KBKAST

In this episode, we sit down with Marco Pereira, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Cybersecurity at Capgemini, as he explores the looming risk posed by quantum computing to current encryption standards. Marco breaks down what could happen the day encryption breaks—referred to as “Q Day”—and highlights why the urgency to prepare for quantum threats is so critical, especially given the uncertainty about when this shift might occur. He discusses the widespread reliance on RSA-based encryption, the potential for a sudden cyber ‘Armageddon’ if organisations are not proactive, and the immense challenge of transitioning global digital infrastructure to post-quantum cryptography. Marco also addresses the current lack of urgency and crypto expertise in the industry, emphasises the need for crypto agility, and draws parallels to the rapid adoption challenges seen with cloud computing and AI.

Marco is an industry-recognised cybersecurity thought leader and strategist with over 25 years of leadership and hands-on experience. He has a proven track record of successfully implementing highly complex, large-scale IT transformation projects. Known for his visionary approach, Marco has been instrumental in shaping and executing numerous strategic cybersecurity initiatives. Marco holds a master’s degree in information systems and computer engineering, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA). His unique blend of technical expertise and business acumen enables him to bridge the gap between technology and strategy, driving innovation and achieving organisational goals.

In this episode, we sit down with John Hultquist, Chief Analyst at Mandiant Intelligence, now part of Google Cloud, as he shares his insights on Australia’s evolving cybersecurity threat landscape. John explores the increasing complexity and velocity of threats, spotlighting both nation-state actors—particularly from China—and financially motivated cybercriminal groups like Scattered Spider. He addresses the psychological and structural drivers behind rising attacks, including the troubling pattern of minors engaging in increasingly aggressive cybercrime. The discussion further examines the targeting of critical sectors such as healthcare, the growing use of advanced techniques to evade detection, and the influence of geopolitics and emerging technologies like AI on intelligence operations.

John Hultquist – Chief Analyst, Mandiant Threat Intelligence

John Hultquist serves as the Chief Analyst at Mandiant Intelligence, now part of Google Cloud. In this senior leadership role, he oversees global threat intelligence operations—tracking cyber espionage, hacktivism, ransomware, and state-aligned threat actors. He regularly advises C-suite and public-sector leaders on cyber risk strategy and prioritisation.

John’s unique background—spanning military intelligence, U.S. government service, private sector leadership, and real-time cyber conflict analysis—positions him as one of the most respected voices in global threat intelligence. He brings a strategic mindset focused equally on technical insights, geopolitical awareness, and operational impact.

In this episode, we sit down with Jamie Norton, Board Director at ISACA, and Rob Clyde, Crypto Quantique and past ISACA Board Chair, as they discuss the impact of quantum computing on cybersecurity and how professionals can prepare for imminent change. Jamie shares insights from a recent ISACA global survey revealing that 95% of organizations lack a quantum computing roadmap, highlighting both a general awareness of the concept and a significant gap in practical action. Rob emphasizes the urgency of understanding and adopting new post-quantum cryptography standards, noting the risks posed by “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks and the likelihood of nation states leading the charge in exploiting quantum capabilities. Together, they explore the need for continuous education, the evolving skills landscape—including the increasing value of quantum and AI literacy, and practical first steps organisations should take to assess risk, build strategy, and transition critical assets to post-quantum security measures.

Rob Clyde, Chairman, Crypto Quantique, and past ISACA board chair

Rob Clyde is a distinguished cybersecurity and technology leader with over three decades of experience in executive, board, and advisory roles. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board at Crypto Quantique, a company specialising in quantum-driven IoT cybersecurity solutions. He is also the Executive Chair of White Cloud Security and a long-term board member of ISACA, where he previously held the position of Chair.

Rob’s career includes notable positions such as Chief Technology Officer at Symantec, CEO of Adaptive Computing, and co-founder of Axent Technologies. As Managing Director of Clyde Consulting LLC, he provides strategic advisory services to cybersecurity software companies. Rob is also a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) and holds the NACD Directorship Certification.

