Exploring the Ideas that Keep Executives Up at Night

Many harrowing stories start with a phone call when you’re least expecting it. And it’s exactly how Loren Cisyk, a speaker at the inaugural Asper After Five event, started his story of a 2018 cyberattack.

“I remember the call from a president of one of our businesses at 4 am in the morning. Of course, you always get it at 4 am,” said Cisyk.

And true to form, it’s how he started his second cyberattack story from 2021.

“Saturday afternoon I get a call from another organization that something’s going on, and sure enough, there was another ransomware attack,” said Cisyk.

Summing everything up, he said, “that changes your life.”

Cisyk, an experienced tech advisor who is now in a consultant role, took the stage with Tim Wostradowski, Principal Security Officer at Fortinet, at the very first Asper After Five event, Trust, Resilience, and Cybersecurity Leadership.

“You’re getting exposed to some thought leadership, but it’s in a relaxed environment, and even though it’s relaxed, it’s a high-quality event,” said Kathy Knight, Director of the Burns Centre.

The speaking event and networking session, a collaboration between the James W. Burns Education Centre and sponsor Fortinet, was a small-scale gathering held at the Burns Centre on August 21, from 5:30-7 (hence After Five).

About 20 attendees enjoyed complimentary drinks and catering by Rae & Jerries before the 45-minute Q & A. Knight curated the intimate vibe to emphasize quality interactions between guests.

Knight, who in the past has said she wants to the Burns centre to “understand and identify the issues that are keeping executives up at night,” is leaning into that mantra by bringing in speakers with modern and refreshing information on the challenges businesses are facing right now.

Outside the James W. Burns Executive Education Centre at 177 Lombard Ave.

When Wostradowski spoke, he observed that when he began at Fortinet in 2019, the company would see (and stop) millions of cyberthreats a day. In 6 years, that number has risen closer to trillions a day—which we can thank the rise of AI for.

Because of AI, “you don’t need to be talented anymore. You don’t need to be fluent in the language you’re attacking in. You don’t need to be confident in attack patterns or knowing networks,” he said.

Knight noted that the next Asper After Five event will certainly be on AI. She emphasizes that despite the technology-related themes, the focus will always stay on integrating the issues into leadership and business.

“Executives aren’t the ones under the hood connecting all the wires,” said Knight. “They just need to understand the vocabulary well enough to be able to ask the right questions to get the information they need to make decisions.”

Are you an executive or lifelong learner? If you’re interested in these topics, you should look out for future Asper After Five events, or consider taking the Burns Institute’s 3-day Cybersecurity for Non-Technical Leaders course, starting October 8.

—

Attending an event at the James W. Burns Executive Education Centre is a great way to stay in touch with your alma mater. Learn more about their innovative programming, find courses that fit your leadership needs, and see if custom programming is right for your organization.

Brett Maclaren