Experience as a CISO in an Insurance Firm - Part 1



In Oct 2017 I was appointed as Vice President - Information Security and CISO for Max Life Insurance. As I near completion of two years of being a CISO, I intend to document my observations and key learning from my experience in handling this role.

As a CISO, there were four key areas where my responsibilities lie


  1. Information Security 
  2. Business Continuity 
  3. Data Protection 
  4. Governance , Audits and Compliance 
As I spent time in the organisation I also felt that a CISO or any senior role also has certain areas which he is responsible for in this role. These are 
  • Security Awareness 
  • Stakeholder Management 
  • Team Management
  • Security Evangelist
  • Budget Management 
Some key skills which are needed in a CISO role are 
  • Good collaboration and influencing skills 
  • Effective time management 
  • Prioritization 
  • Good written and presentation skills 
  • Excellent articulation and communication skills 
In the subsequent blogs I will further describe my journey a CISO, what I succeeded and what I could have done better. 

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