CIO World Asia Cybersecurity Forum Singapore 2023: Cybersecurity Beyond Compliance

• The CIO World Asia Cybersecurity Forum was conducted on February 23, 2023, discussing insights on integrating cybersecurity priorities into the process of digital transformation.
• Sophos, ManageEngine, Utimaco, BlackBerry Cybersecurity, and ISACA were among the companies that partnered with CIO World Asia for this cybersecurity event, which featured speakers from reputable organizations like Capitaland, NTU and more.

CIO World Asia hosted the CIO World Asia Cybersecurity Forum Singapore 2023 which aimed to promote a better understanding of how cybersecurity priorities can be integrated into digital transformation. As the importance of cybersecurity in organizations evolves, so do the expectations for CISOs and IT leaders. They are now responsible for leading the entire business towards digital progress by educating each department about the impact of technology, automation, and collaboration.

Emerging technologies, skills gaps in the workforce, cyber threats, and information gaps are constantly challenging the future of cybersecurity. In this scenario, CISOs play a crucial role as principal catalysts and strategists for their organizations. In addition to having a digital orientation, they must now strategically envision the path forward and integrate a cybersecurity-focused mindset and strategy into other sectors of the organization, in order to ensure smooth and efficient operations.

The forum kickstarted with opening remarks by Forum Chairperson Daniel Goh, Director, ATET Pte Ltd. Following that, Keynote Speaker Tham Mei Leng, Ministry Chief Information Security Officer, Government Technology Agency (GovTech), took over to give her presentation which touched on the evolution of cybersecurity in the last decade. An engaging yet up-to-date presentation, her session provided insights to emerging cyber threats and the defensive capabilities of the future. 

Jenny Tan, Head, Group Internal Audit; Vice President, SheLeadsTech Champion, Singapore Chapter, Capitaland; Information Systems Audit and Control Association took over with a presentation on the “Best Practices In Preparing For A Cybersecurity Audit”. She started off the presentation with a poll to find out if the attendees liked being audited and if they like their auditor. It was an interesting find that only 20% of attendees did not like their auditor and 69% did not like being audited. With her presentation, Jenny highlighted how CIOs and CISOs can evaluate an effective cyber risk assessment and look beyond compliance. 

Assoc. Prof Tan Kian Hua, Associate Professor of Cybersecurity at LIGS University & CISO at Lenovo PCCW Solutions spoke on ChatGPT, its benefits as well as its potential threats. However, what many should not overlook is ChatGPT’s ability to teach users how to initiate attacks and run scans.

Christopher Lek, Director of Cybersecurity, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) addressed the cybersecurity talent gap and how this issue catalyses key challenges that companies are facing amidst increasing cyber threats. 

The cybersecurity forum witnessed 2 panel discussions:

The first panel discussion had speakers; Shaofei Huang, Group Chief Information Security Officer, SMRT Corporation; Justin Ong, CISO APAC at Panasonic; Anthony Lim, Director CSCIS, Fellow at SUSS; Romanus Prabhu, Director of Product Support & Security Evangelist at ManageEngine and moderator Marcus Tan Cheng Lin, Head of the Cybersecurity I2R, A*STAR. The panel brought on discussions that clarified how across organisations, cybersecurity is at stake for all parties involved as long as data is shared. Attendees conversed with the panel on challenges and opportunities for different stakeholders in the supply chain to work together. 

The second panel discussion had speakers; Dr Estelle Wang Yi, Senior Manager Security & Privacy of Product Cybersecurity &; Privacy Office (PCSO) at Singapore, Pei Yuen Wong, Group CISO & VP, Group Cyber Resilience, Singtel and moderator Jenny Tan, Head, Group Internal Audit, Capitaland; Vice President, SheLeadsTech Champion, Singapore Chapter, Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA). The panel brought on discussions about gender diversity in the cybersecurity sector which surprisingly, only 22% of the attendees believed that there is an existing lack of diversity. The moderator, Jenny Tan addressed these uncertainties with the panel. 

Other speakers included; Melissa Tiong, Strategic Account Director; Co-founder, NCC Group; APAC Cyber Channel, Hywel Morgan, Manager, System Engineering ASEAN & Korea, Sophos, Ethan Seow, CEO, Centre For Cybersecurity, Manoj Wadhwa, Director – Cyber Risk, Deloitte, John Ang, CTO, EtonHouse Education International Group and Jagathesh Rajavasagam, Risk & Cyber Security Officer, Abbott. 

The attendees took home a lot of takeaways during the multiple networking opportunities throughout the inaugural event. Stay tuned for the next CIO World Asia Forum in 2023.

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