Paolo Bertuccini
CISO
Esselunga
Paolo Bertuccini is currently the CISO of Esselunga, a large Italian company mainly engaged in the food sector of Large-Scale Retailing in Italy. Atlantic Bars, Esserbella selective perfumery and beauty service stores and the Innovation LAB, are part of the Esselunga Group. Paolo joined Esselunga 6 years ago, and before that he was active for more than 20 years working in the IT Security and IT Governance space as a consultant in multinational engagements and acting as CISO in a large Italian banking group.
Paolo was active in different sectors and markets mainly in Europe and the Middle East including Banking, Insurance, Defence, Telco, Oil & Gas, and Public Sector, leading large teams working on system integration, risk management, incident management, strategic planning, cost optimization.
Learn more about the Italy CISO community here.
Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I started my career at Accenture, working in consultancy on complex and large engagements with an initial focus on Risk Management and Business Continuity, covering national and international roles in the organization. I was the Accenture CISO for the EMEA Region. After Accenture, I joined Microsoft with a great contribution on large customers and following the rising hype of the cloud adoption. I served as Group CISO in the Monte dei Paschi Bank, the oldest banking group in the world for more than four years.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Working every day in different cultural environments, I developed a clear understanding of how respecting others is a key factor in leading successful teams. Inclusion and the creation of a safe environment where people work with a proper level of satisfaction, in my experience, drives excellence in any challenging project.
What is the greatest challenge CISOs face today, and how are you addressing it?
The greatest challenge is ensuring appropriate engagement levels in cybersecurity topics for the Management Board while preventing disruptions to business continuity. Keep clear in mind what are the priorities for the company and how to plan a sustainable security strategy in line with regulation and compliance constraints.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CISO?
Stay curious and keep learning; ride the wave of innovation with a solid technical foundation complemented by charming soft skills. The key point is that your stakeholders often lack specific skills or the willingness to grasp complex technical issues related to cybersecurity. They tend to be frightened and concerned by what they don't understand. Assisting them by simplifying, clarifying and solving these issues is crucial to your career.
How do you measure success as a leader?
Achieving goals, empowering others to succeed alongside and beyond you.
What is the value of being a member of the Evanta community?
Sharing ideas and experience with a large, selected network enables faster and more significant achievements. An informal engagement model is a plus.
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.
by CISOs, for CISOs
Join the conversation with peers in your local CISO community.