Houston CISO Executive Summit

To get trust, you have to give trust first. It's a concept that can be challenging for CISOs, who more often operate on principles of zero trust, managed trust or "trust but verify." But if you want to be more than just a technology leader, you can never get to the level of trust you need to succeed if you can't embrace the idea of extending trust first.

Billy Spears, a five-time CISO across multiple industries, shares how learning to lead from a place of reinforcing trust with his teams, industry peers, executive leaders and customers has led to his own success as a CISO, and offers strategies for how his CISO peers can do the same.

In the high-stakes arena of billion-dollar enterprises, resilience isn't just an asset; it's a necessity. Learn how elite athletes, Navy SEALs, and top executives leverage cutting-edge neuroscience and cognitive training to elevate their relationship with adversity to yield more resilient outcomes. Cognitive training can help boost executive function and enhance decision making under pressure.

Join Megs Gelfgot, Tedx speaker and two-time founder, as she shares:

• Hacks for gaining a competitive edge
• Tactical resilience leadership strategies
• Ways to mitigate symptoms of cognitive decline

The time to keep abreast of what's happening in the CISO market -- in Houston and beyond -- is not when you're ready to make your next move, it's now. Jamey Cummings, a partner at JM Search and co-leader of the firm’s security practice, brings us a frank conversation informed by what he's hearing from both organizations and CISOs as they go through the search process.

Join this session to hear insights and ask questions about:

• Understanding the dynamics and trends influencing the CISO market
• Calibrating requirements and expectations around hot topics like total compensation and protections for CISOs
• Preparing and positioning yourself -- or members of your team -- as a top candidate for that next opportunity

Gaining leadership buy-in for risk mitigation is not just about the metrics; it’s about the story. Truly impactful cybersecurity leaders work to reframe conversations about risk by not only developing consistent and quantifiable models, but also ensuring key stakeholders can understand risk on an emotional level, meeting ELT and board members where they are and equipping them to engage thoughtfully in risk discussions. 

Join this session to hear from CISO peers who have a strong grasp on crafting compelling risk narratives and have collaborative table discussions focused on:

• Sharing best approaches for clear, impactful reporting that contextualizes risk
• Speaking the language of business to show alignment between cybersecurity objectives and organizational goals
• Identifying the key elements of risk reporting that build visibility and trust with top leadership

Most CEOs have a clear mandate when it comes to cybersecurity: don’t let us get hacked and stop bothering me about it. And while protecting the organization is paramount, CISOs know that the true business value of cybersecurity goes far beyond mitigating risk.

Kristin Moyer, Distinguished VP and Gartner Fellow, outlines how CISOs can bridge this divide by sharing research-backed, practical guidance for:

• Reframing cybersecurity initiatives by focusing on business value: risk, cost and revenue
• Setting strategic ambition for cybersecurity by aligning with business value
• Communicating value by identifying how cybersecurity supports CEO investments

Amid what feels like constant economic turbulence, CISOs are frequently tasked with finding ways to optimize costs without incurring more risk. How do you balance requests to reduce spend in the short-term while moving forward on initiatives to operationalize resiliency and efficiency across the organization for the long-term?

Join your peers for a frank discussion about:

• How cost-cutting measures are impacting cyber security strategies
• Ways to optimize performance during uncertain economic times
• When to accelerate, reallocate, reduce or eliminate investment

 With high volumes of sensitive data now flowing through web browsers, three in five organizations say data leakage is likely given current IT and security infrastructures. Stop playing catch-up. Discover new approaches to enterprise operations to reduce risk while simplifying operations.

Join this roundtable to discover:

• How disparate IT and security solutions create technical debt
• What challenges impact internal and end user stakeholders
• How simplifying IT can strengthen security, and boost productivity