In this episode, KB sits down with Guy Diedrich, SVP & Global Innovation Officer, Country Digital Acceleration (CDA), Cisco Networking Academy & Learning & Certification, and Anupam Trehan, Vice President for People and Communities APJC on the ground at Cisco Live 2024 in Melbourne. Together they discuss the impact of AI on the future workforce and the evolving landscape of remote and hybrid work in the digital age.

Guy Diedrich

Dr. Guy Diedrich is a Senior Vice President and the Global Innovation Officer at Cisco, where he is responsible for its Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) and Networking Academy programs, as well as Learning and Certifications (L&C). In this role, Dr. Diedrich collaborates closely with government and industry leaders around the world to drive mass-scale digitization and skilling initiatives that help increase GDP, create millions of next-generation jobs, and develop sustainable innovation ecosystems around the world. Dr. Diedrich continues to grow and evolve the programs into new markets, building trust with government, industry and academic stakeholders along the way.

Dr. Diedrich is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Cisco Foundation, which supports nonprofits and NGOs with grants, technology donations and expertise to help solve global challenges in communities around the world.

Prior to his current role at Cisco Systems, Dr. Diedrich was a Vice Chancellor at the Texas A&M University System where he was responsible for research, commercialization, federal government relations, state government relations and strategic initiatives.

Before joining Texas A&M, Dr. Diedrich served as President and CEO of GRA Inc., a software development and consulting company that he co-founded and grew from a start-up to a firm employing more than 130 professionals. The company was sold to a publicly-traded technology company.

Dr. Diedrich holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University, a Master’s degree from the University of Cambridge (Kings College) and a Ph.D. from Swansea University where he studied the economics of trust in organizations. Dr. Diedrich is a published author in cost accounting and medical psychology, and has worked extensively throughout Europe, the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East for more than two decades.

Anupam Trehan

Anupam is the People & Communities Leader for APJC. Anupam has been a strategic part of Cisco’s operations for a decade, having worked across different roles. Anupam is particularly passionate about talent & leadership development, organizational transformation, promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace and has been a strong voice in this space sharing her thought leadership in various forums both internal and external to Cisco.

She has previously worked with JP Morgan, Delphi Technical Centre & Tata AutoComp across various functions in HR. Anupam describes herself as a Mother, Traveler, Reader and an avid foodie.

In this episode, KB sits down with Raj Chopra, SVP & Chief Product Officer, Security Business Group, Cisco, Angelique Medina, Head of Internet Intelligence at Cisco ThousandEyes, and Matt Caulfield, VP of Product for Duo and Identity, Cisco on the ground at Cisco Live 2024 in Melbourne. Together they discuss Cisco’s vision of being an AI first company, data in flight, and the concept of ‘identity is the new spam’.

Raj Chopra, SVP & Chief Product Officer, Security Business Group, Cisco

Raj is a seasoned executive with a proven record of delivering market-leading innovation in security with a strong focus on user-first experiences. He is a strong advocate of supporting diverse teams and equitable environments that bring out the best in everyone.

Prior to taking on this role, Raj led product, design, and strategy for Proofpoint’s flagship Email Security portfolio, helping grow that business nearly 3-fold in 4 years.

Before Proofpoint, Raj was part of the founding team of Netskope. He built both the product and new market category of CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker) and spurred its growth into SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) and SSE (Security Services Edge). During his career, he launched more than a dozen cybersecurity products, including several in the past 15 years that rose to $250M+ in product revenue.

Raj holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, and a BS in Computer Science from NIT (National Institutes of Technology) India and has a growing eagerness to go deeper into in his yoga practice.

Angelique Medina, Head of Internet Intelligence, Cisco ThousandEyes

Matt Caulfield, Vice President of Product for Duo and Identity, Cisco

In this episode, KB is joined by Tom Gillis, SVP and General Manager, Security Business Group, AJ Shipley, Vice President, Product Management, Threat Detection & Response, and Tom Casey, Senior Vice President and GM, Products & Technology, Splunk, a Cisco company on the ground at Cisco Live 2024 in Melbourne. Together they dive into critical topics such as Cisco’s innovative HyperShield solution for patch management, Cisco’s acquisition of Splunk, and how they plan to integrate and enhance their products.

Tom Gillis

Tom Gillis is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Cisco Security Business Group (SBG). A respected security industry leader with strong executive management skills and in-depth knowledge of the challenges surrounding secure enterprise computing, Tom is responsible for the company’s global security business to fundamentally simplify the security experience.

Prior to Cisco, Tom was the SVP/GM of the Network and Advanced Security Business Group at VMware, where he led the endpoint, networking, load balancing and network security businesses. He was also the CEO/co-founder of Bracket Computing which was acquired by VMware.

