The European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO) has yet again organised on the 28 – 29 November 2023, in Florence, its one-of-a-kind event for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs). This annual happening serves as a platform for high-level discussions among CISOs on the most prominent cybersecurity threats in Europe, paving the way for a European network of CISOs in the name of trusted cooperation. 

In the ever-evolving landscape of today’s digital society, the role of CISOs is experiencing unprecedented growth and importance. Despite their increasing significance, these professionals often find themselves lacking essential connections and support at European level. This deficiency becomes particularly apparent when it comes to the secure exchange of sensitive cybersecurity information among peers within a trusted environment. Moreover, considering the expanding impact of new European legislations on their work, ECSO recognises that the need for a unified platform is more pressing than ever. In response to this gap, ECSO organises its Annual CISO Meetup, which took place on 28-29 November in Florence this year in cooperation with  the Tuscany Region and with ASSOCISO, the new association made up by Italian CISOs. 

“Our mission at ECSO remains: to gather the European CISO community, build trust among peers and create a secure space for exchange of cybersecurity insights. We witness continued growth in the CISO engagement within our ECSO CISO Community: this highlights the significance of our Annual Meetup. At this event, CISOs gather from all across Europe to share invaluable lessons, best practices, and operational experience, paving the way for critical new connections and strengthening ties with public administrations as well. This event stands as a pillar, providing a vital platform for that collaboration which is instrumental in navigating the evolving landscape of cybersecurity in Europe.“

Luigi Rebuffi, Secretary General at ECSO.

The chairs of ECSO’s Working Group on Cyber Threat management, where ECSO’s CISO Community is included, hold strategic significance not only for the community itself but also for the overall success of the annual event. Several of these key figures were in attendance, and we would like to share some of their key insights from the event. 

“The Annual ECSO CISO Meetup 2023 was an excellent opportunity for European CISOs to come together, share their knowledge and experiences, and learn from each other. The event provided a valuable platform for networking and collaboration. I am glad I could have joined and had the opportunity to share about my experience with my Europeans peers.“

Paul Bayle, Head of Security and Group CSO at Atos. 

“Cybesecurity is team play to bolster our collective defences in Europe. It is great to see the European Cybersecurity Organisation to get organised more and more and grow in number of participants and sponsors. With my peers across Europe, I could sense that we shared same values and stayed united on common themes of cybersecurity regulations, threat intelligence and information sharing, supply chain security and many others. Of course looking forward to our next CISO meetup!“ S

Mansur Abilkasimov, Vice President in charge of Cybersecurity and Product Security Strategy at Schneider Electric.

“My short takeaway is related to the “horizontal approach” that the CISO has to improve to manage the new threats, generally speaking has to “learn” and deep dive the new technologies such as AI and cloud, being more involved from the beginning in the transformation projects of his company.”

Giorgio Cusmà Lorenzo, Executive Director for Digital Transformation Governance & Controls at Intesa Sanpaolo.

ECSO was pleased to have the industry actively contribute to the conference through sponsorships, reinforcing the commitment to fortify the European CISO Community and our mission. The realisation of the event was made possible once again, thanks to the valuable support of sponsors, including Accenture, aizoOn, BforeAi, CanaryBit, CDeX Cloud, Citalid, cosmian, Cyber Guru, EY, Deloitte, EGERIE, Hoxhunt, ISC2, KnowBe4, Kovrr, planckSecurity, PwC, Red Sift, redShift, Reply, secunet Security Networks, SoSafe, Tinexta Cyber, and YesWeHack. ECSO expresses gratitude to its partners for contributing their unique expertise and insight, while they were also able to exhibit and present their products and services. Below, you can find insights from some of our sponsors regarding this year’s event. 

“Red Sift was delighted with the engagement and relationships that we were able to have as a result of our Platinum Sponsorship of the Annual ECSO CISO Summit  2023 in Florence. It is an excellent opportunity to network with leading CISO’s from around Europe and a priority for us as part of the European Cyber Community with a great balance of formal and informal networking time.”

David Bennet, Chief Revenue Officer at Red Sift.

