In-Person

Boston CISO Community

Executive Summit

November 13, 2025 | Hyatt Regency Boston- Cambridge

November 13, 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:

Maintaining Operations Through Cyber Resilience Strategies

Enhancing User Access with Smart Solutions

Maximizing AI for Strategic Advantage

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

Interactive Sessions

Hear from CISO practitioners and thought leaders on how they're solving critical challenges impacting your role today in Keynote sessions, and join smaller, interactive discussions with your peers in Breakout and Boardroom sessions.

Community Networking

Make new connections and catch up with old friends in casual conversations during dedicated time for networking designed to better acquaint you with your Boston CISO community.

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a private, 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.

Agenda

Keynote Sessions

CISOs on the Hot Seat — A New Era of Liability

As cybersecurity attacks increase in sophistication, the financial and reputational impact for companies has never been more pronounced. CISOs responsible for navigating a company through a data breach, the stakes are even higher. CISOs confront significant personal civil and criminal liability in connection with their handling of breaches and associated disclosures. This raises serious concerns not only for CISOs, but also for companies’ abilities to secure expert personnel to safeguard their data and systems.

Join this keynote to discuss:

  • Protecting executives on the front lines of cybersecurity incidents
  • Implementing best practices aimed at reducing the potential liability of key stakeholders 
  • Managing liability risks which includes how to work with the Board and the broader executive team

Securing Data Flow in the AI-Quantum Era

Sensitive data movement can be risky but restricting it outright can create operational and security challenges. In an era of agentic AI, generative AI, and emerging quantum computing, organizations need security frameworks that protect data while ensuring agility. This session explores how modern security platforms enable secure data flow, adapt to diverse use cases and prepare for the post-quantum encryption (PQE) shift.

Join this keynote to learn:

  • How to choose the right secure access method for each use case
  • Why security must be adaptive to risk, user behavior and AI-driven interactions
  • How to prepare for post-quantum encryption and its enterprise security impact

Leveraging Outcome-Driven Metrics for Strategic Impact

 


Executive Boardroom Session

Identity Security in the Agentic AI Era

 The rise of Agentic AI is increasing risks and complexities for Non-Human Identities (NHIs) in cloud environments. AI agents need extensive NHI access, posing new challenges in identity governance and security.

Join this roundtable to discuss:

  • Exponential NHI growth impacting security
  •  Management of AI access models and permissions
  •  Complex AI interactions affecting identity management


Breakout Sessions

Crafting a Powerful and Purposeful Executive Presence

Your career trajectory is shaped by more than just your achievements—how others perceive your executive presence can open doors or close them. Personal branding is about consciously shaping those perceptions. Are you aware of how others see you?

Join this engaging session to explore:

  • Steps to intentionally develop a genuine executive brand
  • Identifying your blind spots and leverage opportunities for influence
  • Methods for building or restoring recognition for what matters most to you


Outsmarting Insider Threats — North Korea’s Evolving Tactics in Workforce Infiltration

 As foreign operatives infiltrate organizations under false identities, traditional hiring and security processes are being tested like never before. This session will dissect real-world attack chains, highlight subtle red flags and technical indicators, and offer actionable strategies for cross-functional response and risk mitigation. Walk away with practical tools to detect, disrupt and prevent these sophisticated insider threats.

Join this talk to learn:

  • Proven methods to identify behavioral and technical warning signs during hiring and employment
  • Effective cross-functional controls and incident response strategies for rapid mitigation
  • Best practices for strengthening organizational resilience through training, ID verification and stakeholder alignment

CISO Exchange - Tackling Security’s Hottest Issue

Cybersecurity is now a headline issue, CISOs must bridge the gap between technical priorities, business strategy and mental health. This session offers a unique opportunity to choose pressing topics and collaborate with fellow security leaders in open, insightful conversations.

In this workshop, you’ll:

  • Identify and unpack industry-wide security concerns
  • Assess how new trends are shaping business decisions
  • Unpack mental health, it not the reward for high performance—it’s the foundation


We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming in-person gathering

Gartner cares about the health and safety of our community. If you are feeling unwell, please refrain from attending the conference. At this time, Gartner does not have any health-related requirements in place for attendance. Should this change, we will follow up with updated guidance.

Location

Venue & Accommodation

Hyatt Regency Boston- Cambridge

Your Community Sponsors

CISO Thought Leader

Key Sponsors

Program Sponsors

Community Program Manager

For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.

Spencer Bisgaard

Senior Community Program Manager

541-912-0183

spencer.bisgaard@gartner.com