Jimmy Heschl
Global Head of Digital Security
Red Bull
Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I started my professional IT career in 1992 in a local brewery taking care of everything that was not an AS/400. Over time I became more and more into technology. In 2000 I changed the side and joined a big-5 company (yes, there were five back then) and spent ten years in audit and consulting. During that time, I got introduced to COBIT, and since 2003, I’ve been heavily involved in the updates of the framework and its related products. I left big-4 companies and joined an online gaming organization, where I took the role of group risk management and focused on providing assurance that responsible gaming companies can be trustworthy partners for European gaming regulators. Since 2015 I account for digital security in an exciting environment at Red Bull. I’m also an accredited COBIT trainer, board member of the Austrian ISACA chapter, support the court as an expert witness and teach at Universities in Austria.
Learn more about leaders in the DACH CISO community here.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Value the passion for a topic over certificates or school grades.
With disruption being a key theme of the past year, where do you see your role as a CISO going in the next 1-2 years?
I see the role shifting from a gatekeeper to a partner that supports all functions adopting digital platforms.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the role as a CISO?
Learn as much as you can from as many as you can.
Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself.
- The wooden glasses I wear are self-created.
- I officially changed my name to Jimmy in 2003.
- My first experience with an IBM PC in 1981 was based on a DOS handbook. I tried all commands that luckily were in alphabetical order. Hence, I entered the command backup c:\ a: /s came before format c: and value proper security practices since then.
What is the value of participating in a professional community through Evanta?
Learning from peers helps you to find new ideas and inspiration. But it also avoids repeating errors.
Evanta Governing Body members share their insights and leadership perspectives to shape the agendas and topics that address the top priorities impacting business leaders today.
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