
Chicago CISO Community
Executive Summit
May 14, 2024 | Convene at 233 South Wacker
May 14, 2024
Convene at 233 South Wacker
Collaborate with your peers
Get together with Chicago'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:
Aligning cybersecurity and business objectives to provide tangible value
Establishing security's critical role in protecting and enabling the business through AI adoption
Strengthening influence and partnerships across the business and with the board
Chicago 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

Waqas Akkawi
SIRVA Worldwide
VP, CISO

Michelle Ayala
The AZEK Company
CISO

JJ Markee
Danaher
Global Chief Information Security Officer

Paolo Vallotti
Tate & Lyle
CISO & VP of Operations

Angela Williams
UL Solutions
Global Chief Information Security Officer
What to Expect
Agenda
7:45am - 8:30am Registration & Breakfast
8:30am - 9:15am Keynote
The Upside of Failure — Making Shift Happen
Hosted by CyberArk

Tiana Sanchez
Best-Selling Author, Founder & CEO of TSI
Guest Speaker
In a world that often celebrates success but shies away from failure, it can be intimidating to confront the stigma surrounding setbacks. How can leaders flip the narrative to embrace failure, both big and small, as a powerful force for positive change and unprecedented success?
Join Tiana Sanchez, Best-Selling Author, Founder & CEO to:
- Deconstruct a failure event and leverage the experience for newfound growth and self-examination
- Embrace the liberating concept of pivoting, shifting perspectives, eliminating distorted thinking patterns, and increasing strategic thinking
- Describe four common fears that stall business and explore four corresponding questions that positively shift business outcomes forward
9:15am - 9:40am Networking Break
9:40am - 10:25am Breakout Session
A New Era of Liability for CISOs
Hosted by Wiz

Darin Hurd
EVP & CISO
Guaranteed Rate

Elizabeth Neumann
Senior Vice President, Managing Claims Counsel
CAC Specialty

Jerome Tomas
Partner
Baker McKenzie
CISOs are accustomed to answering for the business when security programs fall victim to attack. However, recent personal legal scrutiny of CISOs has set a precedent, stirred up concern and left security leaders questioning their protection.
Join this panel discussion to uncover:
- Resources to prepare for increased scrutiny and potential liability
- Best practices to proactively protect personal assets and reputation
- Keys to communicate of the state of security practices to stakeholders
9:40am - 10:25am Breakout Session
Unlocking Full Cloud Potential — Security Enhancements for Today's Enterprise
Hosted by Island

Scott Montgomery
VP, Strategic Accounts
Island
While the vast majority of infrastructure has been upgraded and modernized to secure the shift to the cloud, enterprise IT teams are still missing an equally seamless access method to safely deliver those now cloud-native apps and data. While traditional browsers have become the de facto access point for the majority of business critical applications, they lack the deep inspection capabilities and hyper-granular security controls enterprises need. This results in security teams surrounding their browsers with layers of tech to meet those needs.
Join this breakout session to discover:
- Why traditional cloud security methods undermine your modernization efforts and end-user experience
- Embracing technological momentum to adapt to a "more-with-less" security landscape
- How enterprise CISOs are using this solution to bolster cloud security
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
Network and Security Teams — A New Era of Collaboration
Hosted by Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Ebenezer Arumai
Chief Information Security Director
Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope

Amir Niaz
VP, CISO
Culligan

John Spiegel
Field CTO, Network Transformation
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
The explosion of data, and continued adoption of hybrid work, multi-cloud, and SaaS have eroded away the classic silos that once existed between Security and Networking teams. As data remains at the epicenter of innovation, CISO and Infrastructure leaders are working more closely together than ever to allow for fast, secure access to IT. Technologies like Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) have skyrocketed in popularity, creating a future where the fates of both teams are more intertwined than we know.
How can CISOs foster trust and collaboration between these two dynamic groups - with a mind towards enabling the business?
Join this session to discuss:
- How the changing dynamic is forcing CISOs to have to think differently
- Company initiatives where CISOs should take lead, and those where Networking should take lead
- Emerging technologies that serve as a win-win for both teams and success stories of security and networking winning together
Executive boardrooms are intimate and interactive sessions designed to foster dynamic dialogue around a specific, strategic topic. These private, closed-door discussions encourage attendee participation and are limited to 15 attendees (seating priority is given to CISOs).
To reserve your seat, please contact: Chanelle Lawrence at chanelle.lawrence@evanta.com
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
From Z to A — Extending Zero Trust to APIs
Hosted by Akamai

Sean Flynn
Director, Security Technology and Strategy
Akamai Technologies

Paul Groisman
Sr. Director of Cyber Security
Fubo

Bill Podborny
CISO
Constellation Brands
As more and more organizations adopt a Zero Trust architecture (ZTA), many initiatives overlook the increased prevalence of API-based access to sensitive application functionality and data. As CISOs move forward in their ZTA journey, how can they extend these principles to their API strategy to ensure security from the network layer to the application layer?
Join this session to discuss:
- Breaking the kill chain by stopping infection vectors and protecting against lateral movement
- Shielding sensitive data and limiting how APIs interact with data
- Increasing real-time visibility across the business to mitigate threats
Executive boardrooms are intimate and interactive sessions designed to foster dynamic dialogue around a specific, strategic topic. These private, closed-door discussions encourage attendee participation and are limited to 15 attendees (seating priority is given to CISOs).
To reserve your seat, please contact:
Chanelle Lawrence at chanelle.lawrence@evanta.com
10:25am - 11:05am Networking Break
10:30am - 10:55am Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.
11:05am - 11:50am Breakout Session
People-Driven Security Meets Identity
Hosted by Zafran

