Art Chaisiriwatanasai
Chief Information Security Officer
Paylocity
Art Chaisiriwatanasai is a Chicagoan born and raised. He grew up in the northern suburbs, went to DePaul for college, and stayed in the city since graduating. He grew up working in the family restaurant business, and he says it taught him valuable skills he uses today: patience and attention to detail. A few fun facts about Art, he enjoys cooking, video games, and volunteering.
Learn more about the Chicago CISO community here.
Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
My fascination with Information Security started when I was 10 years old, spending my days in IRC chatrooms connecting with like-minded kids about mischievous activities — from figuring out how to make free phone calls to knocking people off their modem connections. Back then, it was just mischief; I had no idea it could turn into a career. It wasn't until my senior year of college, when they introduced a security concentration (not even a major), that it clicked — I could actually get paid for the things I loved doing as a kid.
Since then, my career has been diverse. I've worked as a penetration tester, built and scaled vulnerability management programs, and led high-profile incident response cases — each experience adding to the perspective and skill set I have today. Every step along the way has shaped me into the security professional I’ve become, and I’m still just as passionate about the field as I was back then.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Curiosity is the most valuable trait you can carry throughout your career. Intelligence and hard work can take you far, but the people who stand out most in my mind are those who go beyond their immediate responsibilities — taking the time to deeply understand the topics presented to them, regardless of whether it falls within their job scope. That drive to learn, explore, and connect the dots is what sets exceptional professionals apart.
What is the greatest challenge CISOs face today, and how are you addressing it?
The pace of change in security — driven by both evolving regulations and increasingly sophisticated threat actors — is rapid and unforgiving. It's one of the few fields where even flawless execution doesn't guarantee success; there's always a non-negligible chance of failure.
Our approach is rooted in pragmatism. Rather than getting lost in endless possibilities, we focus on the most probable threats and adapt our defenses accordingly. By closely monitoring emerging attack patterns, we ensure our controls evolve in step with the current threat landscape.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CISO?
With the scope of a CISO ever widening by the day, it is acknowledging that you can’t be the expert on all things. As a leader of an organization, your job is to build and field the best team possible, as opposed to digging into every problem yourself. Having been a practitioner for so long, that is still something I struggle with.
How do you measure success as a leader?
Related to my previous answer, I measure success by how effectively I can step away from a team's day-to-day operations without disruption. It signals that I've built a strong, self-sufficient team, empowering them to operate confidently without constant oversight.
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