CIO & CISO Think Tank

Devin Rudnicki is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Fitch Group, and oversees information security for all of Fitch Group's business units. Prior to assuming this position, Devin was the Head of Application Security at Fitch Group. She joined Fitch in 2021 to build the Application Security program and team. Prior to joining Fitch, Devin was at Options Clearing Corporation, where she had multiple roles in Application Security and Security Governance.

Dynamic and results-driven IT and Cybersecurity professional with a proven track record in risk management, compliance assurance, third-party security, and governance. Adept at building high-performing teams and implementing innovative technology compliance programs. Experienced in leading audits for global organizations, ensuring adherence to industry standards and regulations such as PCI DSS, SOC1, SOC2, ISO 27001, ITSOX, and GDPR. Skilled in developing information security policies, risk management, third-party security, and driving positive change. Holds certifications including CISA, CDPSE, and PCI Internal Self Assessor. Currently serving as Head of Technology & Cybersecurity Risk and Compliance Assurance at DoorDash, driving impactful decision-making and building scalable programs.

Vijay Jakka is a transformative thought leader and advisory consultant specializing in data, digital, AI, and analytics for global enterprises. Currently leading Global Data Governance at MetLife, Vijay excels at aligning business strategy with a value-driven data vision, effectively evolving organizations from being business-informed to truly data-driven. With deep expertise in Enterprise Architecture and Digital Transformation, he bridges the gap between offensive data enablement and defensive risk management. His technical proficiency spans the entire data lifecycle—from architecting sophisticated data lakes and warehouses to implementing ethical AI governance and active metadata intelligence. Vijay is a strategic partner to executive leadership, known for identifying growth opportunities, reducing technology debt, and optimizing business efficiency through automation. Whether navigating complex regulatory compliance or securing connected IoT ecosystems, he consistently delivers seamless, customer-centric digital solutions and holistic organizational optimization.

Gokula Mishra is a preeminent authority in Data Science and AI/ML, currently serving as a Strategic Advisor and Founding Editor of CDO Magazine. With high-impact leadership roles at global giants like McDonald’s and Oracle, Gokula specializes in the intersection of AI innovation and enterprise resilience. His expertise is anchored by a Top Secret Security Clearance, making him a trusted leader in high-stakes environments across Healthcare, Finance, and Defense. A master of Enterprise Information Management and Data Governance, he has pioneered secure, business-driven frameworks for massive global datasets. Beyond his corporate tenure as a former VP of Data Science and CDAO, Gokula serves as a Board Member and Director of Youth & Technology for Beautiful Minds Youth Mentoring (USA & India). He remains dedicated to the ethical deployment of GenAI, ensuring global enterprise excellence is built on a foundation of integrity, strategic foresight, and community impact.

Grant Ecker is a senior technology executive leading Enterprise Architecture and Integration at Ecolab, managing a global team of architects and integration leaders. With 20+ years of experience, he drives transformation and innovation across billion-dollar IT portfolios, building proactive architecture communities and aligning technology strategy with business value. Grant is also the Founder and Chairman of the Chief Architect Network, the largest vendor-neutral community for Chief Architect executives, connecting 600+ members across 400+ Fortune 500 companies. Through this network, he leads global virtual and in-person events, sponsors specialized topic groups, promotes diversity in architecture, and shares thought leadership via publications and conferences, further advancing the profession and enabling architects worldwide to drive impactful business outcomes.

Sugato Bose is the Senior Director and Chief Enterprise Architect at Medline Industries, where he leads technology strategy and modernization across a global, highly regulated landscape. With over 25 years of experience across Life Sciences, Supply Chain, and CPG, Sugato is an expert at balancing high-stakes transformation with operational resilience. He currently oversees a multi-billion dollar platform scope, including SAP S/4HANA, Manhattan-class WMS, and Azure-based cloud data platforms. Accountable for the architectural risk posture of Tier 1–5 platforms, Sugato has delivered up to $90M in value through standards-driven portfolio rationalization. He is a pioneer in embedding practical AI and agentic workflows into enterprise execution, ensuring that innovation translates into measurable business outcomes. A leader of globally distributed teams, Sugato’s core philosophy is that architecture must create clarity, turning complex strategies into scalable, high-performance platforms.

