
Boston CISO Community
Executive Summit
June 24, 2025 | Hyatt Regency Boston/ Cambridge
June 24, 2025
Hyatt Regency Boston/ Cambridge
Collaborate with your peers
Get together with Boston's top CISOs to tackle shared business challenges and critical priorities facing your role today. Participate in this one-day, local program with peer-driven topics and interactive discussions with your true C-level peers.
Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CISOs today:
Empowering CISOs to Develop & Communicate IAM Protocols to Strengthen Security Posture
Fostering a Security Culture — CISOs Adopting New Policies Prompted by AI
Creating Robust DLP Strategies to Up Your Risk Management Game
Boston CISO Governing Body
The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the summit agenda, ensuring that all content is driven By CISOs, For CISOs®.
Governing Body Co-Chairs

Julie Fitton
Analog Devices
CISO

Eric Galis
Cengage
CISO

Javed Ikbal
Bright Horizons
VP/CISO

Brian McGowan
SharkNinja
CISO

Ravi Thatavarthy
Rite Aid
Chief Information Security Officer

Gernette Wright
Schneider Electric North America
IT Security Officer
What to Expect
Agenda
8:00am - 8:30am Registration & Breakfast
8:30am - 9:15am Keynote
Body Language Secrets for Enhanced Executive Presence
Hosted by Wiz

Chris Ulrich
Body Language Expert
Guest Speaker
Uncovering the mysteries of body language — how people communicate their thoughts and feelings without saying a word — is a decisive first step toward mastering any business and social situation. Top executives know that detecting split-second signals from your team and leadership then taking immediate action is crucial to being a persuasive communicator and problem-solver especially during tricky internal matters or high-level negotiations.
During this session you will learn how to:
- Move beyond the vacuum of artificial body language to a behavioral approach based on YOU
- Strengthen interpersonal relationships, be a more decisive leader and manage your nerves better
- Uncover the less obvious needs of others and improve your team’s confidence and competence
9:15am - 9:40am Networking Break
9:40am - 10:25am Breakout Session
Transforming Human Risk With Adaptive Cybersecurity Controls
Hosted by Mimecast

Adenike Cosgrove
CMO
Mimecast
Whether it’s a seemingly harmless email, trusted collaboration tool, innocent user error via shadow AI, or malicious exfiltration of sensitive information, employees can function as an asset but also a potential security risk.
Join this session to discover:
- Strategies to transform human risk into organizational resilience
- Approaches for quantifying and managing human-centric cybersecurity risks
- Ways to empower your security teams to connect the dots between humans and technology
9:40am - 10:25am Breakout Session
Beyond the Headlines – Stories of Cyber Resiliency
Hosted by Rapid7

Pat Ford
Chief Information Security Officer, Americas
Schneider Electric North America

Julie Fitton
CISO
Analog Devices
Fostering true cyber resiliency requires balancing preparation across the organization with what actually unfolds during a major event. Hear the behind-the-scenes stories of events highlighted in the news from the CISOs who led their teams through them. Then take part in activity to see how prepared you really are compared to your peers. Because we all know, it’s not if it’s going to happen… but when.
Join this session to explore with peers:
- Stories of detection and recovery – what went right and what fell short
- Best practices for organizational communication before, during and after an incident
- Ways to better fortify now to allow for a faster recovery later
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
Cyber Savvy — Navigating Risks with Strategic Awareness
Hosted by Akamai

Sean Flynn
Director, Security Technology and Strategy
Akamai Technologies

Jasvinder Khera
AVP, Chief Information Security Officer
John Hancock

Lorna Koppel
Director of Information Security/CISO
Tufts University

Raj Thakuri
VP & CISO
Cotiviti
In today’s dynamic landscape of escalating business complexity, evolving threats, and global regulatory demands, real-time situational awareness is critical for mitigating material risks. What strategies can organizations employ to effectively integrate people, processes, and technology for proactive threat assessment and management?
Join this session to explore:
- Understanding the link between situational awareness and material risk mitigation
- Adapting to emerging threats while maintaining compliance with shifting global regulations
- Building resilient programs that combine tactical readiness with strategic risk assessment
10:25am - 11:10am Networking Break
10:30am - 11:10am Workshop
Office Hours with Chris Ulrich

