JOIN OUR GLOBAL MOVEMENT OF VISIONARY CYBER LEADERS
Our Purpose
The Cyber Leadership Institute is creating a powerful and diverse global movement of visionary cyber leaders who think critically and actively collaborate to drive positive change within their organizations and accelerate the creation of a resilient digital ecosystem.
Become part of a closely bonded network of like-minded cyber leaders from all over the world.
CYBER LEADERS ON THE MOVE – Untold Stories of Visionaries shaping the Cyber World
Since its founding, CLI has trained cyber leaders from more than 47 countries, cutting through genders, cultures, geographies, and industries. Our ambitious journey — to build a global cohesive global community of 10 000 cyber leaders who actively collaborate to create a safer digital world — has connected us with some incredible global change-makers.
From the bustling Nairobi, to the charming Geneva, from the megacity of Mumbai to the Fijian Archipelagos, these remarkable stories have inspired the cyber community to dream beyond any perceived limitations.
Here are some of our most remarkable alumni going beyond the call of duty in the fight against the menace of cybercrime.
Ashwin Ram
Cybersecurity Evangelist, Check Point
Our inaugural story features the charismatic Ashwin Ram, who boasts more than 15 years on the frontlines of cyber defense. Ashwin’s journey, who spent part of his childhood growing up in Lakeba, a remote island in Fiji’s Southern Lau Archipelago, comprised of six villages with only two vehicles in his time, is deeply inspiring to say the least.
Read his motivating story here.
Noureen Njoroge
Director of Global Cyber Threat Intelligence, Nike
At 14, Noureen stripped her home PC down, carefully studied dozens of individual components, and then rebuilt the PC. From that moment, her tech career started. Noureen went on to defy incredible odds, migrating to the USA at a young age, and accelerating herself through the ranks to the Director of Global Cyber Threat Intelligence at Nike. Noureen’s journey proves the remarkable power of relentless focus to achieve goals previously deemed unreachable.
Read her stirring story here.
Georges De Moura
Vice President & Group CISO, EDGE
Possessing a rare combination of deep leadership experience, clarity of thought, and humility, Georges is one of the most decorated CISOs out there. During his stellar career, spanning different geographies and changing times, he held executive and advisory roles at major global brands like Etihad Airways, Thales, IBM, Airbus, and the World Economic Forum. The Childhood lessons in empathy and hard work continue to push Georges forward.
Read his powerful story here.
Natasha Passley
Cybersecurity Consulting Partner, KPMG
Growing up in Wales, Natasha was acutely aware she was different as one of only three black/mixed-race kids at school. But Natasha would soon turn her proverbial lemons into lemonade. The absence of a relatable role model instilled an unrelenting quest for self-improvement. Now Cyber Security Consulting Partner at KPMG Natasha has become the mentor to emerging female leaders she never had.
Read her inspiring story here.
Joss Howard
Cyber Security Partner, McGrathNicol
Born and raised the UK, Joss’s love for cybersecurity was birthed within the Royal Air Force (RAF), which she joined at a young age. She spent almost two decades across multiple mission-critical roles within the RAF, working on the cutting edge of IT security, learning techniques to identify and exploit physical and technical vulnerabilities. The adversities she faced at a young age instilled bottomless quest for self-improvement and empathy.
Read her incredible story here.
Vandana Verma
Global Chair of OWASP and Security Relations Leader APJ, ANZ region at Snyk
Vandana learnt the importance of competing against herself at a young age. Whilst in college, Vandana dabbled in networking computers and routers and then pursued an MBA. Vandana built her impressive career across global tech giants like Wipro, IBM, and Accenture. But what is most inspiring about Vandana is her selflessness, championing diversity on the global stage, founding InfoSec Kids, and most recently being appointed Chair of OWASP.
Read her compelling story here.
Halilu I. Makintami
Manager of Information Security Governance, Queensland Health
Growing up in northern Nigeria, Halilu always had a spark for exploration and a relentless drive to learn. After pursuing IT in India and a cybersecurity master’s in Australia, he overcame countless hurdles—missing home, breaking into the industry via an unpaid internship, even driving the CEO to secure his first cyber job. Now, at just 31, he’s leading Information Security Governance at Queensland Health. Through it all, Halilu’s guiding principle remains giving back, embodying the mentor he once sought for himself.
Read his uplifting story here.
Jay Hira
Director, Cyber Security – Financial Services, KPMG
Influenced by a tight-knit Gujarati community, Jay discovered mentorship, resilience, and giving back as keys to success. From tinkering with motherboards to directing cyber security and founding MakeCyberSimple, he prioritizes impact over titles. Now a university guest lecturer and Cyber Leadership Institute alum, Jay’s guiding principle is that we’re stronger together—and his journey proves it.
Read his remarkable story here.
Vannessa Van Beek
Cyber Risk Leader, Avanade
Armed with unwavering determination from her early days in regional Western Australia, Vannessa has become a dynamic Cyber Risk Leader, AWSN mentor, speaker, INCITE judge, and Cyber Leadership Institute alum. Guided by her belief in creative collaboration and inclusive leadership, she’s on a mission to foster diverse voices, mentor future talent, and make cybersecurity everyone’s responsibility.
Read her empowering journey here.
OUR DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVERS
Cyber leaders who participate in our flagship executive courses — Cyber Leadership Program (CLP) and Cyber Strategy and Transformation Program (CSTP) — are required to participate in strategy presentation competitions. Why do we gamify cyber strategy design and presentation? Because as countless studies show, the fastest path to mastery is through doing. These competitions reinforce strategy design, leadership, stakeholder engagement, and board communication skills — essentials to succeed in the high-pressure CISO role. The following winners of these highly contested competitions rigorously tied their cyber strategies to business goals, ruthlessly prioritized high-impact initiatives, defined clear road maps, and presented their strategies with clarity, persuasion, and impact.
Cyber Leadership Program (CLP)
Cyber Strategy and Transformation Program (CSTP)
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Join our global community of cyber leaders by becoming a member of the Cyber Leadership Institute. We offer various membership categories to suit your needs, as outlined below:
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Access hundreds of business-ready CISO toolkits and get discounts on Premium Leadership Courses and more!
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Join the Cyber Leadership Institute today and become part of our community of cyber leaders from all over the world.
