“How Do You Brief Your Board on Cybersecurity?!”

We’ve all been there….wrestling with how to best to strike a balance that clearly communicates the challenges in today’s cyber threat landscape while demonstrating that we are leading a thoughtful, well-planned strategy that drives support for strategy, policy, and funding.

Cybersecurity is consistently ranked as a top enterprise risks for organizations.  Securing information assets and guarding against myriad threats requires a shared responsibility across the entire organization.  Oftentimes, company employees are our first line of defense and the reality is that an incident can be just one mouse click away.  

It is imperative that executive leaders and board members understand the growing sophistication of the threat landscape and are confident in the tactical and strategic initiatives to address and mitigate this risk. 

SIM Chicago has assembled an incredible panel to share firsthand strategies, expertise and top considerations when approaching this topic with your board. 

Please join other Chicagoland CIO’s and business technology leaders October 20th in our discussion on ways to elevate your board and leadership conversations on information security as an enterprise risk.

Panelists:

Mike Cullen – Principal, Baker Tilly

MIKE CULLEN is a principal in Baker Tilly’s risk advisory practice, helps clients tackle cybersecurity, data and information technology risks. He works with clients in multiple industries, with a dedicated focus and extensive experience with higher education, research institutions, not-for-profit organizations and government contractors. Since 2001, he has been executing various cybersecurity, privacy and IT assessments, myriad IT internal audits, risk reviews for large transformation projects and numerous IT compliance projects. Currently, Mike leads multifaceted practice teams with industry specialization, all with the goal of helping clients protect data and systems and enhance cybersecurity and IT risk management practices. Mike has presented to a variety of local, regional, and national events. Mike is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US), and Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Provisional Assessor (CMMC PA).

Paul E. Martin – Retired SVP & CIO, Baxter Int’l & Board Member – Unisys Corporation, Owens Corning, Ping Identity, Steris

PAUL E. MARTIN has built a reputation as an IT visionary, transformational thought leader and digital enabler. He is a respected, collaborative, and accomplished technology executive with more than 40 years of IT expertise, including 23 years in the c-suite.

Mr. Martin retired from Baxter International, a publicly traded medical technologies, products, and therapies company, as Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer in October 2020. He had global responsibility for information technology strategy, operations, cyber security, and staff world-wide. During his 10-year tenure, he established a strategic framework to drive business transformation.   

Previously, as CIO at Rexam PLC, formerly a FTSE 100 publicly traded global consumer packaging company, he improved operating margins by re-engineering supply chain business processes and launched the industry’s first B2B portal that increased customer retention while providing competitive advantage.  

A board director of Unisys Corporation since 2017, Mr. Martin serves as Chair, Security & Enterprise Risk Committee and Audit & Finance Committee member. In 2021, he was appointed to the Owens Corning board and serves on the Audit and Finance Committees. He joined the Ping Identity board and serves on the Audit Committee. In addition, he was appointed to the Steris board and serves on the Compensation and Compliance & Technology committees.

Mr. Martin received the 2020 Chicago CIO of the Year Leadership ORBIE Award. In 2017, he was inducted into the CIO Hall of Fame and was recognized in Black Enterprise’s “300 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America.” Mr. Martin holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from Western Kentucky University.

Jane Possell – SVP & CIO, CNA

JANE POSSELL is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for CNA, responsible for all aspects of the company’s technology portfolio and cybersecurity globally.

Jane joined CNA in 2019 from Liberty Mutual where she served in a variety of roles, both in business and technology areas. She was most recently responsible for all Small Commercial and Personal Lines Digital Technology.  Prior to that, Jane spent more than 20 years at Accenture working with 20 of the top 25 U.S. Property & Casualty insurers. As a Managing Director for Accenture, Jane led account teams of up to 750 responsible for identifying, shaping and delivering client solutions, while building internal capabilities for Accenture.

Jane has extensive experience leading global teams and building and executing Diversity & Inclusion strategies. She is passionate about developing leaders and teams that co-create high-quality organizational cultures and use the power of diversity to drive business results.

Jane holds dual degrees in Finance and Communications from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She is also a graduate of the Leadership Development Program from the IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Moderator:  Susan Malisch, VP & CIO, Loyola University Chicago

SUSAN MALISCH is a Strategic Operations Executive known for strong organizational leadership, strategy development and execution, enterprise risk management and operational excellence in both public and privately-held organizations.  Susan is a proven and respected leader who delivers value to organizations with thorough, thoughtful and timely decisions to position for competitive advantage and in periods of transition including acquisitions and separations.

Susan currently serves as Vice President & Chief Information Officer for Loyola University Chicago, a nationally-ranked, comprehensive university with 13 schools and colleges, and 17,000 students in the heart of Chicago. In this role, Susan provides leadership for enterprise technology services, technology strategy and business transformation efforts.  Susan inspires the trust and confidence of executives and board members and is frequently sought out in leadership roles for enterprise-wide strategy and execution.  Susan has received numerous leadership awards including the Leader of the Year Award from the Society of Information Management (SIM) International, and CIO of the Year Award from Executives Club of Chicago/SIM Chicago/Association of IT Professionals Chicago.  She is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, and serves on the SIM National Board of Directors, as well as Board Trustee for the SIM Chicago Chapter.