Leon Ravenna
CISO
Openlane
Leon Ravenna is currently CISO of Openlane, a multi-national company in the auto auction and financial services space, providing Global Security, Privacy, Compliance and AI Governance expertise for over 5,000 employees.
Leon has extensive experience in Regulatory, Compliance & Privacy having managed ISO27001, HIPAA, PCI Level 1 and NIST 800.53 system builds and audits. In addition to holding a PMP, CISSP AND AIGP certifications, Leon is one of a very small group world-wide to hold 6 major Global Privacy certifications including CIPM, CIPP/ C and CIPP/ E, CIPP/ G, CIPP/ US and FIP.
A fun fact about Leon, he was a Master CNE.
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Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
Well, it started with the invention of fire... Not really! I’ve been doing technology for almost 40 years, starting with support, system admin and such. I started doing security since I was the slowest person to step backwards when asked who wanted to take on security in 2003.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
100% Servant Leadership. Never ask someone to do something (work late, overnight, etc.) that I am not willing to do myself.
What is the greatest challenge security leaders face today, and how are you addressing it?
Changing the perception that security is only about NO, rather than using security to enhance what is done. For instance, patching drives availability – effectively, making security part of the process and not an afterthought.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CISO?
Overcommunicate.
How do you measure success as a leader?
Pure and simply, by how well the people I have had the good fortune to lead do later in life. Are they growing and moving into positions of leadership?
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