Alex Green
CISO
Delta Dental Plans Association
Threat actors aren't just hacking in — they’re logging in. How do we balance an identity-based perimeter and the user experience?
Join Alex Green, CISO of Delta Dental, to hear first-hand examples of:
- Weaving identity and zero trust into a security and business strategy
- Reducing user friction while maintaining a strong security posture
- Communicating the value, opportunity and impact of identity
11:05am - 11:50am Breakout Session
Endpoint, Cloud and the Board — Identifying Risk that Matters
Hosted by Qualys

Richard Seiersen
Chief Risk Technology Officer
Qualys

Todd Covert
National General CISO
Allstate
Prioritizing and eliminating the cyber risks that matter most is the ultimate goal of security leaders. But how do you validate that your efforts are hitting the mark? It all comes down to well-crafted measurements: metrics that are reliable and easily understood by all stakeholders across the business.
In this session, we will discuss:
- Cybersecurity risk assessment essentials and which risks truly carry weight
- Concrete approaches to determine effectiveness of security capabilities
- Creating simple "metric cards" to communicate across stakeholders
11:05am - 11:50am Executive Boardroom
Securing the Everywhere World — Building Cyber Resilience through a “Connectivity Cloud”
Hosted by Cloudflare

John Engates
Field CTO
Cloudflare

Shane Hibbard
Director of Information Security
Invenergy

Shashank Kapoor
CISO
Truckstop.com
When users are everywhere and digital operations span cloud, SaaS, and on-premises environments, achieving cyber resilience becomes paramount. The challenge lies in navigating this complexity and maintaining visibility and control to ensure continuous operation despite cyber threats.
Join this interactive roundtable to discuss:
- Optimizing costs and improving security across diverse cloud environments
- Adopting Zero Trust philosophies to protect users, data, and applications
- Innovating with AI while addressing global regulatory and data privacy requirements
Executive boardrooms are intimate and interactive sessions designed to foster dynamic dialogue around a specific, strategic topic. These private, closed-door discussions encourage attendee participation and are limited to 15 attendees (seating priority is given to CISOs).
To reserve your seat, please contact:
Chanelle Lawrence at chanelle.lawrence@evanta.com
11:05am - 11:50am Executive Boardroom
Threat Intelligence and Third-Party Risk — Doubling Down on Critical Vulnerabilities
Hosted by RiskRecon, a Mastercard Company

Mark Nafe
Director, Solutions Consulting
RiskRecon - A MasterCard Company

Jeff Deakins
CISO
The Marmon Group

Ron Versetto
Executive Director of Information Security
Chicago Public Schools
The complete entanglement of cyber risk with business risk is becoming increasingly more visible. CISOs now have an opportunity to better pinpoint third parties that present a threat to the organization. Yet the increasing complexities of third party, and even fourth party, risk management, prompted by a wide range of evolving threats, demands heightened attention. How can CISOs ensure they have a clear overview of the threat landscape and vulnerabilities across ecosystems and supply chains?
Join this session to discuss:
- Identification of vulnerabilities across your vendor landscape to prioritize response efforts
- Best practices for mitigating a new wave of sophisticated attacks to keep assets safe
- The role threat intelligence plays in risk management strategies to safeguard your digital ecosystem
Executive boardrooms are intimate and interactive sessions designed to foster dynamic dialogue around a specific, strategic topic. These private, closed-door discussions encourage attendee participation and are limited to 15 attendees (seating priority is given to CISOs).
To reserve your seat, please contact:
Chanelle Lawrence at chanelle.lawrence@evanta.com
11:05am - 11:50am Executive Boardroom
Maximizing Moments with the Board

Steve Wenc
Group Vice President - Executive Services
Gartner

Chris Lugo
VP, CISO
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
As boards increasingly recognize cybersecurity as a business risk, not just a technology concern, it's up to CISOs to leverage their influence, engage effectively with the board, and deliver presentations that resonate with their board members.
Join this boardroom session to discuss:
- Understanding and adapting to board responsibilities and priorities
- Preparing to engage the board effectively before, during, and after meetings
- Outlining the value of security and crafting a narrative around business-relevant security metrics
Seating priority during this executive boardroom is given to Gartner clients. To inquire on reserving a seat, please contact Chanelle Lawrence at chanelle.lawrence@evanta.com.
11:50am - 12:35pm Lunch Service
11:55am - 12:25pm Networking
Empowered Women, Empower Women — Sponsorship & Career Pathing

Shefali Mookencherry
Chief Information Security Officer and Privacy Officer
University of Illinois at Chicago
Join this dedicated networking session for women in cybersecurity leadership roles and their allies to freely discuss best practices, key challenges and mission-critical priorities surrounding sponsorship and career pathing. Come prepared to share ideas and forge new connections that can help empower each other to make an impact in your organizations and the Chicagoland area.
This session is aimed at, but not limited to, women who are leading the cybersecurity function at their organizations (CISO or equivalent) and those reporting directly to the CISO/equivalent. Priority access will be reserved to these groups.
Apply to Participate
Apply to participate in the Chicago CISO Community Executive Summit.
Gartner facilitates exclusive, C-level communities by personally qualifying and understanding the priorities, challenges and interests of each member.
Our selective approach maintains the high quality of the network and ensures top-level discussions with peers from the world’s leading organizations.
Each application will be reviewed, and once your participation is confirmed, you will have access to year-round community programs.
Location
Venue & Accommodation
Convene at 233 South WackerFor parking and directions, please click here.
Community Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.