Tag Archives: Cyber

The Observership Program completed

I’m finishing the year having completed The Observership Program as a Board Observer with the Lokahi Foundation, an experience that provided valuable insight into board governance.

Alongside social impact and governance training from the Australian Institute of Company Directors, tailored to not-for-profit board directors, I spent twelve months observing a purpose-driven board and deepening my understanding of how decisions that matter are made.

Top takeaways:

• The art of questioning – how different types of questions shape discussion and drive clarity.

• Director responsibilities – the difference between reporting to a board and serving on one.

• Bringing stakeholders on a journey – effective communication, buy-in and sustained impact.

• Practical exposure to fundraising, strategy, marketing, sustainability and operations in the not-for-profit sector.

I had a chance to apply skills from my MBA and global corporate experience to support the board. I also drew on my domain expertise in cybersecurity, data protection, technology innovation, AI and impact measurement, particularly championing ethical data practices.

Thank you to the Lokahi Foundation board and the Observership Program for the opportunity to learn and give back. I’m excited to keep building these skills and to support future boardrooms.

FinTech, AI and Cyber

I recently took the stage to talk about one of the most consequential inflection points facing FinTech: the rapid arrival of agentic AI – systems that plan, decide and act autonomously – and what it means for risk, reputation, regulation and customer trust. Below is a distillation of the talk: what agentic AI actually is, why FinTechs are racing to adopt it, the real cyber threats it brings, and a pragmatic playbook leaders can use today.

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Industry and government engagement in cyber security

It was great to chat with Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness, the National Cyber Security Coordinator, about the Australian Cyber Security Strategy as well as key initiatives, strategic imperatives and challenges that CISOs must navigate.

I appreciate an opportunity to contribute to the ongoing conversation on cyber threat landscape, risk and AI governance.

RSAC CISO Bootcamp 2025

It was so good to attend the RSAC CISO Bootcamp at CyberCon Melbourne – a practical session for CISOs.

Highlights that stuck with me:
💡 A conversation with Brian Krebs on AI security and organised cybercrime: attackers are tooling up fast; our defences must keep pace.
💡 A candid, closed-door session with Tim Brown, CISO of SolarWinds, about crisis response: execution matters, but so does the personal toll on teams and leaders.
💡 A chat with F1’s Guenther Steiner on teamwork and resilience in high-pressure environments.

Events like this remind me how much strength there is in our community. I’m proud to contribute and be part of it. You don’t need a challenge coin to get help – if you want to compare notes or need a sounding board, reach out.

AI and Cyber for Board Directors

It was good to attend the Essential Director Update – a timely reminder that good governance now requires foresight as well as oversight.

Staying on the forefront of contemporary governance demands AI and cybersecurity competency.

My key takeaways for boards and executives:
☑️ Data is the fuel: protect data integrity (accurate, consistent, timely) and focus governance where it creates the most value.
☑️ AI is everywhere, no longer just an IT challenge: adopt a human-centred approach, define guardrails around intent, and factor legal and ethical considerations into every deployment.
☑️ Balance innovation with risk: prioritise highest-value use cases, automate safety controls where possible, but don’t outsource accountability.
☑️ Cybersecurity must be risk-based: know your crown jewels, expect incidents, build crisis response plans and regularly test your defences.
☑️ People first: changing work practices will affect roles and culture; steer the transition and invest in policy and education.

Building resilience and sustainable performance

I had a pleasure of sharing some practical lessons on building resilience at the Cybersecurity Summit.

I touched on sustainable performance strategies and the importance of body, emotions, mind and purpose in preventing burnout.

Protecting systems starts with protecting the people who run them.

Evolution of third-party risk, accountability and trust

It was great to join last night’s panel, where I shared practical lessons from managing AI in vendor ecosystems – including ethical implications, regulatory uncertainties and resilience at scale.

If you run a restaurant, your supplier gives you a batch of ingredients and you use them in meals for customers. You’re responsible if the food makes people sick. AI vendors are ingredient suppliers – you are the chef.

Guardrails don’t have to block progress – they can make AI reliable and trustworthy.

SANS Cyber Incident Leader

I’m proud to share that I’ve completed SANS’s LDR553: Cyber Incident Management hands-on training and earned the GIAC Cyber Incident Leader (GCIL) certification.

This course sharpened my ability to guide teams through every stage of a breach. I was awarded a challenge coin for the top score in the final capstone project.

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