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Tony Jowett
CISO
ITV
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Tony Jowett is the Chief Information Security Officer for ITV, a broadcaster through linear, partner and streaming channels. ITV makes programmes for themselves and for others such as BBC, Netflix and Amazon, and they sell advertising and rights to other broadcasters who want to air their programmes. Tony leads a team of 25 cyber professionals, and as his role comes into contact with many creative and dynamic people, he says it is fun, but also poses challenges from a cyber perspective.
Tony lives in a small village to the west of London and spends his spare time walking, gardening with his wife, watching Formula 1 and supporting Liverpool FC. In addition, he also started making Airfix models for relaxation.
Learn more about the UK & Ireland CISO community here.
Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I've been in cyber security since 2007 having worked in Government, Energy and Telecoms as a consultant before getting a "real job" in 2012, and have never looked back. In 2016, I was working at Huawei Technologies as UK CSO. Things got a little interesting around Huawei in the UK shortly after, resulting in me rejoining Deloitte for a while where I led a number of engagements including a review of Cyber Security at the Post Office, resulting in me being offered the job CISO there (yes I know - I have a talent for picking interesting organisations). In 2022, a friend suggested I speak to ITV about the Group CISO role, and the rest is history.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Be honest, but be respectful with whoever you speak to. It will pay off, and you will sleep easier.
What is the greatest challenge CISOs face today, and how are you addressing it?
We are facing pressure on budgets. We have used a Cyber Maturity assessment using the NIST framework to inject a common language around Cyber, agree targets and track progress towards those targets. This has helped avoid budget cuts as seniors in the organisation finally get Cyber and why it is important.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CISO?
You are not alone – build alliances with key peers who will help you get things done.
Always understand the audience you are speaking to and where they are at and begin there, rather than from where you want to start.
How do you measure success as a leader?
Have I delivered the change necessary for success? Have those that worked for me gone onto bigger and better things as a result of the experience they have had whilst working for me?
What is the value of being a member of the Evanta community?
Evanta is the place I can go to be among like-minded people who get the problems I face and, most likely, have some answers.
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