Executive Summit

In high-achieving environments, the drive to succeed often comes at a quiet cost: exhaustion, disconnection, and a sense that no matter how much we accomplish, it’s never quite enough. When productivity becomes the only measure of worth, rest feels impossible—and burnout starts to look like the norm. But it doesn’t have to be.

In this keynote Kara Hardin, former lawyer, and mental health educator explores why our current approach to performance is backfiring—and what we can do instead. Through research, relatable stories, and practical tools, we’ll unpack:

• How common ideas about time, efficiency, and productivity are quietly harming individual and collective well-being
• Why mental health isn’t the reward for high performance—it’s the foundation
• What leaders can do (for themselves and their teams) to build a healthier, more sustainable relationship with work

With constant innovation in AI and other technologies, CISOs face questions from the C-Suite and the board that are more high stakes than ever. But high-pressure moments can also be opportunities to shine—transforming a technical security leader into a persuasive, savvy CISO who can win over even the toughest executives.

Join this session to learn about:

• Mastering communication by speaking the language of business & improving storytelling
• Championing cybersecurity business cases—even when the budget stakes are high
• Delivering presentations that pack a punch, leaving everyone in the room feeling invested in your vision

The CISO remit increasingly includes GenAI governance, securing cyber-physical systems, and a range of value-driving services — yet its core charge remains safeguarding operations. As breaches become inevitable and board risk appetites shift, cyber resilience will demand even greater focus. CISOs must define recovery goals, guarantee reliable backups, and restore critical services with speed — focusing on measurable resilience to earn their future role as Chief Cyber Resilience Officers.

Join this session to learn about:

• Defining and measuring resilience for real business outcomes
• Orchestrating reliable backup and rapid recovery strategies
• Embedding resilience across teams as a cultural and leadership priority

From sophisticated adversaries to well-meaning employees –insider threats are top of mind for the sharp CISO. What are your fellow security leaders doing to keep a pulse on emerging threats and outsmarting the threats within?

Join this interactive session to:

• Get a 360° view of the emerging insider threats that CISOs are watching
• Analyze real-world attacks, both malicious and accidental
• Collaborate with peers about strategies and tools used to improve resilience

Agentic AI is not just the latest tool, but an autonomous collaborator that must be managed through the balance of people, technology and governance.  How is CISO role impacted by this technology? And how can the CISO impact the business through implementation?

Join this session to hear about:

• Real-world Agentic AI use cases from the CISO lens
• Communication needed with stakeholders and security teams
• The role governance plays in accountability, including IAM

Attackers don’t care about traditional organizational lines and roles. No matter the industry, CISOs are paying closer attention to the connections between cyber and physical securities. Threat detection in the cyber space is one thing but using that information to enhance security or even stop crimes in the physical world — is next level. Being able to quickly mobilize after finding risks could prevent damages or loss to an organization — or maybe even save lives. 

Join this session to explore:

• Expanding your risk lens to see the connection between cyber and physical threat detection
• Communicating the scale and gravity of information uncovered to your business and related organizations
• Reporting structures of cyber and physical security teams

CISOs are often caught between maintaining strong cybersecurity fundamentals and the pressure to adopt cutting-edge technologies. Are you focused on cybersecurity basics to get the day-to-day job done? Or are you eyeing the newest innovative technologies to tackle potential emerging threats that aren’t even fully understood yet? Is there a balance?

Join this session to talk through:

• How to balance the focus between cybersecurity basics 101 & cutting-edge technologies
• Which emerging threat trends to watch or ignore
• How to better align your cybersecurity strategies with the organization’s goals