Before Bracket Computing, Tom was the GM of the Security Technology Group at Cisco where he led the company’s businesses for security management, appliances, applications, and endpoint services. Tom was also part of the founding team at IronPort Systems and served as senior vice president of marketing when the company was acquired by Cisco. Under his guidance, IronPort grew an average of 100 percent year-on-year for seven years. During his tenure, IronPort rose to become the leading provider of antispam, antivirus, and antimalware appliances for organizations ranging from small businesses to the Global 2000.

Tom has also worked at iBEAM Broadcasting, Silicon Graphics, and Boston Consulting Group in various technical and leadership roles. He is also a noted advisor to startups and venture capital companies and is a member of several boards of directors.

Tom holds an M.B.A. degree from Harvard University, and graduated Magna Cum Laude with an M.S.E.E. degree from Northwestern University and a B.S.E.E. from Tufts University.

AJ Shipley

Think big. Start small. Move fast. These three values drive AJ Shipley, Vice President, Product, Threat Detection & Response at Cisco Security Business Group. In this role, AJ is responsible for Extended Detection and Response (Cisco SecureX, Advanced Malware Protection), Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (Kenna Security), Endpoint Detection and Response (Cisco Secure Endpoint), Network Detection and Response (Cisco Secure Analytics, Talos), and Cisco Secure Email.

A dedicated product executive, AJ is passionate about creating phenomenal products that solve customers’ acute cyber-security business problems. He is equally enthusiastic about building and nurturing winning teams. That combination boded well in his previous position leading Cisco’s Customer Experience (CX) product management team, where he was

Having experienced both the trenches and the board room, AJ leverages his diverse background to inform his career journey and that of others. Prior to joining Cisco, AJ served as Vice President of Product Management for Palo Alto Networks Cloud Delivered Security Subscriptions, leading successful launches that he credits to the strength of the individuals and teams committed to those customer outcomes.

AJ has led various disciplines at multiple public and private companies — all honing his purpose and passion for developing the best products and bringing out the best in people while ensuring the teams and individuals responsible for those successes have the opportunity to achieve their career aspirations.

AJ is a Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), fluent in multiple cyber security disciplines, including email security, network security gateways, threat intelligence, encryption & PKI, network access control, security standards and certifications. He is a past TS/SCI clearance holder.

AJ holds undergraduate and graduate technical degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a graduate degree in Business Administration from The University of North Carolina.

Tom Casey

Tom Casey is the Senior Vice President and GM, Products & Technology for Splunk. With over 25 years of experience, Tom is responsible for evolving Splunk’s market-leading unified security and observability platform. Prior to joining Splunk, he served as Senior Vice President, Engineering at DocuSign, where he led the company’s product strategy, including development, execution and delivery of all products worldwide. Prior to DocuSign, Tom served as Vice President, Platform and Infrastructure at Apptio, where he helped scale the Company’s SaaS platform from a single offering to a multi-product portfolio. Before that, he spent 16 years at Microsoft in a number of leadership positions in product and engineering. He holds a B.S. from the University of Arizona.

Executive Sponsor: Neurodiversity Employee Resource Group

Join KB as she sits down with Mark Anderson, National Security Officer – Australia and New Zealand from Microsoft, who will give us an exclusive sneak peek into what you can expect from Microsoft AI Tour 2024 happening in Sydney at the ICC on December 11th. Mark shares insights into the event’s focus on real-world AI implementations by leading Australian organizations, highlights the tour’s comprehensive cybersecurity content, including Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative, and the establishment of a local base of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) in Australia.

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 episode, we sit down with Kelly Sabo, Head of SMB and Mid Market ANZ at Cisco, as she discusses cybersecurity essentials for small and medium businesses (SMBs). Kelly delves into the misconceptions SMB owners have about their vulnerability to cyber attacks, the alarming statistic that up to 60% of SMBs risk going out of business within 6 months post-attack, and the critical need for a comprehensive approach that goes beyond IT. We also explore how SMBs can tackle these challenges with limited resources, the benefits of outsourcing cybersecurity to experts, and the role of AI in automating security tasks to enhance protection. Additionally, Kelly emphasizes practical steps SMBs can take, like implementing multi-factor authentication and conducting risk assessments, to bolster their security without incurring enterprise-level costs.

Kelly Sabo, Leader – Small & Medium Business and Commercial Mid-Market, Cisco Australia & New Zealand

With over a decade of experience in the technology sector, Kelly is dedicated to empowering small and medium businesses (SMBs) and commercial mid-market enterprises to thrive in today’s digital backdrop. As the leader for SMB and mid-market sized customers at Cisco ANZ, Kelly is deeply committed to leveraging Cisco’s cutting-edge technologies to drive growth, efficiency, and competitiveness for businesses of all sizes.

