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Advice for CISOs
Seiersen has kept his advice grounded.“ Security is about promises,” he said.“ It’ s about making sure that even under attack, the business can keep its word to customers, employees and stakeholders. That’ s what resilience means.”
When asked for advice to CISOs today, he didn’ t hesitate.“ Focus first on what your business stands to lose. Don’ t waste your time trying to cover every threat. Losses will happen. Your job is to make sure they don’ t break you.”
This advice matters because it reframes the role of the CISO: not as an enforcer of endless controls, but as a strategist whose job is to preserve Business Continuity under stress.
Learning as the constant
Looking back, he said the thread that ran through his career was learning, often through trial and error.“ The reason I can stand in front of people is
because I’ ve already done the wrong things,” he said.“ I’ m not here because I’ m smarter; I’ ve just walked into the walls before. My job is to point them out before you get the bruises.”
For him, security was not about perfection.“ Resilience is not just technical,” he said.“ It’ s the ability to take a punch, stand up and still deliver. That’ s the job.”
The empty Hilton Towers conference room captured that message in its own way: the discussion was over, but the importance of it would carry into boardrooms and budgets. For Seiersen, that was the point. Workshops were not the end, but the beginning – a way of ensuring the lessons outlasted the tables, placards and pens left behind.
As he put it:“ Focus first on what the business stands to lose. You’ ve been hired not to make the organisation invulnerable – that’ s impossible – but to make it resilient. Even if you’ ve got multiple attackers at once, your job is to help the business fulfil its obligations.”
Focus first on what your business stands to lose. Don’ t waste your time trying to cover every threat. Losses will happen. Your job is to make sure they don’ t break you.
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