior to KPMG, Gergana worked for a global IT solutions company as Industry Director Cyber Security for the Asia Pacific region. She was a member of the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) national board and ISACA Sydney board.