Houston CISO Community
Executive Summit

Nobody knows everything, and everyone you meet can teach you something. This philosophy has served Bemi Anjous well throughout his cybersecurity career -- all the way from programmer to CISO -- allowing him to build meaningful relationships and find mentors across all levels of an organization.

In this insightful and motivating keynote address, Bemi reflects on how he learned to lead by "listening first" and developing a fearless mindset that inspires confidence and fosters connection with his team and his leadership at Noble Corporation and beyond, sharing lessons learned and tips he hopes will empower his CISO peers to excel not just as technology leaders, but also as people leaders.

The time to keep abreast of what's happening in the CISO market -- in Houston and beyond -- is not when you're ready to make your next move, it's now. Jamey Cummings, a partner at JM Search and co-leader of the firm’s security practice, brings us a frank conversation informed by what he's hearing from both organizations and CISOs as they go through the search process.

Join this session to hear insights and ask questions about:

• Understanding the dynamics and trends influencing the CISO market
• Calibrating requirements and expectations around hot topics like total compensation and protections for CISOs
• Preparing and positioning yourself -- or members of your team -- as a top candidate for that next opportunity

In an era where users are ubiquitous and digital operations sit in the cloud and beyond, it’s key to move beyond a foundational security approach and focus on achieving cyber resilience. The task at hand involves navigating complexity and upholding visibility and control to ensure uninterrupted operation despite cyber threats.

Join this session to explore:

• Enhancing security and cost-effectiveness across diverse cloud environments
• Leveraging AI innovations while addressing global regulatory and data privacy standards
• Sharing best practices for implementing effective cloud operations across a global footprint

There's a lot of "noise" in cybersecurity every day: alerts, reports, emails, tickets, notices, checklists, meetings, etc. But all this activity doesn't automatically translate into forward progress, and CISOs know it's their job to find the meaning mixed up in all the noise to lead their teams with clarity.

Join your peers for a frank discussion about:

• Discerning the difference between true signals and noise
• Leveraging these signals to add meaningful context to security strategies
• Elevating risk conversations to move beyond checklists and frameworks

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.

Gaining leadership buy-in for risk mitigation is not just about the metrics; it’s about the story. Truly impactful cybersecurity leaders work to reframe conversations about risk by not only developing consistent and quantifiable models, but also ensuring key stakeholders can understand risk on an emotional level, meeting ELT and board members where they are and equipping them to engage thoughtfully in risk discussions. 

Join this session to hear from CISO peers who have a strong grasp on crafting compelling risk narratives and have collaborative table discussions focused on:

• Sharing best approaches for clear, impactful reporting that contextualizes risk
• Speaking the language of business to show alignment between cybersecurity objectives and organizational goals
• Identifying the key elements of risk reporting that build visibility and trust with top leadership

With high volumes of sensitive data now flowing through web browsers, three in five organizations say data leakage is likely given current IT and security infrastructures. Stop playing catch-up. Discover new approaches to enterprise operations to reduce risk while simplifying operations.

Join this roundtable to discover:

• How disparate IT and security solutions create technical debt
• What challenges impact internal and end user stakeholders
• How simplifying IT can strengthen security, and boost productivity

As enterprises rapidly accelerate their digital initiatives, CISOs are tasked with striking a delicate balance between implementing the right structures and strategies to safeguard organizational assets and delivering services and applications faster than ever before. How are CISOs updating their operating models and team structures to keep pace with the changing nature of business priorities and the changing technology landscape?

Join this conversation to hear how your peers are:

• Evolving security operating models to deliver better speed, agility and security while optimizing cost savings  
• Assessing how their business units may evolve in line with new technological innovations
• Positioning their team as security advocates and demonstrating business value