Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Recent Episodes
Storytelling and Cybersecurity Awareness
Tim Murck, actor, producer, and co-founder of Flavour, joins Ann on this week's episode of Afternoon Cyber Tea. Tim is a creative entrepreneur passionate about storytelling, gamification, and helping people turn themselves into problem solvers. Ann and Tim discuss the intersection of cyber awareness and storytelling, what led Tim to co-found Flavour and HackShield and why we need to look at cybersecurity as a team sport.
Security Trends in 2023 and Beyond
Is the world prepared for a future with deepfakes, mis- and disinformation, and other forms of impersonation? Chris Young, Executive Vice President of the Business Development, Strategy, and Venture team at Microsoft, joins Ann to discuss this and more on the next installment of Afternoon Cyber Tea. Chris, who has decades of cybersecurity industry leadership, is now responsible for driving growth across Microsoft by establishing strategic partnerships, setting corporate strategy, and identifying high-impact investments through Microsoft’s corporate venture arm. He also serves on the board of directors for American Express and as a member of the Cybersecurity Advisory Committee for the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (US CISA). Ann and Chris discuss why it's vital for organizations in the security industry to work together, advice he has for leaders that are helping their companies and teams navigate this challenging time, and what trends in security and adjacent industries Chris expects to become more prevalent and relevant.
Chenxi Wang, founder and general partner of Rain Capital, a seed-stage venture fund focused on Cybersecurity, joins Ann on this week's episode of Afternoon Cyber Tea. Dr. Wang, an outspoken advocate for women in tech, was named Women Investor of 2021 and 2019 by CyberRisk Alliance and Women Tech Founders and is a well-known cybersecurity operator, technologist, and thought leader. Ann and Dr. Wang discuss what is impacting current cyber investments, innovations that will shape the next 7-10 years, and the value of diversity, inclusion, and representation in cyber.
Charles Blauner, operating partner and CISO-in-residence at company-building venture group Team8, joins Ann on this week's episode of Afternoon Cyber Tea. Charles is an internationally recognized expert on cyber resiliency, information security risk management, and data privacy. He's had an incredible and prominent career in Security, including being a CISO and Information Security leader at companies like J.P. Morgan, Deutsche Bank, and Citi. Ann and Charles discuss the evolution of the CISO role, the qualities they believe all CISOs need to excel, and what the role of CISO will look like 5-10 years from now.
Building Personal Resilience in Cyber
Kirsten Davies, chief information security officer at Unilever, joins Ann on this week's episode of Afternoon Cyber Tea. Kirsten is a recognized thought leader, serves on the Board of Governors for the New York Academy of Sciences, and is a Mentor for several non-profits and women's initiatives. The two discuss burnout and stress-related mental-health concerns in cyber, which are, unfortunately, on the rise. Now, security and business leaders alike are concerned that the pressure and responsibility of cyber roles–combined with the rise in cyber-attacks, reduction in resourcing, and other factors–is making cyber a less attractive career path. Ann and Kirsten discuss the importance of personal resilience, factors contributing to the cyber talent shortage, and strategies that leaders can adopt to improve their people's working conditions and well-being.