CISO Tip Series: The Top 20 CISO and Cybersecurity Thought Leaders to Follow
Supplement your CI-SOcial media scene with these must-follow CISO thought leaders. They provide valuable content and insightful posts about a range of cybersecurity-related topics.
Gary Eppinger
Gary Eppinger is currently serving as the Vice President of Technology and CISO at CSX. With a career spanning since 1984, he possesses extensive expertise in global strategic planning, complex infrastructure, business alignment, IT transformation, enterprise security, and business applications. His experience covers Fortune 100 companies in various industries such as manufacturing, insurance, retail, and medical equipment/pharmaceutical. Additionally, Gary is known for celebrating achievements and sharing motivational advice in his posts. Gary welcomes all invitations to connect ([email protected]).
Jelena Zelenovic
Jelena Zelenovic is a highly accomplished cybersecurity professional and advocate for women in the field of cybersecurity. She currently holds the position of CISO at EIB (European Investment Bank) and is a founding board member and president of Women Cyber Force and W4C Chapter. Jelena has received several prestigious awards, including CISO of the Year 2019 in Luxembourg, Global Cyber Sentinel Award Winner 2020 for her significant contributions to the global cybersecurity domain, and CISO of the Year Europe 2021. She actively shares interesting news and updates, as well as her meetings with notable individuals like the Minister of Economy in Luxembourg, Franz Fayot.
Chris Roberts
Chris Roberts is a CISO Advisory Board Member for us at Onyxia and is currently a CISO and Senior Director at Boom Supersonic. Previously, he served as a vCISO or advisor for a number of entities and organizations around the globe. His most recent projects are focused on threat intelligence, identity, cryptography, Artificial Intelligence, and the services space. He posts on-target, CISO-relatable content with scenic pictures of his travels and dog mixed in. Chris also shares extremely important posts on mental health, wellness and navigating the pressures of the CISO job.
John D. Johnson
John D. Johnson is a highly accomplished individual with a diverse background in information technology. He has held various roles, including CISO, CTO, CEO, and Board Member. With over 30 years of IT experience and 15 years as a college professor, he possesses extensive knowledge in the field. Dr. Johnson is the Founder and CEO of Aligned Security, where he offers CISO advisory services. Additionally, he serves as the CISO of Tidal Cyber and is the Founder and President of Docent Institute, a non-profit educational charity focused on cybersecurity education and career development for students and professionals. He actively shares interesting and educational articles with the community.
Maryam Bechtel
Maryam Bechtel is a renowned figure in the Cyber industry with more than 17 years of experience in information security. She currently holds the position of CISO at AGL Energy and is also a board member. Maryam was awarded the AISA Cyber Security Professional of the Year award for her leadership and integrity in the cybersecurity industry. Maryam shares exciting and informative news and her experiences on social media platforms. One such instance was her participation in the panel for the "6D Security, Future of Tech" event.
Geoff Belknap
Geoff Belknap is the CISO and VP of Engineering at LinkedIn with 20 years of experience in security and engineering. He is recognized as a leader in his field and serves as a trusted advisor to startups and investors. Geoff's social media presence is characterized by positive, motivational, and thoughtful posts, often featuring interesting news as well.
Rinki Sethi
Rinki Sethi is an advisor for Onyxia. A VP and CISO at BILL, she is also a board member at Vaultree and a former board member at ForgeRock. A former VP & CISO at Twitter and Rubrik, Rinki has experience directing online security infrastructure for Fortune 500 companies. She received the “One to Watch” award from CSO Magazine & Executive Women’s Forum in 2014. Rinki shares valuable information on cybersecurity job opportunities, security leadership and innovative technologies to adopt.
Edna Conway
Edna Conway is a highly accomplished individual with an impressive background spanning various roles, including Board Director, Executive Advisor, Author, and Private Equity Advisor. With a career in ICT and Cloud Technology that spans over three decades, she is considered a sought-after industry influencer. Edna frequently shares her experiences and insights by giving talks and providing advice to others.
Simon Hodgkinson
Simon Hodgkinson is a Board and Executive Advisor to many organizations, including Onyxia. As an experienced technology leader, Simon has worked in the software sector, financial services, and energy sector, and has worked in a financial services startup company. Working for bp for 18 years, Simon has had many different global roles. His last role was as a CISO. Simon is involved in advocacy of diversity and he was an advisor to the Natural History Museum on cyber security.
