IN-PERSON

Atlanta CISO Executive Summit

June 5, 2025 | Westin Atlanta Perimeter North

June 5, 2025
Westin Atlanta Perimeter North

APPLY TO PARTICIPATE

Collaborate with your peers

Get together with Atlanta's top CISOs to tackle shared business challenges and critical priorities facing your role today. Participate in this one-day, local program with peer-driven topics and interactive discussions with your true C-level peers.

Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CISOs today:

Harnessing data to drive innovation, improve decision making, and enhance operational efficiency

Balancing security with innovative strategies to drive leadership while safeguarding digital assets

Delivering secure, seamless interactions built on trust and strong data governance

Atlanta CISO Governing Body


The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the summit agenda, ensuring that all content is driven By CISOs, For CISOs®.

Governing Body Co-Chairs

Derek Benz

The Coca-Cola Company
CISO

Tim Callahan

Aflac
SVP & Global CISO

John Dickson

Colonial Pipeline
VP & CISO

Meredith Harper

Synchrony Financial
SVP & CISO

Stacy Hughes

ABM
SVP & CISO

Bob Varnadoe

Kaiser Permanente
VP, Technology Risk Management

What to Expect

Interactive Sessions

Hear from CISO practitioners and thought leaders on how they're solving critical challenges impacting your role today in Keynote sessions, and join smaller, interactive discussions with your peers in Breakout and Boardroom sessions.

Community Networking

Make new connections and catch up with old friends in casual conversations during dedicated time for networking designed to better acquaint you with your Atlanta CISO community.

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a private, one-on-one setting through Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

Agenda


Breakout Sessions

Streamlined Compliance— Boosting Security and Cutting Costs with Innovation

 Managing compliance doesn’t have to be a drain on resources. By reducing the scope of compliance environments and leveraging scalable solutions, businesses can simplify audits and control costs. Discover how micro segmentation and cloud-based services can streamline compliance while improving security.

Join this session to explore:

  • Minimize the scope of compliance to reduce audit complexity and costs.
  • Scale security solutions with business growth for cost-effective protection.
  • Eliminate costly on-premises infrastructure by utilizing cloud-based platforms

Bridging the Gap to Cybersecurity Synergy — A C-Suite Dialogue on Strategic Alignment

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, cybersecurity has become a paramount concern for organizations worldwide. The CISOs ability to enhance their connection with the C-suite, and foster a collaborative environment is necessary to support the shared responsibility of safeguarding organizational resilience.

Join the C-suite to discuss how to:

  • Integrate cybersecurity into corporate strategy and planning.
  • Enhance communication between CISOs and the C-suite for better risk management.
  • Foster a proactive security culture to address evolving threats.


Executive Boardroom Sessions

Taming Third Party Risk with Advanced Technologies

Cyber threats are increasingly sophisticated and pervasive, making conventional TPRM approaches like questionnaires inadequate. AI/ML and threat intelligence have the potential to transform TPRM, as well as extending into 4th, 5th parties and beyond. Leveraging key insights can help CISOs stay ahead of evolving risks and enhance security programs, even with limited resources.

Join this session to discuss:

  • Practical strategies for leveraging threat intelligence in TPRM
  • Critical alignment of people and process elements with advanced technologies
  • Acting on useful insights and data to manage supply chain risk

Protecting Innovation — Rethinking Data Security Strategies

AI makes creating and consuming data easier than ever, with shadow AI and dark data presenting new challenges to security teams. As the tactics for protecting data evolve, security leaders must adopt a risk-based strategy to protect mission-critical data and safeguard innovation. 

Join this session to discover: 

  • Effective practices for ongoing monitoring to identify risks
  • Rapid investigation and response techniques for insider threats
  • Strategies for evolving your data protection approach

True Defense Against API & Application Incidents

 Cybersecurity measures are adept at detecting and responding to incidents across various layers, but the application layer often remains vulnerable. Many organizations have a massive vulnerability backlog that demands timely and effective defense.

Join us to explore:

  • Understanding the scale of the backlog and strategies to prevent exploitation
  • The intricacies of application and API protection within the security operations ecosystem
  • Benefits of having a comprehensive blueprint that reveals attack surfaces, defenses, dangers, and connections

Be Ready! Preparing Your People for a Cyber Crisis

Security leaders face unprecedented challenges as evolving threats, including those posed by GenAI, rapidly increase enterprise risk. While new technologies offer defenses, they also introduce vulnerabilities. A cyber-ready workforce is crucial for organizational resilience, but how do you equip your organization to face the future of threats with confidence?

Join this interactive boardroom to discuss:

  • Acting decisively under pressure to manage and mitigate threats
  • Maintaining stakeholder confidence and protecting reputation during disruptions
  • Sharing threat intelligence and preparing for long-term attack consequences

Employing Cyber Intelligence to Improve Resiliency

As cyber threats escalate, organizations must build resilience to effectively withstand and recover from attacks. Real-time threat intelligence provides CISOs with crucial insights to understand the company's risk landscape and respond swiftly. Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) is essential for fortifying resilience and enhancing communication with the C-suite and Board.

Join this session to discuss:

  • Leveraging CTI to align cybersecurity strategies with organizational goals
  • Using evidence-based threat intelligence to boost proactive defense and recovery
  • Improving communication with executive leadership on risk management strategies


We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming in-person gathering


Gartner cares about the health and safety of our community. Please review the following recommendations prior to attending the gathering.

Location


Venue & Accommodation

Westin Atlanta Perimeter North
MORE INFORMATION

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling 888-627-8407. Please mention Gartner Atlanta Executive Summit to ensure the appropriate room rate.

Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $199 USD (plus tax) is May 12, 2025.

Your Community Sponsors


CISO Thought Leaders
Key Sponsors
Program Sponsors

Community Program Manager


For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.

Kimberly Lewis

Sr. Community Program Manager

9723450198

kimberly.lewis@gartner.com