
Washington, DC CISO Community
Executive Summit
November 19, 2024 | Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel
November 19, 2024
Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel
Collaborate with your peers
Get together with Washington, DC'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:
Strengthening influence and partnerships across organization
Thoughtfully leveraging AI to develop needed, business-enabling tools and processes
Building a culture of security to enable smart, secure decision-making
Washington, DC 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

Ryan Boulais
AES Corporation
CISO

Vishal Gupta
Lexmark
CTO & CIO, SVP Connected Technology
What to Expect
Agenda
7:45am - 8:30am Registration & Breakfast
Registration, Breakfast and Leadership Book Swap
Please join us for breakfast to start out the day. We also invite you to bring your favorite leadership books for a Book Swap at the Executive Summit throughout the day. Which books have influenced you as a leader? Bring a book with your notes in the margins or a fresh copy to leave, and then swap for a book one of your fellow executives has brought. This idea was inspired by one of your own Governing Body Members!
8:30am - 9:15am Keynote
You Speak, They Swarm — The Power of Story in Reaching Your Audience
Hosted by Axonius

Arthur Zards
Thought Leader, TED/TEDx Speaker, Coach & Producer
Guest Speaker
"Those who tell the stories rule society." (Plato) Busy executives don’t have time to learn complex communication models or esoteric storytelling processes — you need a simple, effective framework that can help you not only connect with any audience, but also elicit real change. Enter the SWARM™ Effect.
Join this session with Arthur Zards — an expert on storytelling, TEDster and provocateur — to:
- Hone your skills in executive influence
- Adopt a more authentic and engaging approach to speaking
- Take your next presentation from “understandable” to “compelling”
9:15am - 9:40am Networking Break
9:40am - 10:25am Breakout Session
Modern Workforce, Modern Security Strategy
Hosted by Google Chrome

Erin Joe
Senior Executive, Cybersecurity, OCISO
Google Chrome Enterprise
In the age of remote and hybrid work, employees now spend the majority of their time in the browser or in virtual meetings. The workforce is more mobile and distributed than ever before. At the same time, we are seeing an increase in cyber attacks and a higher average cost of data breaches. We must think more about protecting users right where they interface with web threats, the browser, without disrupting productivity.
Join this conversation with your peers to discuss:
- The browser's role in a business's security strategy
- Zero trust architecture
- Managing resources for cybersecurity in a time of economic uncertainty
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
AI Vs AI — How Adversaries and Security Teams Use AI
Hosted by SentinelOne

Mani Keerthi Nagothu
Americas Field CISO Associate Director
SentinelOne

Carol Assi
Cybersecurity Chief Operations Officer
Department of Defense

Anne Kottmeier
CIO
Chemonics International
With the explosion of Generative AI into widespread use over the past year, there are rising indications that threat actors are exploiting AI to launch cyberattacks. Tackling the evolving threat landscape means getting ahead of the threat - cyber defenders need to be prepared, using the power of AI to defend their organizations.
Join this session to discuss:
- Analyzing how threat actors use AI offensively in their attack methods
- Turning the tables on attackers by leveraging emerging technologies to bolster cybersecurity defense
- Deploying AI for maximum impact to build capabilities and improve incident response
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
Mastering Boardroom Communication – Presenting with Impact

Amit Khosla
Business Information Security Officer
Fannie Mae
Presenting to a boardroom or advisory committee can be intimidating for any C-level executive, especially in the age of GenAI. C-suite leaders must show alignment between their objectives and the organization’s strategic goals. But becoming a truly impactful leader who gets desired outcomes consistently is easier said than done and will take learning from others who have been in the same position.
Join this session to share with peers:
- Specific successful and unsuccessful experiences
- Best practices for impactful presentations
- Approaches to provide clear and meaningful metrics & KPIs
9:40am - 10:25am Workshop
Office Hours with Arthur Zards

Arthur Zards
Thought Leader, TED/TEDx Speaker, Coach & Producer
Guest Speaker
Join this special one-on-one session exclusively for Governing Body members with TED/TEDx Speaker, Coach & Producer Arthur Zards for candid feedback on your in-person presence and storytelling. Sessions are 20-minutes and pre-registration is required.
In this unique, private session, you’ll receive:
One-on-one consultation with a premier expert
Live analysis to adopt a more authentic and engaging approach to speaking
Personalized executive presence improvements
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
A Data & Analytics Dialogue
Hosted by Cyera

Massimo Favro
CISO
NVR

Jennifer Bruder
Senior Manager Data and Analytics
NVR
As organizations collect more and more data, it’s crucial for leaders to empower the enterprise to use that data to ensure better business outcomes. How are you creating an effective D&A strategy that enables the entire organization for growth and innovation?
Join this interactive session to discuss:
- Ensuring data quality standards and ownership
- Utilizing analytics to allow for better decision making across the business and measurable outcomes
- Building a foundation for successful innovation including AI
11:05am - 11:50am Executive Boardroom
Securing the Everywhere World — Building Cyber Resilience through a “Connectivity Cloud”
Hosted by Cloudflare

Oren Falkowitz
Field CSO
Cloudflare

Amit Chaudhary
VP & Head of Cyber Security North America & Defense
Rolls-Royce North America

John Toney
CISO
State of Vermont
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
11:05am - 11:50am Executive Boardroom
Delivering Business Value through Cybersecurity Investments

Vishal Gupta
CTO & CIO, SVP Connected Technology
Lexmark

Stan Lowe
CISO
Department of the Interior
Cybersecurity is the No. 1 spend item on the IT budget according to Gartner, and it remains a board-level concern. But spend does not always equal protection. CIOs and CISOs can make a difference by making sure investments into cybersecurity can create business value. Now is the time to measure the return on investment and make sure the organization’s goals are aligned.
Join this session to discuss:
- Choosing the right investments that deliver value to the business especially in an age of AI innovation
- Going beyond the metric of number attacks to outcome-driven metrics
- Communicating with the board about cybersecurity through a business perspective
11:50am - 12:35pm Lunch Service
Apply to Participate
Apply to participate in the Washington, DC 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
Sheraton Pentagon City HotelParking & Transportation
Parking validations to cover the cost of parking can be obtained at the registration desk.
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling 703-521-1900. Please mention Evanta CIO CISO Executive Summit to ensure the appropriate room rate.
Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $209 USD (plus tax) is October 28, 2024.
Community Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.