A frequent speaker at global cybersecurity conferences, Rob brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership to discussions on digital trust, governance and emerging technologies.

Jamie Norton, ISACA Board Director

Jamie Norton is a leading cybersecurity expert with over 25 years of experience across government, commercial and international sectors. He is Chief Information Security Officer at Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) and Board Director at ISACA. He is a Partner at McGrathNicol, where he advises executives and boards on cyber risk, resilience and strategic performance. Jamie also serves on the Advisory Board of Avertro, a cybersecurity start-up focused on informed, data-driven decision-making around cyber resilience and AI safety. He previously held leadership roles at NEC, Tenable, Check Point and the World Health Organisation.

Jamie is the former Chief Information Security Officer at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), one of Australia’s largest federal agencies. He has chaired and contributed to numerous interdepartmental and industry committees on cyber strategy, and represented Australia at international government forums on cybercrime. He holds degrees in accounting and IT from the Australian National University and is a respected speaker and media commentator.

In this episode, we sit down with David Wiseman, Vice President, Secure Communications at BlackBerry, as he explores the growing challenges of authenticating identity in digital communication channels. David discusses recent high-profile incidents—including compromised government messaging apps and political deep fakes—that highlight vulnerabilities in platforms like Signal and WhatsApp. He highlights the risks associated with AI-powered voice and message spoofing, and emphasizes the importance of maintaining clear boundaries between business and personal communications to prevent data leaks and blackmail. David also explains how evolving AI tools are making targeted spam, phishing attacks, and metadata mining more effective, and calls for stronger controls, technological safeguards, and user awareness to preserve trust in digital communications.

Experience

David has 25+ years of experience in software, security, information management, mobility and communications at BlackBerry, IBM, SAP, Sybase, and the US Navy. His expertise in Secure Communications leads BlackBerry in the vision of securing a connected future you can trust, helping governments to augment and fortify digital defences to strengthen national security

Notable Achievements

David helped design the world’s first large-scale environmental geo-spatial database for NASA. He also helped design the software for one of the first shipboard radar data fusion systems for the US Navy.   At BlackBerry, David and his team have helped NATO and multiple global governments operating in challenging geo-political environments to establish trusted, secure communications channels from the battlefield to the boardroom – using military-grade software to ensure classified conversations and messages remain private.

In this episode, we sit down with James Blake, Vice President, Global Cyber Resiliency Strategy at Cohesity, as he shares his insights on assessing and building organizational cyber resilience. James emphasizes the importance of pragmatism and preparedness, urging companies to address their weakest resiliency links rather than over-focusing on a single area or relying entirely on technology for prevention and detection. He discusses the growing sophistication of cyber threats, particularly ransomware and wiper attacks, and highlights the need for a shared responsibility model between IT and security teams.

James leads cyber resilience strategy at Cohesity. He brings extensive hands-on experience in leading incident response in dozens of ransomware and wiper incidents; as the former CISO of Mimecast and Global Director of Cyber Transformation at JPMorgan Chase; and having led a consultancy practice that built the end-to-end security operation center capability for over 91 organizations including over two dozen in the FORTUNE 100.

In this episode, we sit down with Federico Torreti, Senior Director of Product for AI & ML at Oracle, as he discusses the company’s latest partnership with xAI to bring the Grok 3 model to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). Federico explores the importance of offering curated model choice to enterprises, emphasizing that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to AI solutions. He highlights the challenges organizations face in evaluating AI models, managing decision fatigue, and moving from experimentation to production. The conversation also covers the critical role of data security, privacy, and sovereignty when implementing AI, as well as Oracle’s differentiated approach to embedding AI across its entire technology stack.

Federico Torreti leads the vision, strategy, and delivery of generative AI services, enabling enterprises to build, deploy, and scale large language model applications on Oracle’s cloud platform. Prior to Oracle, he spent over 20 years at Amazon Web Services, Eaton Corporation, and Rolls-Royce, leading AI product teams and launching corporate ventures.