Erik Hart oversees global information security for Cushman & Wakefield, one of the world’s largest commercial real estate services firms. A recognized thought leader with more than 20 years of experience in providing information security services to various industries and organizations, he also serves in an advisory role for numerous companies and organizations in the information security field, including Mimecast, CrowdStrike, InfraGard Chicago Members Alliance and Western Illinois University. Before joining Cushman & Wakefield in 2018, he served as CISO and Director of IT Risk Management for Zebra Technologies, a provider of mobile, logistics and point-of-sale technology and systems to retail, health care, transportation, manufacturing and other industries. Erik earned his Bachelors from Western Illinois University and Masters from Western Governors University.

Yaël Gomez is a fractional CIO/CTO and former Vice President, Global IT, Integration & Intelligent Automation at Walgreens Boots Alliance. As an accomplished technology executive, technologist, and strategic business partner across large-scale enterprise organizations, Yaël has proven expertise in successfully developing technology delivery centers, delivering complex technology strategies and transformations generating business growth. He is skilled at driving global strategies whilst meeting business specific local requirements, with the goal of enabling business innovation, agility and performance with the right technologies. Yael finds his energy at the intersection of people, business and technology, and taps into 25 years of experience in small and large organizations such as Walgreens, in aligning business and technology, and in bringing clarity to complex problems to drive growth, operational excellence and product/service leadership for the businesses he serves.

Innovative executive that has experience making sound business decisions and can think rationally in difficult situations. Visualizes the big picture and provides proper context and perspective tailored for the target audience. Clearly articulates the mission, standards, and priorities to achieve strategic and tactical objectives.

Nitin has 25+ years of experience in performing IT, Security and Risk leadership roles for various organizations and serves as a global advisor tasked with prioritizing and evaluating trade-offs and conflicts among various security initiatives within the realm of ThoughtWorks businesses. Proven leadership with key skills like security governance, compliance, budgeting, hiring, risk management, project management, mentoring, negotiation, and problem-solving skills demonstrated throughout his career. Expert in translating between technical and business contexts; people, processes, technical aspects of technology, and in assisting organizations delivering effective, secure, and business-enabling solutions. Stakeholders/CxO advisory experience in IT/ITes organizations. Customer-focused and strategic mentality. Problem-solving and process-oriented. Nitin holds a Bachelor's degree (B.S) in Electronics engineering and Masters (PGDIT) in Information technology. He also holds the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) industry certifications and Board Qualified Technology Executive (QTE).

Mr. Richard Rushing is the Chief Information Security Officer for Motorola Mobility LLC.; Richard participates in several corporate, community, private, and government Security Council’s and working groups setting standards, policies, and solutions to current and emerging security issues. As Chief Information Security Officer for Motorola Mobility, he has led the security effort by developing an international team to tackle the emerging threats of mobile devices, targeted attacks, and cyber-crime. He organized developed and deployed practices, tools and techniques to protect the intellectual property across the worldwide enterprise. A much-in-demand international speaker on information security Richard has presented at many leading security conferences and seminars around the world.

Girish is a B2B GTM and Marketing Leader with a proven track record driving revenue growth across startups and global enterprises, achieving milestones from $0 to $2B+. Girsh brings deep domain experience in Data, Security, SaaS, Observability, DevOps, ML/AI, Analytics. Girish’s career highlights include venture and growth fundraising, IPOs, M&A, and PE consolidation, alongside building and scaling high-performing teams across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia. Girish has held executive and senior leadership roles at several startups and global brands such as Splunk, Sumo Logic, Cisco, MobileIron, NetScout.

