CISO Forum | 2024

Tim is a visionary leader and an expert in IT and cyber security, with decades of experience in various industries. He joined Tanium after retiring from Wells Fargo, where he was an SVP and led several teams in cyber operations, engineering, and research. He holds 24 US patents and has written many articles on cyber security topics. He is also a trusted source of insights and opinions for major publications and web shows, where he shares his knowledge and passion for the field. Tim started his IT career as a developer and sysadmin in manufacturing, then moved to banking, where was a software packaging, scripting, active directory administration, and M&A projects. He has been dedicated to cybersecurity since 2009, specializing in areas such as detection and response, systems and patch management, vulnerability assessment, web-content filtering, malware analysis, red-teaming, and digital forensics.

Ben Nicholson is a Global Practice Leader for Prisma Cloud at Palo Alto Networks. In this role, he orchestrates the seamless deployment of Prisma Cloud solutions for a diverse clientele and has in-depth working knowledge of many security platforms. With 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, Ben has held a range of product and security consulting roles for technology companies across North America.

Albert Caballero is a patented cybersecurity expert, technology strategist, and published author with a passion for security engineering, cloud computing, and threat intelligence. Field CISO at SentinelOne, he has acted as Global Head of Security Engineering at Warner Bros. Discovery, CISO of HBO Latin America, and BISO within both WarnerMedia and AT&T. Co-founder of Trapezoid, a cybersecurity software company focused on firmware integrity management, and a SIEM Product Manager, he has also run a large Security Operations Center (SOC) at Terremark, a Verizon Managed Services Provider.

Nick has been with CyberArk for 15 years in a variety of customer-facing roles. Through his extensive experience working with enterprises globally, Nick has gained perspective on the most effective strategies for securing identities. In his current role, Nick collaborates directly with CISOs to ensure executive-level alignment on Identity Security programs.

Sophia is a third-party risk management product specialist at ProcessUnity. Sophia conducts thorough research on industry best practices and has in-depth product knowledge of how CISOs and CPOs use the ProcessUnity platform.

Jamie Knobles leads the Solutions Consulting team for Immersive Labs in North America. Initially entering the industry as a network engineer delivering managed services to data center customers, Jamie recognized the importance of adapting organizational defenses to counter cyber threats in today's fast-evolving digital landscape, and now focuses on helping organizations build and maintain cyber resilience across the entire workforce.

Brad is the Director of Technical Strategy in the office of the CTO. Brad has over 10 years of experience helping customers recover their data from both disaster and cyber incidents. Prior to Veeam, he worked at EMC where he focused on emerging technologies. At Veeam Brad has worn several hats from enterprise systems engineer to managing systems engineers to now driving strategic product and go-to-market programs while evangelizing Veeam's Data Resilience vision to keep businesses running.

As Chief Information Security Officer for Wiz, Ryan leads security engineering, operations, and risk & compliance functions. Previously, as a security engineering lead for Meta, Ryan focused on detection & response operations, WhatsApp and Messenger security strategy, and mergers & acquisitions diligence. In prior roles, Ryan was the Chief Technology Officer for Tanium, where he oversaw platform and product strategy, and a Technical Director for Mandiant, where he led dozens of breach investigations involving state espionage and financial crime. Ryan has been an instructor for Black Hat and the FBI's Cyber Squad, a contributing author for "Incident Response and Computer Forensics, 3rd Edition", and the technical consultant for seasons 2 and 3 of TV's "Mr. Robot."

Emily Heath is General Partner of Venture Capital firm Cyberstarts. She is a former security excecutive most recently serving as SVP & Chief Trust & Security Officer at DocuSign based in San Francisco, California. She is also a Board member for Gen Digital, (NASDAQ: GEN), formerly Norton Lifelock as well as cloud security company Wiz and Governance Risk & Compliance company LogicGate.Prior to DocuSign, she was the Chief Information Security Officer at United Airlines, and for F500 architecture, engineering and construction firm, AECOM where she led the global information security, regulatory compliance and risk programs. Prior to these roles, Emily served in various IT leadership positions, working with MGM Studios, Sony Pictures and home fitness company Beachbody LLC.Originally from Manchester, England, Emily is a former Police Detective from the UK Financial Crimes Unit where she led investigations into international investment fraud, money laundering and large scale identity theft cases, running joint investigations with the FBI, SEC and London’s Serious Fraud Office.Emily and her teams have been the recipients of CSO Magazine’s CSO50 Awards on numerous occasions for their work in cyber and risk. She has also been honored as part of CSO Magazines inaugural CSO hall of fame. She is a leader who believes in building creative, diverse and inclusive teams which has earned recognition both inside and outside the industry.

Jeremy Smith, the award-winning Vice President and Global Information Security Officer at Avery Dennison, is a renowned cybersecurity thought leader with over 15 years of experience. Driving the global cybersecurity strategy, he protects the company's critical data and assets while fostering a culture of security awareness. As a recognized expert in information security, risk management, and IT governance, Jeremy has built resilient security programs aligned with business goals. His innovative approach and commitment to continuous improvement have positioned him as a trusted voice in the industry. Beyond his leadership at Avery Dennison, Jeremy serves on advisory boards for several leading cybersecurity companies, offering his insights on emerging trends and threats. His collaborative nature and deep understanding of the industry have made him a valuable contributor to shaping the future of cybersecurity.

Dan’s experience in security strategy began as the Product Manager for an Industrial IoT company in charge securing of building automation systems. He then spent time leading Product Marketing for Cybereason, Morphisec, Guardicore, and Akamai before joining ReversingLabs. Dan attended Northeastern University for his bachelor of science degree in Electrical Engineering.

Joe is a seasoned product marketing professional with 10 years of experience in application security. Originally an AppSec consultant, he brings his frontline experiences working with Fortune 500 enterprises to discuss cybersecurity trends and best practices.

Prior to joining EY, John worked as a Special Agent with the FBI and as an Assistant United States Attorney. He has extensive experience investigating and prosecuting complex, high-profile cases, including international cyber crime rings, and nation-state hackers who stole trade secrets from western corporations. John represented the FBI at meetings of the National Security Council, which produced an Executive Order imposing economic sanctions against overseas cyber offenders which was signed by the President in April 2015.

Since arriving at EY, John has been asked to present or provide commentary on cybersecurity matters in multiple venues, including Columbia Business School, private equity firm Carlyle’s CISO Council, The Deal webcast, and the Wall Street Journal. John has been mentioned by name for his efforts in fighting cybercrime in the book Dawn of the Code War. He has also presented at multiple Private Equity CIO/CISO conferences, including Carlyle, Hellman & Friedman, AEA, and others.

While at EY, John has primarily focused on cyber and data privacy advice for clients, including extensive experience in challenging, hardening, and shaping world class Cyber security organizations and capabilities through a strategic CISO perspective.

Dheeraj Gurugubelli is a Senior Director in EY’s Transaction Strategy & Execution Group. He has over 10 years of security experience and worked with several Fortune 500 and PE clients spanning cyber risk management, strategy, tactical cybersecurity operations, data protection initiatives, and incident response. He advised and executed on security transformation efforts for clients in industries such as Financial Services, Healthcare, Retail, and Energy.

Dheeraj advises both private equity and corporates on cybersecurity strategy, risk, and security transformation across the capital agenda. He has led cybersecurity diligence in over 250 M&A deals ($180B in assets transferred) across multiple industries globally.

Prior to EY, Dheeraj worked with Deloitte and Schlumberger. In the past, Dheeraj has published security research and has been cited by media outlets and organizations such as NATO. He has also served as a visiting scholar for the cybersecurity labs at Purdue University.

Dheeraj delivered a guest lecture on “Impact of Cybersecurity in M&A valuations” at Harvard’s Mergers, Acquisitions, and Restructuring program.

Nick Vigier is the CISO for Oscar Health, a publicly traded Affordable Care Act insurer with a mission of helping people live healthier lives. He has been in the security industry for over 20 years in a variety of security leadership roles, such as an advisor as well as a CIO.

Jason Kikta is the Chief Information Security Officer at Automox. He previously served for over twenty years in the United States Marine Corps. This included seven years at United States Cyber Command designing and managing the national counter-APT and counter-ransomware missions. Jason is also an adjunct lecturer at the Alperovitch Institute for Cybersecurity Studies at the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. Additionally, he is an adjunct Senior Technical Advisor to the Institute for Security and Technology in San Francisco, CA.

Fernando is a Senior Principal Analyst on Omdia’s cybersecurity research team, based in Toronto, Canada. He focuses on the Infrastructure Security Intelligence Service, which provides vendors, service providers, and enterprise clients with insights and data on network security, content security, and more.

Fernando’s experience in enterprise security environments includes network security, security architecture, cloud security, endpoint security, content security, and antifraud. He has a deep interest in the economic aspects of cybersecurity and is a regular speaker at industry events. 

Before joining Omdia in 2021, Fernando was an industry analyst with 451 Research. He previously held a variety of operations, consulting, and sales engineering roles over his 25+ years in cybersecurity, always focusing on enterprise security at organizations including vArmour, RSA, Crossbeam, Hewlett Packard, and Nutec/Terra. Fernando holds a Bachelor of Science in computer science and different industry certifications.

Ryan Naraine is Editor-at-Large at SecurityWeek and host of the popular Security Conversations podcast series. He is a security community engagement expert who has built programs at major global brands, including Intel Corp., Bishop Fox and GReAT. Ryan is a founding-director of the Security Tinkerers non-profit, an advisor to early-stage entrepreneurs, and a regular speaker at security conferences around the world.

As Chief Information Security Officer at Syniverse, Justin Dellaportas brings with him years of cybersecurity experience and leadership. He is responsible for securing Syniverse’s global telecommunications and enterprise messaging network and maintaining the trust of their clients around the world. Prior to Syniverse, Justin joined Nielsen in 2015 and played a pivotal role in building the Cybersecurity organization’s people, process and technologies. Justin led the strategy and implementation of Nielsen’s foundational cybersecurity defense platforms, generated cost savings through process improvement and also helped develop a sophisticated 24/7/365 Cybersecurity Operations Center.  Justin’s proven track record of maturing the cybersecurity posture of organizations, overseeing growth strategies, and creating world class teams has earned him a well respected reputation in his field. Most notably, he was recognized as an honoree for the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 40 under 40 award which highlights his excellence in leadership and his impactful contributions to the Cybersecurity industry. Earlier in his career, Justin was an Engineer working for global security and aerospace company, Lockheed Martin. He is trained in the planning, implementing and auditing of Critical Security Controls and in Continuous Monitoring and Security Operations from the SANS Institute. He studied Engineering at the University of Central Florida and earned a GIAC Security Essentials Certification.