In this episode, we sit down with Kate Healy, Founder of Empowered Cyber, as she shares her insights on how to successfully engage and sell to CISOs. Kate highlights the challenges salespeople face in a market where traditional tactics, such as cold calls, unsolicited emails, and LinkedIn pitches, often fall flat and can damage long-term relationships. She emphasizes the importance of building genuine trust, creating value, and truly understanding a CISO’s unique challenges rather than launching straight into product pitches. Kate also discusses how effective sales strategies in Australia hinge on relationship-building and mutual respect, and offers practical advice on leveraging existing customer introductions, participating in industry events, and communicating with authenticity and transparency. She strongly advocates for marketing, PR, and sales teams to align more closely and for both sides, vendor and client, to treat each other with empathy, honesty, and a human-centric approach.

Awarded Australia’s Most Outstanding in IT Security 2024, Fellow of AISA, and Graduate Australian Institute of Company Directors, Kate is a distinguished cyber security executive with over 25 years global experience. She has served in influential roles including Interim CISO The Lottery Corporation, Head of Security Google Cloud ANZ, Head of Risk, Wholesale Banking, Standard Chartered Bank and has been a volunteer Board Director. This diverse experience positions her uniquely, having been both an operator and a vendor, she understands the industry from both sides. Kate brings not only deep expertise but also a passion for making this knowledge accessible to everyone through her company Empowered Cyber.

In this episode, we sit down with Jadee Hanson, Chief Information Security Officer at Vanta, as she explores whether compliance is simply a minimum standard or a strategic enabler in cybersecurity governance. Jadee shares insights on how compliance, when approached with transparency and accountability, can build customer trust and drive business success. She discusses the shift from outdated, manual audit practices to a model of continuous, automated compliance monitoring, emphasizing the efficiency and assurance provided by real-time controls. Jadee also highlights the importance of going beyond compliance “checkboxes,” advocating for proactive security measures, such as bug bounty programs and responsible disclosure processes, that strengthen organizational resilience.

In this episode, we sit down with Courtney Guss, Director of Crisis Response at Sempris, as she sheds light on why a crisis plan alone won’t always save organizations in moments of disruption. Courtney unpacks surprising research showing that despite 97% of organizations regularly planning and training for crises, 76% still suffer significant impacts during incidents. She discusses how misaligned training, outdated and irrelevant scenarios, and a “checkbox” mentality frequently undermine preparedness. Courtney emphasizes the need for organizations to tailor crisis exercises to their specific business context, practice more frequently in smaller, relevant groups, and prioritize adaptability with backup plans when things go awry. She also highlights the importance of having accessible contact information and robust communication channels, as well as clearly defined decision triggers and justifications for pivoting during an incident.

Courtney Guss, Semperis, Director of Crisis Management 

Courtney Guss brings over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, crisis response, and business resilience. She began her career in the insurance and risk management sector, working with FEMA and the NFIP, where she developed a strong foundation in emergency preparedness and crisis communications before transitioning into cybersecurity leadership roles. 

Courtney has led cyber crisis management initiatives for a wide range of organizations, including global enterprises, government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies. She previously served as a senior consultant at IBM Security, where she specialized in cyber risk quantification using the FAIR framework and advised clients on regulatory compliance, incident response, and stakeholder management. 

Her work has included developing and running executive-level tabletop exercises, supporting ransomware recovery efforts, advising organizations on SEC, DORA, CCOP, and CIRCIA reporting obligations, and orchestrating cross-functional response plans to major incidents. Courtney is passionate about turning chaos into order and equipping teams with the clarity, tools, and playbooks they need to act decisively under pressure. 

KBI.Media is proud to announce a landmark partnership between KBKast, the flagship security podcast for leadership, and Vanta, the leading trust management platform.

In a dynamic and rapidly evolving media landscape, companies like Vanta are exploring innovative platforms to amplify their presence and impact. This partnership enables KBKast to:

With Vanta’s involvement, KBKast will introduce: