The engagement will kick off with an initial, two-hour discussion between the candidate and the full panel of five CSO/CISO’s. The candidate will provide a CV in advance of the discussion and then present their CV, professional history, and qualifications to the panel.  Panel members will be free to ask questions about the candidate and will offer suggestions about how they may better present their qualifications in written and verbal form.  The idea here is to have an interactive discussion that allows the panel members to gain insight into the candidate’s background, strengths, and challenges.

Following the panel discussion, panel members will provide internal recommendations about the course of development for the candidate.  These will be held internally until one-on-one sessions are completed.

One-on-one sessions with each panel member will be scheduled.  These are opportunities for candidates to spend two hours with each panel member individually.  Keeping in mind that the panel members will be very senior leaders, it is a chance for a candidate to really gain an understanding of how senior CISO’s think about risk, how they map security risk to business needs, how they create internal channels that facilitate their mission, how they prepare for and communicate with a board of directors, etc.  This is essentially a ten-hour (2 hours per panel member) executive development discussion with some of the most senior leaders in the industry.

After the one-on-one sessions have been completed, the panel will agree on specific recommendations for the advancement and development of the candidate.  A detailed description of the rationale for recommendations will be built by the panel and provided confidentially to the candidate.  As an example, a technically well qualified candidate with board level communication challenges may be encouraged to consider a specific course of action aimed at developing executive presence.  A more visionary CISO may be encouraged to add technical skills or even financial management skills.  Finally, a suggested revision to the candidate’s CV will be provided if warranted.

The core idea of the program is to help create the next generation of senior cyber leadership.  Once through the process, the candidate will be well known to the panel and to the SAA and will be well connected with the panelists to support further informal relationships that support career advancement and mobility.

The fee for the complete session is $5,000.  Travel will be at the discretion of the candidate and costs will be borne by the candidate or their company.  In-person meetings for the one-on-one sessions are highly recommended.

Fees will be provided to the SAA to support its mission to encourage young people and career transitioning adults to understand and embrace careers in cybersecurity.  As a result, all fees will be deductible as a donation to a non-profit organization. 

No fees will be collected by panelists.  They are donating their time to the SAA in support of this endeavor.