Governing Body Spotlight

Sunil Chand is the VP, Cybersecurity and Information Security Officer for Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario, Canada. It is responsible for the province's lotteries, charity and Aboriginal casinos, commercial casinos, and slot machines at horse-racing tracks. In this role, Sunil leads all aspects of cybersecurity strategy. 

Prior to this role, Sunil worked for CGI Group for 4 years in the role of CDN Security Leader, CSO and has held a variety of leadership roles across several other organizations in different industries.

Learn more about leaders in the Toronto CISO community here.
 

Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.

I always had a passion for technology, business and people. These passions led me to a career in technology. After starting in Foresters, I moved to a cybersecurity operational role, where I helped integrate security practices into the business. 

I had additional opportunities with other organizations to lead audit and consulting practices focused on cybersecurity. The variety helps me take a balanced approach for managing cybersecurity risk in organizations. My recent move to OLG is fulfilling a long standing aspiration to give back to Canada. Two and a half decades later, I am fulfilling my aspiration by working for an organization where all profits fund projects and local charities to build a better Ontario. Thus far, it has been an incredibly rewarding and enriching experience.

What is one of your guiding leadership principles?

Transparency and communication are key to success. Be open, honest and respectful in all your interactions.
 

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?

There is a saying, “never let a crisis go to waste”. Disruptions offer opportunity, and the role of the CISO has become more challenging and complex. CISO's are expected to simply articulate how they are managing the business risk. Digital and disrupting technologies that improve business operations and customer interactions means we must adjust to drive capabilities to support and manage cybersecurity risks across the organization. 

The role of CISO has elevated and connected with the CXO's, now there are more interdependencies with other groups like, marketing, compliance, investor relations, etc. Relationship building and an understanding of the organization's goals are capabilities CISO's must have.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the role as a CISO?

Take time to build relationships with the board and leaders and teams across the organization. Relationships are key to building a culture of security that compliments the company’s strategy. It has an impact on the tone from the top.
 

Tell us a few fun facts about yourself.

I was born in Guyana, a country at the top of South America. And, I am an avid skier and worked for a decade in a ski shop. So, I could learn and expose my family to the sport.
 

What is the value of joining an Evanta community?

The Evanta professional community provides invaluable networking and learning opportunities. The CISO role is relatively new compared to functions i.e., finance, marketing, etc... and elevating. Therefore, it is refreshing to step back and understand similar challenges and triumphs of others, share best practices and get great advice from peers.

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.
 

by CISOs, for CISOs
 

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