Brian Allen is a former Chief Security Officer with Time Warner Cable and then an advisor to company boards and C-suites on their cybersecurity obligations. He now collaborates across the financial sector on security policy and advocacy work. He is also a university lecturer and author of security books that bridge the divide between physical and cybersecurity. His book on 'Enterprise Security Risk Management' (with Rachelle Loyear) is viewed as the definitive reference point on the subject. His latest publication, 'Building a Cyber Risk Management Programme' (with Brandon Bapst), maps out a framework built on authoritative sources. It provides four core components of a program and a list of considerations for building a programmatic security risk management program.

In this discussion you will hear Brian discuss the role of being ‘challenging’ and ‘curious’ and some of the consequences. Security management has not progressed as speedily as cyber security management and we explore some of the reasons and the barriers that hinder progress including the role of senior security personnel on the one hand and company executives on the other. The value of a risk-based approach, the potential of AI and how to manage it, and the lack of progress on ESRM are also covered. Also listen to which person and which book have most influenced him and what single change he feels would best progress the security sector.

This episode contains strong language

Dr Rich Diston is a career security practitioner, with a MSc with distinction and a professional doctorate. He has held too many professional accreditations to count, and currently holds strong views about security practice and the industry.

He works as a trainer/consultant helping develop security professionals, but if you want him to help you he will wish to vet you first, and you will have to go and find him, he doesn’t advertise. He admits he is an industry hate figure, and routinely gets hate mail. He has a low tolerance of 'bullsh*t' and bad ethics. It is worth noting that he is autistic and a practicing Stoic.

As an example of his lack of compromise, when he was told that he is a bad reflection of the security sector he replied ‘f**k off, what an absolute moron’. He's been threatened by people who claim they will 'raise an army' against him.

He argues ‘security is the most dishonest business in the world’, and points to research that indicates that high performing individuals go to industries with measurable outcomes, which says a lot about the people ending up in security. He says that ‘security professionals say they are learning but all they are doing is believing’. And he refuses to use the word ‘cyber', a word he detest as 'mindless'.

For Rich, thought leaders need original ideas and then the ability to communicate them, and also the courage to convey their beliefs. In this discussion you decide what you think, you may be outraged, you will likely be informed, and you will certainly witness a distinct take on security from someone quite happy to tread - maybe even stamp - on ground, others avoid. And you will also learn about the person that most influenced him, the book that had the most impact on him, and the issue he feels the security sector most needs to prioritise.

It is good business to be seen to be supporting the ‘green agenda’, and certainly bad news follows or is likely to follow an organisation that is not committed. But how would we know? Do security professionals really care and if so how is that reflected? The ‘environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG)’ concept is becoming more renowned but in what ways is it different and what are the barriers to embedding it in security practice? For example, what does the ‘social’ part of ESG refer to?

This webinar will discuss:
The extent and nature of ‘greenwashing’
The routes to developing meaningful measures of sustainability, and/or ESG
The potential of the security sector to set good examples

Chair: Dr Janice Goldstraw-White

Panelists
Michael Gips – Principal, Global Insights in Professional Security (GIPS)
Russel Kerr – Managing Director, SecuriGroup

A video and summary of this session is available here: https://www.theospas.com/2023/07/21/taking-sustainability-seriously-how-common-is-greenwashing-and-what-can-we-do/

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