Governing Body Spotlight

V.Jay LaRosa serves as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Cisco’s Network Platform Organization, where he oversees and ensures the integrity of all information security measures within the business unit. With a distinguished career in cybersecurity, V.Jay has been acknowledged as a Top Global CISO in 2024 by CyberDefense Magazine, C-Suite Insider Magazine, and has received multiple prestigious awards, including the ISE North America People’s Choice Award in 2016.

Before his tenure at Cisco Meraki, V.Jay held the position of Global Head of Trust Assurance at TikTok. In this role, he was instrumental in shaping the technical strategy and execution of cybersecurity controls, ensuring they met rigorous risk and compliance standards. He also had technical oversight for the global security infrastructure and application development of TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance.

As a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), V.Jay has made significant contributions to the field of information security, with over 30 years of experience in information technology and 25 years dedicated to security and risk management. His career includes leading classified research and development initiatives with the US government and collaborating with federal agencies to combat cybercrime and fraud.

V.Jay possesses extensive expertise in managing hundreds of mergers and acquisitions, enhancing the security of global eCommerce and money movement platforms, and securing three patents. As a recognized thought leader in the cybersecurity field, he actively engages in cross-industry forums and events. Furthermore, he has contributed his strategic insights and guidance as a member of the global advisory board for the Cloud Security Alliance and has served on advisory boards for numerous cybersecurity startups.

Outside of his professional commitments, V.Jay and his wife actively support animal rescue organizations in Central Florida and New Jersey, dedicating their efforts to rescuing animals and fundraising for these causes.

Learn more about the Florida CISO community here.
 

What is one of your guiding leadership principles?

Hire people smarter than you, and then empower them to do great things!
 

What is the greatest challenge CISOs face today, and how are you addressing it?

The greatest challenge is operating in a shared services organization where a central organization provides governance and compliance. To address it, we are creating trusted relationships, developing clear goals, being honest and transparent about risks, then demonstrating that you can execute to reduce risk and help the company succeed.
 

What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CISO?

First you need to learn. If you don't understand what your business does, you will never be successful. While you are learning, create a risk register that will guide your decisions and your strategy for execution in alignment with where the business needs to go.
 

How do you measure success as a leader?

1. How much value have you added to the business you support in relation to where they need to go strategically.
2. How much risk have you removed in terms of things that could derail, block, or cause the business to fail in their objectives.
    

What is the value of being a member of the Evanta community?

Being able to learn new ways to help support my business objectives, including learning tactics, techniques, or getting advice from others. Security is a team sport!
 

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.