
Houston CISO Executive Summit
December 7, 2021 | Hyatt Regency Houston
December 7, 2021
Hyatt Regency Houston
Collaborate with your peers
Get together with Houston'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:
Accelerating security to match the pace of digital business initiatives
Managing the risk created from a landscape of new core technologies
Achieving sustainability for the CISO role without compromising outcomes
Houston 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

Mike Coogan
Waste Management
Senior Director, Cybersecurity

Angelique Grado
TechnipFMC PLC
VP & CISO

Derek Rude
Weatherford
Director, IT Security

Genady Vishnevetsky
Stewart Title Company
CISO
What to Expect
Agenda
December 6, 2021
December 7, 2021
7:30am - 8:15am Registration & Breakfast
8:15am - 9:00am Keynote
Executive Presence for Lasting Leadership

Chris Ulrich
Body Language Expert & Political Consultant
Any given gesture — a nod, a point of the finger — unconsciously communicates powerful ideas and feelings that have tangible consequences. Top executives are generally proficient in their ability to interact with others, but the stakes are raised during high-level negotiations, reporting to the board, inspiring and empowering senior managers or dealing with tricky internal matters.
Join body language expert Chris Ulrich as he shares:
- Why every movement and action is magnified in high-level situations
- Tools and techniques to build rapport quickly
- How executives can communicate more effectively
9:00am - 9:15am Break
9:15am - 10:00am Breakout Session
Right-Sizing Risk: How to Talk to the Board About Cybersecurity

Al Lindseth
SVP, Risk Management & IT
Plains GP Holdings
As enterprises grow increasingly reliant on technology for every aspect of operations, CISOs have found themselves in a completely new operations center: the boardroom. Headline-grabbing breaches can draw a lot of attention from business stakeholders and board members, but staying focused on the likely scenarios offers the best protection.
In this session, Al will share strategies for discussing security and technology priorities at the board level and how to:
- Put risk in perspective and focus on your plan for recovery
- Understand the gaps in your program and come with a plan to fill them
- Focus on business risk/reward by mapping core security priorities to business objectives
- Create a roadmap to “Yes” by prioritizing business performance without sacrificing security
9:15am - 10:00am Executive Boardroom
Becoming More Active Through Passive Security
Hosted by Armis

Desiree Lee
Field CTO
Armis

Christopher Kar
Information Security Advisor
Fort Bend Independent School District
As critical assets continue to expand and evolve, there is an increased need for better visibility to proactively manage your risk posture. How can CISOs inspire out-of-the-box thinking while designing cybersecurity strategies that will enhance visibility into their systems?
Come together to discuss:
- Techniques to track asset inventory, including both managed and unmanaged devices
- How passive security can increase bandwidth
- Where to identify risk, threats, gaps and vulnerabilities within the enterprise
9:15am - 10:00am Executive Boardroom
Hard Keys — Easy Phishing Solution?
Hosted by Cloudflare

Trey Guinn
Field Technologist
Cloudflare

John McLeod
CISO
National Oilwell Varco

Scott Smith
Chief Information Security Officer
City of Bryan
Phishing is the entry point for nearly every compromise we read about today and like it or not, eventually, humans will click on the wrong links. Join this boardroom to discuss hardware security keys as one tool against this persistent threat.
In this session, you will learn:
- The current strategic landscape for managing risk with security keys
- Decision-making considerations for implementing hard keys and methods to implement them with on-premise, SaaS applications and non-native architecture
- Tips for the CISO to drive executive alignment
9:15am - 10:15am Workshop
Office Hours with Chris Ulrich
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
10:00am - 10:30am Networking Break
10:30am - 11:15am Breakout Session
Protect Your Data or Pay the Price?

Chris Wolski
CISO
Port of Houston Authority
The risk of attacks are top-of-mind for all organizations today as threat actors become more sophisticated and their impact increasingly detrimental. Cybersecurity professionals must have the right strategy and tools in place to prevent, detect and respond quickly to breaches to avoid reputational risk or paying a hefty sum.
Join this benchmarking session to discuss:
- Taking ransomware protection to the next level
- Strategies to defend against bad actors
- Challenges and best practices in managing major security events
10:30am - 11:15am Executive Boardroom
The Untold Truth on Threat Landscape
Hosted by SentinelOne

Jared Phipps
SVP Worldwide Engineering
SentinelOne

Nibin Philip
Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer
Landry's Inc.

John Driggers
VP, Cybersecurity
Schlumberger
Every day we hear that the threat landscape has evolved and that organizations need to make changes to their security solutions, but what has progressed? As we assess the current landscape, what changes do we actually require and what can be done about it?
In this boardroom we dissect:
- What is happening currently in the threat landscape
- Changes that are critical versus nice to have
- Looking ahead to next-level threats
10:30am - 11:15am Executive Boardroom
Keeping the Cloud Clean
Hosted by Fortinet, Inc.

Rick Peters
CISO Operational Technology, North America
Fortinet

Brad Hollingsworth
Director of Cyber Security
Mattress Firm

Eric Mims
Director, Enterprise IT Security, Information Security Officer
University of Houston System
As the world continues to shift, the most common security challenges faced in the cloud stem from misconfigurations, the need for continuous compliance, and an exploding set of cloud infrastructure services. Whether you are migrating to cloud or building up cloud-native applications, getting basic hygiene right is the first step to building in the cloud with confidence.
Join this session to discuss:
- Best practices for securing your infrastructure, applications, and data across hybrid and multi-cloud environments
- How to operate your cloud environment without misconfigurations
- The most common attacks and how do you protect your business from application security threat
10:30am - 11:30am Workshop
Office Hours with Chris Ulrich
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
11:15am - 11:25am Networking Break
December 6, 2021
December 7, 2021
Location
Venue & Accommodation
Hyatt Regency HoustonParking
For parking and directions, please click here.
Health & Safety Local Guidelines
Masks are encouraged, but not required at the venue. Masks will be provided for your convenience.
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hyatt Regency Houston at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling 713-654-1234. Please mention G-XEVG to ensure the appropriate room rate.
Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $219 USD (plus tax) is November 15, 2021.
Community Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.