Adam Ely
Adam Ely is the CISO and Head of Digital Products and Engineering at Fidelity, where he leads commercialization, product management, and engineering across Fidelity’s products. He was awarded 40 Under 40 - San Francisco Business Times. Adam shares insights on cybersecurity and occasionally offers friendly advice on various topics through his social media posts.
Nicole Darden Ford
Nicole Darden Ford is a Global VP & CISO at Rockwell Automation, with over 20 years of IT strategic leadership experience in both the corporate sector and federal government, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She is a future-focused tech executive and a prominent advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Nicole has won the honor of Top 100 CISO Award twice and CSO50 recognition. Nicole posts numerous articles on cybersecurity topics, particularly focusing on ransomware and its implications.
Gary Hayslip
Gary Hayslip is an accomplished CISO at SoftBank Investment Advisers. He has a diverse background as a board member, investor, tinkerer, veteran, and servant leader. He began his career in 2001 and has since gained extensive experience as a Global CISO. Gary has a track record of implementing innovative security programs that effectively protect companies ranging from million to multi-billion dollar enterprises. He shares his insights and perspectives on articles and media related to CISOs and their mindset.
Endré Jarraux Walls
Endré is an award-winning and globally recognized technology and security leader with multi-disciplinary global experience across healthcare, finance, high-tech, scientific, manufacturing, and business services industries. He has a deep regulatory background and experience in the development of programs and implementation of controls for regulations like SOX, HIPAA, FERPA, GLBA, and FISMA and he is heavily experienced in the practical application of organizational frameworks. He shares highly valuable information on best risk management practices and measures.
Jadee Hanson
Jadee Hanson is an experienced and strategic CIO and CISO with a 20-year track record of driving business success for both startups and well-established billion-dollar brands. Jadee was named one of 2023's The Forbes CIO Next List, 2022’s Top 25 Women in Cybersecurity by The Software Report and one of 2022’s Top 100 Women in Cybersecurity by Cyber Defense Magazine. She shares her experiences, particularly about her meetings with CISOs who are women, and proudly showcases her professional achievements.
David Cass
David is a Global CISO at GSR, a global crypto market maker; he’s responsible for driving the firm's information security and privacy strategy, working across teams to improve existing information security and privacy, and creating new solutions to improve the safety of the digital asset space. He is also the President of CISOs Connect where he leads the company's peer engagement efforts, ensuring that the community is meeting the unique and evolving needs of Chief Information Security Officers.
Tomás Maldonado
Tomás Maldonado is a CISO at the NFL and currently serves as an advisory board member to several innovative companies. Knowledgeable in business, technology, and security management, he shares “#InfoSec tip of the day” posts where he often uses fun football analogies to express his points.
Olivia Rose
Olivia Rose is a dynamic Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and proven executive leader with over 20 years of experience building, transforming, and delivering successful IT and cybersecurity programs. Currently, as the CISO and founder of The Rose CISO Group she offers virtual Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) services, boardroom and leadership communications, assessment services, keynote speaking, event presentations; and career and executive coaching. On LinkedIn, Olivia posts important content about mentorship, industry diversity, and how to enter the cybersecurity field.
Brent Deterding
As an executive CISO at Afni, a Board Qualified technology Expert, and a former security practitioner, Brent Deterding has helped hundreds of organizations protect themselves through threat detection, incident response, and security strategy. Brent is interested in vibrant and controversial discussions and debates. He often posts pictures of himself along with strategies and concise tips for CISOs.
Naomi Buckwalter
As a cybersecurity career adviser and mentor for people around the world, her passion is helping people, particularly women, get into cybersecurity. Naomi has two Masters degrees from Villanova University and a Bachelors of Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. Her SANS 2022 Leadership Summit talk was rated among the top 10 SANS Summit talks of 2022.
Brett Conlon
Brett is CISO at American Century Investments. He is a champion keynote speaker on effective communication for communicating the business value of security programs to business stakeholders. Brett posts articles that he finds valuable with a short few sentences about what he found helpful/interesting.
There are so many incredible CISO and cybersecurity thought leaders out there. We are grateful for their guidance, leadership, and all the best practices they share with the cybersecurity community.
