
Atlanta CISO Community
Inner Circle
September 18, 2025 | Gypsy Kitchen
September 18, 2025
Gypsy Kitchen
Collaborate with your peers
Join Atlanta's top CISOs for an intimate networking dinner and facilitated discussion on key business challenges. Enjoy a relaxed evening of dinner and drinks with your peers to share best practices, make new connections and build professional relationships.
Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CISOs today:
Aligning cybersecurity with business goals to encourage strategic growth
Expanding CISO roles to drive organizational impact and security innovation
Atlanta CISO Governing Body
The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the discussion topics and agenda, ensuring that all content is driven By CISOs, For CISOs®.
Governing Body Co-Chairs

Derek Benz
The Coca-Cola Company
CISO

Tim Callahan
Aflac
SVP & Global CISO

John Dickson
Colonial Pipeline
VP & CISO

Meredith Harper
Synchrony Financial
SVP & CISO

Stacy Hughes
ABM
SVP & CISO

Bob Varnadoe
Kaiser Permanente
VP, Technology Risk Management
Agenda
September 18, 2025
4:30pm - 5:30pm Executive Networking Reception
5:30pm - 6:30pm Discussion Topics
Resilient Leadership — Optimizing Cybersecurity in a Dynamic World

Chris Boehm
Field CTO
Zero Networks
The rapid evolution of cyber threats and technological advancements over the past year has introduced both unprecedented challenges and opportunities for organizations worldwide. Now more than ever, cybersecurity leaders must drive organizational success by integrating security initiatives with business objectives.
Gartner predicts that by 2027, nearly half of CISOs will expand their remit beyond cybersecurity, due to increasing regulatory pressure and attack surface expansion. To meet this moment, security leaders must adopt strategic leadership approaches that leverage collaboration and innovation to optimize cybersecurity investments, enhance resilience, and drive organizational growth -- all while navigating and defending against increasingly more sophisticated and high-frequency attacks.
Join this peer-led roundtable to discuss:
- What emerging threat vectors and trends are you watching that have presented challenges for your organization?
- What new opportunities have you seen arise with the changing landscape?
- What strategies, tools, and technology have you found helpful in enhancing team performance, increasing agility via responsive strategies, and improving cyber resiliency?
- How are you working to evolve your role beyond technical oversight to encompass more of a business leadership position that influences the entire organization?
- How are you building relationships with strategic internal partners to help you optimize security investments, minimize cyber risk, and stay on top of changing regulatory requirements?
- What key message can you, as a leader, bring back to your team to inspire them, considering the dynamic world of evolving threats that present both challenges and opportunities?
6:30pm - 7:00pm Networking Break
7:00pm - 8:00pm Summary Discussion & Dinner
8:00pm - 9:00pm Social Hour
Apply to Participate
Apply to participate in the Atlanta CISO Community Inner Circle.
Gartner facilitates exclusive, C-level communities by personally qualifying and understanding the priorities, challenges and interests of each member.
Our selective approach maintains the high quality of the network and ensures top-level discussions with peers from the world’s leading organizations.
Each application will be reviewed, and once your participation is confirmed, you will have access to year-round community programs.
Location
Venue
Gypsy KitchenCommunity Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.