Kelly‘s expertise lies in understanding the unique challenges and opportunities faced by SMBs and mid-market enterprises, particularly in an environment where the adoption of cloud and software as a service solution has reshaped the industry landscape. She is passionate about helping organisations harness the power of cloud managed networking, security, and collaboration to meet the demands of the modern business world. 

Kelly’s experience covers multiple technology companies including Oracle, NetApp and now Cisco,  from sales leadership, managing partners, distributors, account management and sales operations.

Since joining Cisco in 2015, Kelly has held various leadership, channel, and sales roles, gaining valuable insights into the dynamic nature of the technology ecosystem. Her extensive knowledge of the channel space provides her with a unique perspective in helping partners adapt and evolve in a rapidly changing environment.

As a leader in the industry who can distil complexity and boil it down to clear actions, Kelly is frequently sought after to share her insights and expertise at industry events and conferences. 

“The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of KPMG Australia”.

In this episode, we sit down with Ana Forsyth, Associate Director from KPMG, as she discusses the fragmented state of Australia’s education system in relation to cyber education. Ana highlights the significant gaps between schools, vocational training, and higher education, stressing the need for cohesive national strategies and government accountability.

Ana also covers the critical role of teachers in cybersecurity education, the necessity of early cyber safety awareness, and the challenges parents face in navigating their children’s digital lives. She shares her views on current parenting trends in relation to children’s access to technology and the imperative for systemic educational reforms to build a resilient cybersecurity workforce in Australia.

For the past eight years, Ana has been a cyber professional consulting to Federal Government and Defence clients. Ana previously worked in event sales and hospitality management for almost a decade, but took the leap into cyber security and never looked back, successfully transferring her leadership and stakeholder engagement skills.

Ana completed a PhD in cyber security strategy, entitled ‘Educational pathways to national cyber resilience: the Australian story’ (ANU, 2020); the thesis focused on growing Australia’s future cyber workforce by enhancing its pipeline. She argued for strengthened higher and vocational cyber security education, but also for the need to drive more interest in STEM in primary/secondary school, bringing along not just the students, but also their teachers and carers. The research highlighted the need for support from government, academia and industry, seamlessly integrated at every level.

Ana also holds a Master of Arts in Strategy and Security (UNSW at ADFA, 2012), a Master of International Affairs (ANU, 2011), and a Bachelor of Business Administration and Hospitality Management (Northwood University and Hotel Institute Montreux, Switzerland, 2009). She grew up in the Middle East, and did most of her schooling in the French system.

[NB: if Ana could study forever, she would.]

Passionate about the human risk management facet of her industry, Ana is a firm believer in not only growing Australia’s future cyber workforce, but also uplifting the level of cyber skills across the board for the nation’s generations to come. She is dedicated to sparking conversation and raising awareness of the fact that future Australia needs support from us today to be the best that they can tomorrow – and as secure as possible.

“The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms.”

In this episode, we sit down with John Hare, Associate Partner, Cyber Security from EY as he discusses the latest EY research on what those organisations that achieve the best security outcomes (“Secure Creators”) do differently to their less secure peers (“Prone Enterprises”).

We also explore how Secure Creators are responding to the recent surge in AI and GenAI use – both in the cyber function (AI for Cyber) and throughout the enterprise (Cyber for AI). John provides insights into how AI presents an opportunity for astute cyber teams to cement themselves as the true enablers of technology transformation, rather than “the department of no”.

John has 25 years of professional experience, spanning cybersecurity, diplomacy and law. John began his career as an M&A lawyer in London and Tokyo, before serving as a British diplomat for 9 years. John has spent the last decade working on cybersecurity, as a consultant, inside a major bank, and as a regional executive for a technology company.

John advises Australia’s leading financial services organisations on their cybersecurity strategies, adopting global better practice, and making cybersecurity a value creation driver.

Articles:

Cybersecurity an AI accelerator across the business | EY – Global

Listen to Decrypting The Future episodes here.

In this episode, we sit down with Skeeve Stevens, Director of Future Crime Agency, as he discusses the increasing desensitization to data breaches and the critical need for proactive government action in cybersecurity. Skeeve dives into the consequences of frequent cyber incidents, the potential for more advanced AI-powered attacks, and the urgent requirement for systemic changes to better manage personal data. We explore the inadequacies of current cybersecurity legislation, the challenges in educating the public about cyber risks, and the looming dangers posed by AI and home automation vulnerabilities. Skeeve also highlights the dire need for improved cybersecurity awareness and education to keep pace with technological advancements.