Chris Ulrich
Body Language Expert
Guest Speaker
What does your body language say about you? What shifts might you make to change how others perceive you? Join this special one-on-one session exclusively for Governing Body members with body-language expert Chris Ulrich for candid feedback on your in-person and online body language. Sessions are 20-minutes and pre-registration is required.
In this unique, private session, you’ll receive:
One-on-one consultation with a premier expert
Live analysis of your unique body language cues
Personalized executive presence improvements
10:35am - 11:00am Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.
11:10am - 11:55am Breakout Session
From Conflict to Collaboration — Evolving your Infrastructure & Cybersecurity Relationships

Robert Sullivan
CISO, VP Technology Shared Services
Agero
Conflict reigns in the high-pressure worlds of cyber governance, cyber engineering, IT Infrastructure, and development teams. They all have their unique goals that are critical to the success of the organization but interactions between the teams are often ineffective and counterproductive. How do we navigate this natural tension and lead the teams to joint success?
Join this session to discuss:
- Applying practical strategies to overcome team challenges
- Investigating perspectives of each team
- Learning what drives the conflict and ways to help teams unify
11:10am - 11:55am Executive Boardroom
Pushing the Security Perimeter to the Edge
Hosted by Fastly

Marshall Erwin
CISO
Fastly

Sara Hall
CISO
Teladoc Inc

Samir Sanghani
Head of Information Security
Coverys
Right now, organizations are enhancing their cybersecurity strategies to combat emerging threats as reliance on cloud computing, IoT devices and interconnected networks grows. Implementing an effective edge security strategy creates a vital defense layer for internet-facing applications and APIs - and can also simplify policy enforcement especially for multiple cloud providers. But how are CISOs truly strategizing to secure their organizations’ perimeters?
Join this boardroom to take part in:
- Sharing different viewpoints of edge security strategies in multi-cloud and hybrid environments
- Addressing common challenges in securing your perimeter
- Determining ownership for edge security in your organization
11:10am - 11:55am Executive Boardroom
Transforming IAM for Effective Identity Management
Hosted by Saviynt

David Lee
Field CTO
Saviynt

Brian Cayer
CISO
Keck Medicine of USC

Javed Ikbal
VP/CISO
Bright Horizons
IAM isn’t failing because of technology—it’s failing because of bad habits, bad data, and bad decision-making rather than technological limitations. Using extensive real-world insights, this discussion will uncover vital lessons in identity management.
Join this session to learn about:
- Futility of access reviews and their drain on time and energy
- Implementing successful strategies for IAM enhancement
- Drawing on experience to guide informed and effective decisions
11:10am - 11:55am Executive Boardroom
Malicious vs. Defensive — Winning the AI Arms Race
Hosted by Abnormal AI

Chris Haley
Field CISO
Abnormal AI

Dean Lebron
CIO
Ameresco

Matthew Wicker
Global Director of Cybersecurity
Regal Rexnord
AI is the critical differentiator in the evolving battle between hackers and defenders. As attackers use AI more effectively, CISOs are tasked with defending against AI-powered cyberattacks that humans can't always easily identify. And the only way to win this war is with the same technology — utilizing AI to detect and stop attacks at superhuman speeds.
Join this session to discuss:
- The rise of AI-powered threats and how attackers are using AI today
- How AI can be used defensively for better detection and automated monitoring
- Why organizations must step into the future to stay safe in the new AI era
11:55am - 12:30pm Lunch Service
Apply to Participate
Apply to participate in the Boston CISO Community Executive Summit.
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 & Accommodation
Hyatt Regency Boston/ CambridgeParking:
Overnight guest-
- Self Parking $35.00 per night
- Valet Parking $58.00 per night
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hyatt Regency Boston/ Cambridge at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling (617) 492-1234.
Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $399 USD (plus tax) is June 2, 2025.
Community Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.