Tim is a visionary leader and an expert in IT and cyber security, with decades of experience in various industries. He joined Tanium after retiring from Wells Fargo, where he was an SVP and led several teams in cyber operations, engineering, and research. He holds 24 US patents and has written many articles on cyber security topics. He is also a trusted source of insights and opinions for major publications and web shows, where he shares his knowledge and passion for the field. Tim started his IT career as a developer and sysadmin in manufacturing, then moved to banking, where was a software packaging, scripting, active directory administration, and M&A projects. He has been dedicated to cybersecurity since 2009, specializing in areas such as detection and response, systems and patch management, vulnerability assessment, web-content filtering, malware analysis, red-teaming, and digital forensics.

Dean Coclin is the Senior Director – Digital Trust Specialists at DigiCert. Dean brings more than 35 years of business development and product management experience in software, security, and telecommunications to the company. In his role at DigiCert, he is responsible for representing the company in industry consortia and driving the company's strategic alliances with technology partners. Coclin is the former chair of the CA/Browser Forum. He also chairs the ASC X9 PKI Study Group, developing next-generation PKI standards for the finance industry as well as the CA/B Forum Code Signing Working Group.

Shashwat Sehgal is the Co-Founder and CEO of P0 Security. He’s spent most of his career building security and observability products for developers, DevOps, and security teams. Shashwat is passionate about solving the problem of cloud access security and helping security engineers control 'who has access to what sensitive resources' in any environment. He enjoys playing tennis, spending time with his family, teaching his son how to play chess and geeking out on all things security.

George Wang is a multi-faceted Chief Marketing Officer at Peterson Technology Partners, recognized as a "Super Connector" in the Chicago tech ecosystem. A 2020 Chicago CIO of the Year nominee, George brings over 30 years of rare, balanced experience across CIO, COO, and CMO roles. From launching Motorola’s first digital cellular handset to architecting the State of Illinois’ 45-year technical modernization, his career is defined by "industry firsts." George has successfully led teams of up to 175, fostering a culture of trust and accountability across seven different verticals, including Healthcare, Finance, and Government. An expert in Agile DevOps, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity risk quantification, he leverages his deep technical roots and Lean Six Sigma expertise to help leaders execute with elite talent. A dedicated mentor and "pay-it-forward" advocate, George excels at bridging the gap between business innovation and technical excellence.

Ciaran leads Partnerships for Luminance in the US. Introduced to Luminance working with our private practice clients, Ciaran made the jump to the tech side and was part of Luminance's product team for the last 3 years. Ciaran has worked with a wide variety of industry deployments globally, spanning multiple sectors including Law, Finance, Chemicals, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Construction, and more.

Russ Felker is the Chief Technology Officer at MegaCorp Logistics, bringing over 30 years of experience as a CTO, founder, and strategic technology advisor. A versatile leader with a career spanning municipal government, healthcare, and the beauty industry, Russ specializes in leveraging technology to solve complex business problems. His core mission centers on utilizing innovative digital solutions to simultaneously enhance the customer experience and drive significant operational cost savings. Based in the Greater Chicago area, Russ is a passionate advocate for technology-led change and organizational evolution. Throughout his three-decade tenure, he has built a reputation for creating resilient technology frameworks that align with long-term business goals. Whether navigating the high-stakes logistics sector or advising startups, Russ remains dedicated to the transformative power of technology as a tool for both efficiency and human-centric service.

Shirley Mui-Lyles is the Principal Consultant at Optimus Risk Management, bringing over 30 years of elite experience in risk management, cybersecurity, and operational transformation. A University of Chicago Booth alumna, Shirley specializes in reengineering processes for highly regulated industries, including healthcare, banking, and insurance. Her career is defined by high-stakes turnarounds, including the successful lifting of a Cease & Desist Order and revamping sales processes that elevated revenue by $20 Billion. An expert in GRC frameworks recognized by OCEG, Shirley excels at building front-line control programs from scratch and presenting strategic insights to Boards of Directors. She is a dedicated mentor known for fostering information-sharing cultures and high-performing teams. By blending technical sales strategies with rigorous financial modeling, Shirley consistently bridges the gap between complex information system controls and bottom-line business growth.