Skeeve Stevens is a leading authority in Australia and the APAC region on the Weaponisation of Technology. He specialises in identifying the risks and threats posed by emerging technologies and navigating the ever-evolving landscape of future technology-driven crime.

Future Crime transcends traditional concepts of cybercrime, representing a vast, complex, and rapidly expanding threat landscape with global reach and immediate, far-reaching consequences.

Skeeve provides expert advice to a diverse range of professionals, including government officials, politicians, legal advisors, lawyers, judges, law enforcement agencies, defence forces, the security sector, and businesses alike. His expertise has earned him hundreds of media appearances as a subject-matter expert, featuring on television, radio, newspapers, and podcasts across the globe.

Skeeve is, above all, a visionary Futurist, accomplished entrepreneur, highly sought-after keynote speaker, and renowned technology architect. As a trusted advisor to C-Level executives, he delivers exceptional insights across a broad spectrum of cutting-edge domains, including Future Crime, Artificial Intelligence, Futurism, Internet Architecture and Critical Infrastructure, the Internet of Things, and Automation. His expertise also spans Micro and Personal Robotics, as well as the sociology and psychology of human interaction with emerging technologies, offering a comprehensive perspective on how these innovations will shape society and our future.

 Skeeve is the author of the Threat Matrix, a restricted publication where he discusses potential risks using current, near Future, and emerging technologies and methodologies.

Skeeve is the founder of the Future Crime Agency (FCA) which specialises in the weaponisation of advanced and emerging technology and creating awareness for Law Enforcement, Military, First Responders, Private Security, and enterprises who work within those sectors.

Skeeve guest lectures on Cybersecurity, Technology Crime, Technology Terrorism, Infrastructure Protection, 1st Principal Thinking and Inversion Thinking at multiple academic institutions in departments such as Computer Science, Political Science, Psychology, National Security, and International Studies.

Skeeve is a former Director of the Internet Society of Australia and former chair of APNIC (Internet Governance) Policy Committee.  He has also represented Australia in Internet Governance issues and policy across the world.

In this episode, we sit down with Yuri Miloslavsky, CEO of Sharepass, as he discusses the risks associated with digital footprints in information sharing. Yuri delves into the importance of awareness about the vulnerabilities introduced by our online activities and the challenges of balancing security with user convenience. We explore the cybersecurity industry’s need to simplify security processes like multi-factor authentication (MFA) to enhance user adoption, and the pivotal role of education in improving security practices. Yuri also addresses corporate privacy policies, the trade-off between convenience and security, and the necessity for tighter compliance and regulation to ensure transparent data management.

Yuri Miloslavsky is an IT professional and entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in the industry. As the co-founder and CEO of SharePass, a cutting-edge digital footprint management and privacy protection platform, Yuri is at the forefront of developing secure solutions for the modern digital communication landscape. His expertise extends to building and running a successful Managed Service Provider (MSP) specializing in IT consulting and cloud services.

In this episode, we sit down with Mary D’Angelo, Cyber Threat Intelligence Solutions Lead from Filigran, to explore cyber threat intelligence. Mary dives into the challenges of decision-making fatigue and discusses the essential role of integrating threat intelligence across organizational silos. She emphasizes the importance of a top-down cultural shift, advocating to demonstrate threat intelligence’s ROI to C-level executives. Highlighting real-world examples, such as the LockBit ransomware attacks on US hospitals, Mary reinforces the urgent need to democratize and streamline intelligence sharing. She also discusses the potential of AI in improving threat intelligence processes while noting the necessity for human oversight in decision-making.

Mary D’Angelo is a Dark Web Threat Advisor dedicated to empowering organizations with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively combat cyber threats. With a strong focus on threat intelligence, Mary guides businesses in leveraging advanced security strategies to thwart malicious actors.

Her commitment to raising awareness about cybersecurity risks is evident through her extensive work, including insightful interviews and thought-provoking blog posts aimed at educating the public.

Mary holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington. Actively engaged in the InfoSec community, Mary is a familiar face at industry events, contributing her expertise and staying abreast of emerging trends.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Mary is deeply invested in nurturing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. She dedicates time to mentoring university students, sharing invaluable insights and guiding them toward successful careers in the field.

Mary’s influence extends beyond traditional realms, as she actively participates in esteemed think tanks such as the Dagstuhl Seminar 2024 and the Tortora Bradya Institute. Through collaborative efforts with leading experts, Mary continues to shape the discourse and advance cybersecurity strategies on a global scale.