Podcast
Cyber Leaders
Hosted by SANS Institute · EN
The Cyber Leaders podcast focusses on the fast-paced world of cybersecurity, delivering cutting-edge insights and trends with energy, enthusiasm, and professionalism. With high level expertise and thought leadership, we aim to provide invaluable perspectives and actionable strategies to empower leaders in navigating the ever-changing landscape of cybersecurity.
18episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Still Getting Cloud Wrong. Here’s what to Fix. With Simon Vernon
1w ago00:43:34Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Ciaran and James sit down with Simon Vernon, Head of Research and Development at SANS Institute, to discuss cloud and AI security. As a practitioner in the field, Simon shares his experience building hands-on training, where cloud security still goes wrong, and how AI is changing attacker behaviour and creating new risks.Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at cyberleadersnetwork@sans.org
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The Weakest Link in a Global Life Sciences Company? People. With Dr. Kevin Jones
2w ago00:42:48Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Ciaran and James sit down with Dr. Kevin Jones, Group CISO of Bayer and honorary professor at Cardiff University, to discuss cybersecurity across critical industries.Kevin shares his expertise on human behaviour in security, the growing impact of AI on both attacks and defences, and the challenges of protecting complex, real-world systems.Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at cyberleadersnetwork@sans.org
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Your CISO is Now Your Chief Trust Officer with Jitender Arora
3w ago00:43:02Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Ciaran and James sit down with Jitender Arora, Partner and CISO for Deloitte North and South Europe, to discuss the human side of cyber leadership and how the role is changing. As a veteran of the industry, Jitender shares his perspective on burnout and supporting cyber talent, how the CISO role is shifting towards trust, and how organisations can prepare for AI.Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at cyberleadersnetwork@sans.org
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Stories from an Expert Threat Hunter with Taz Wake
May 800:43:32Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Ciaran and James are joined by Taz Wake, Digital Forensics & Incident Response expert, to talk about the realities of defending organisations today. Drawing on his background in military intelligence and years on the front line, Taz shares insights on incident response, threat hunting, and the common myths the industry still gets wrong.Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at cyberleadersnetwork@sans.org
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How Zalando Deployed GenAI Without Handing Attackers the Keys with Florence Mottay
May 100:40:02Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Ciaran and James sit down with Florence Mottay, CISO of Zalando, to discuss the state of cybersecurity in business. Florence shares her expertise on bringing generative AI securely online, how traditional and AI-enabled threats are evolving, and how European organisations are navigating regulation, resilience and risk in a fast-changing landscape.Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at cyberleadersnetwork@sans.org
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Weathering the AI Vulnerability Storm with Gadi Evron, Rob Lee and Ed Skoudis
Apr 2400:47:44Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Ciaran and James sit down with Gadi Evron, Rob Lee and Ed Skoudis to discuss Claude Mythos and the paper co-authored with SANS, the Cloud Security Alliance, [un]prompted and OWASP in response.Gadi, Rob and Ed share their expertise on AI-driven vulnerability discovery, how cyber teams should respond, and what this shift means for the future of security work.Gadi Evron is the founder and CEO of Knostic and CISO in residence for the Cloud Security Alliance. Rob Lee is Chief AI Officer and Chief of Research at SANS. Ed Skoudis is the founder of the SANS Penetration Testing Curriculum and Counter Hack and President at SANS Technology Institute.Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at cyberleadersnetwork@sans.org
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Defending Critical Infrastructure in Hot War with Tim Conway
Apr 2200:49:24Tap to summarizeIn this special episode of Cyber Leaders, Ciaran and James are joined once again by Tim Conway, Technical Director of Industrial Control Systems Security at SANS, to discuss the ongoing conflict in Iran. As three of the world’s most potent cyber actors clash militarily, Tim shares his expert insight on the cyber dimensions of the conflict, the real-world risks for cyber defenders, and how best to protect critical infrastructure in an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape.Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at cyberleadersnetwork@sans.org
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How Secure by Design and Public Partnerships Drive Deterrence: A Conversation with Jen Easterly
Mar 2100:48:14Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Ciaran and James are joined by cyber policy and practices leader Jen Easterly. Together they discuss the power of storytelling in cybersecurity, the evolution of cyber as a tool of state power, and why Secure by Design is critical to improving the security of the technologies we rely onContact:Have questions or comments? Email us at cyberleadersnetwork@sans.org
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Live Special: Securing the Connected World with Thomas Harvey
Dec 1900:32:17Tap to summarizeIn this special live episode of Cyber Leaders, Ciaran sits down with Thomas Harvey, CISO at Santander UK. As one of the UK’s leading operational cybersecurity figures, Thomas discusses the growing need for cross-sector collaboration, why a more connected security community is essential to national cyber resilience, and how building trust can help create a safer and more fraud-resistant digital landscape. Recorded at Merchant Taylors’ Hall, London on Wednesday the 22nd of October 2025. Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at cyberleadersnetwork@sans.org
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Who Really Controls the Internet—And Why it Matters with Emily Taylor and Roxana Radu
Dec 1200:45:41Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Ciaran and James speak with Emily Taylor of Oxford Information Labs and Roxana Radu, Associate Professor of Digital Technologies and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, about who really controls the internet. Emily and Roxana discuss how internet governance operates amid shifting geopolitics, dissect the foundational protocols (and problems) that underpin the web, and explore the often-obscure institutions that keep it running.Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at cyberleadersnetwork@sans.org
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