Speaker Submission Guidelines

Submission Deadline – Friday 8th November 2024- 11:59pm

Please read the following guidelines carefully before submitting your proposal.

This summit is designed for leaders and professionals in information and cyber security, providing a platform to share strategies, technologies, and experiences on how to safeguard organisations in today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape. The summit will explore how security leaders enable business resilience and protect critical infrastructure while navigating increasing risks and regulatory pressures.

The program will focus on high-level strategy and leadership challenges for cyber security executives, enabling attendees to align their security practices with broader business goals and respond to emerging threats and regulations.

Speaker Benefits Include:

• Elevate your profile within the information and cyber security community.
• Attend the conference without charge (19 March 2025, London).
• Receive registration discounts for your colleagues.
• Network with peers, building valuable professional connections.
• Share your insights and experiences with a qualified and engaged audience.
• Establish yourself as a thought leader, gaining recognition from industry experts.
• Create new business opportunities for yourself and your organisation.

What We’re Looking For:

We are seeking presentations from cyber security practitioners and leaders who can share real-world experiences and solutions for securing organisations. We are particularly interested in stories that highlight how cyber security professionals have addressed challenges, implemented best practices, or developed innovative solutions that others can learn from.

We encourage presentations that offer practical advice, case studies, and actionable insights rather than theoretical approaches. Topics that address current and emerging cyber threats, regulatory compliance, risk management, and the human aspects of security are highly valued.

If you represent a software company, service provider, or consultancy, we request that you include a client speaker to share their experience alongside your presentation. While we appreciate industry expertise, attendees want to hear directly from those on the frontlines of organisational security.

Delegates are especially interested in:

• Success stories detailing how security challenges were overcome.
• Lessons learned from real-world implementations.
• Fresh insights on emerging trends and future developments in cyber security.
• Practical takeaways that attendees can apply in their own organisations.

Submission Requirements:

Please submit a description of the talk you would like to present. We need:

• A title that reflects the content of your presentation.
• A description (150 words max) outlining the key points of your talk.
• 3-5 bullet points summarising the key takeaways for the audience.
• Information about yourself, your role, and the organisation you represent.
• Details of your previous speaking experience, if any (experience is not mandatory, but please let us know either way).

Themes and Topics:

This year’s summit will focus on Leadership & Strategy in cybersecurity. We welcome presentations that reflect high-level thinking on how to drive security at the leadership level, align security with business goals, and manage risks in the evolving threat landscape.

Key Themes and Topics Include:

1. Leadership in Cybersecurity:

• Building a Security-First Culture: How leaders can instil a culture of security across the organisation.
• The Role of the CISO: Evolving from technical management to strategic leadership and business integration.
• Communicating Cybersecurity at the Board Level: How to engage the board with the right metrics and language.
• Talent Management: Attracting, developing, and retaining top cybersecurity talent in a competitive market.
• Building Resilient Cybersecurity Teams: Organisational strategies for leadership and team development.
• Crisis Management and Incident Response: Leading through cybersecurity crises and coordinating response across teams.
• Cybersecurity Leadership in a Remote/Hybrid Workforce: Strategic approaches to security for distributed teams.

2. Strategic Cybersecurity Management:

• Cyber Risk as a Business Risk: Aligning cybersecurity risk management with broader enterprise risk strategies.
• Zero-Trust Architecture at the Strategic Level: How and why leaders should implement and sustain zero-trust models.
• Managing Supply Chain and Third-Party Risk: Best practices for assessing and managing third-party vulnerabilities.
• Navigating Cybersecurity Regulations: Strategic approaches to meeting global regulatory and compliance obligations (GDPR, CCPA, etc.).
• Cybersecurity Budgeting and Investment Priorities: Effective strategies for securing the right level of investment in cybersecurity.
• From Reactive to Proactive Security: Developing proactive threat hunting and incident prevention strategies.

3. Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC):

• GRC for Security Leaders: Building robust governance, risk management, and compliance programs that align with business objectives.
• Balancing Innovation and Security: How to lead digital transformation initiatives without compromising security.
• Regulatory Compliance: Leadership strategies for staying ahead of changing data privacy and cybersecurity laws.
• Boardroom-Level Risk Assessment: Tools and frameworks for presenting risk scenarios to senior leadership and board members.
• Data Protection as a Strategic Imperative: Moving beyond compliance to a leadership approach in data protection and privacy.

4. Cybersecurity Resilience and Business Continuity:

• Building Cyber Resilience: How security leaders can prepare their organisations for the unknown and recover from cyber incidents.
• Strategic Incident Response: Creating and executing crisis management plans that align with business continuity.
• Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure: Strategic approaches to protecting essential systems and services.
• Ransomware Response Strategies: Leadership lessons for navigating and mitigating ransomware attacks.
• Cyber Insurance as Part of a Resilience Strategy: What executives need to know about the role of cyber insurance in managing risk.

5. Emerging Cybersecurity Trends and Technologies:

• The Impact of AI and Automation on Cybersecurity Strategy: How leaders can leverage AI for threat detection and response.
• The Future of Cybersecurity Leadership: Preparing for the next wave of cyber threats and the evolution of leadership roles.
• Quantum Computing and Its Implications for Security Leaders: Strategic considerations for future-proofing against quantum threats.
• Strategic Application of Blockchain: Leadership use cases for blockchain in enhancing cybersecurity.
• Securing the Internet of Things (IoT) at Scale: High-level strategies for protecting connected devices and industrial control systems (ICS).
• 5G and Edge Computing: The cybersecurity challenges and strategic opportunities for securing next-gen infrastructure.

Speaker Guidelines:

Proposals should be focused, adhere to the conference guidelines, and offer something engaging and useful to the audience. Submissions are due by [Friday 8th November 2024 – 11:59pm].

We are looking for:

• 45-minute conference sessions.
• Keynotes (45 minutes – 1 hour).
• Ideas for roundtables, panels, or networking sessions.

Please submit your abstract via our website using the submission form. You may submit more than one abstract.

Abstract Requirements: Your abstract should be no longer than 150 words and must include:

• A clear description of your talk.
• 3-5 bullet points outlining what delegates will learn from your session.
• Written in third person for inclusion in the website and conference brochure.

Tips for Submission:

DO:

• Be specific and clear about the benefits your presentation will offer.
• Share real-world achievements, including case studies or lessons learned.
• Provide tangible takeaways to help the audience address their own security challenges.
• Make your topic relevant to the overall conference theme of cyber security leadership and innovation.

AVOID:

• Sales or product pitches.
• Exceeding the word count limit.
• Trying to cover too much material in the time available.
• Using vague jargon or unsubstantiated theories.

If you’re unsure whether your idea is suitable or have any questions, please contact Andrew Morris at andrew@irmuk.co.uk before making your submission.