“I extend my sincere appreciation for our participation in the annual ECSO CISO Meetup 2023 in Florence. I was positively impressed by the event with the in-depth sessions we attended, the engaging discussions we had, and the chance to network with industry leaders and CISOs. We had the opportunity to appreciate the high-level content presented and to meet top-level professionals from the world of cybersecurity. In this context we have found the conditions for the professional growth of the entire cybersecurity community. I think that this exchange and discussion on cybersecurity issues is the most effective strategy to respond to the current scenario where cyber risks and threats are rapidly evolving and expanding. We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the ECSO CISO community and look forward to future collaborations.”

Marco di Luzio, Chief Marketing Officer at Tinexta Cyber.

“We strongly believe that these complicated times require the most effective collaboration amongst every actor in cybersecurity. The Annual ECSO CISO Meetup 2023 gave us precisely this opportunity, bringing together providers and prominent CISOs with the shared mission of advancing security at every level.”

Giorgio Luparia, Chief Commercial Officer at planck Security.

“An event that fosters a sense of community between CISOs and security vendors is a rare and highly valuable thing for all. The ECSO’ CISO Annual Meetup let us build meaningful relationships as we connected with CISOs in a way that helped us truly get to know each other’s needs and capabilities. We felt free to exchange ideas, war stories, and advice on topics ranging from security awareness training to being a woman in cyber. It felt like a community and that’s so special because this industry changes so fast that we need to be able to work together and build trust to stay ahead.”

Arto Voipio, Finance and Operations at Hoxhunt & Noora Ahmed-Moshe, Senior Product Manager at Hoxhunt.

“EGERIE was delighted to sponsor this flagship event by ECSO which convenes CISO operating across Europe and a wide range of industries. We particularly enjoyed the qualitative content of the conference and the valuable connections that stemmed from it. More than ever, we believe it is crucial to share experiences and best practices to develop a real cybersecurity strategy and build an effective chain of protection. At EGERIE we are convinced that risk management is a powerful lever that helps create and preserve the value and assets of an organisation. This approach is very much based on collaboration, which is essential to build, together, a European secure and sustainable digital future.”

Marie Audren, Director of Public Affairs at EGERIE. 

“The second ECSO CISO Meetup confirmed the great value of the first iteration, great lineup of CISOs, fantastic organisation, excellent topics on the agenda. But it also improved on a number of fronts : more opportunities for exchanges between sponsoring partners and CISOs, nearly double participants, and presence of institutions like Italian ACN. This event is already unmissable, we count on sponsoring again in 2024.”

Luigi Lenguito, Founder & CEO of BeforeAI.

“The Annual ECSO CISO Meetup 2023 gave us a unique opportunity to meet and discuss with CISOs from leading European businesses. For CanaryBit, it was an honour to support the 2023 CISO meetup and present our secure data governance solutions to key decision makers in enterprise security. Special thanks to the organiser team for the excellent event planning. Looking forward to next year’s event!”

Nicolae Paladi, CEO at CanaryBit AB

“It was truly a pleasure to sponsor the ECSO’s Annual CISO Meetup. The organising team exhibited exceptional communication and support throughout the entire process. Their dedication and efficiency made our sponsorship experience seamless. The event itself was expertly orchestrated, offering a fantastic platform for networking and meaningful connections. We are grateful to have been a part of such a well-executed and impactful occasion.”

Naomi Ronen, Head of Marketing at Kovrr

ECSO is delighted to have once again orchestrated a successful gathering, bringing together CISOs from across Europe and partners dedicated to supporting ECSO’s mission of strengthening the European CISO Community. Proudly, ECSO annually provides a thoughtfully curated and relaxed environment for CISOs to engage in meaningful networking opportunities and share insights through case-study presentations and panel discussions on Europe’s most critical topics in cybersecurity. 

As ECSO reflects on the success of this event, plans for the 2024 CISO meetup are already ongoing, with Vienna, Austria, emerging as the likely venue. Similar to previous years, sponsorship opportunities for this event will be limited, and enterprises are encouraged to express their interest early by contacting Sebastijan Cutura at Sebastijan.cutura@ecs-org.eu. 

Anticipation is high, and we look forward to the upcoming year! 

ECSO extends a special thank you to our 2023 sponsors for having made the event possible.