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Cyber Leadership in a New World

The Royal Lancaster Hotel, London
June 4th - 5th 2025

The Summit

The Compass Summit has become one of the key destinations in the global calendar for cyber leaders from the world’s leading companies to convene alongside business leaders, policymakers and the investment community.

In 2025, we will build upon the macro-landscape discussions from 2024, shifting focus towards the changing business environment and delving deeper into the evolving landscape of the cyber leader. The theme for 2025 will be “Cyber Leadership in a New World."

The summit will commence in central London with sessions on Wednesday, June 4th, and Thursday, June 5th.

Istari COMPASS 2024 hr 220 v2

Our theme for our next gathering will build upon the macro-landscape discussions from 2024. We will delve even further into the changing global business landscape and leading the enterprise through disruption following the reset that followed political events last year.

The global landscape is dominated by the growing conflict between major powers, with many economies still impacted by high interest rates and lagging inflationary pressures.

 

 

When
Description

Welcome Networking Reception at the Grazing Goat

Welcome Reception

Join your peers for an informal networking drinks reception at the Grazing Goat, Marylebone, to kick-off the Compass Summit 2025.

Day One: Cyber in the Macro

Welcome Address - Rashmy Chatterjee, ISTARI

Opening Keynote: The World Ahead - Tom Standage, Deputy Editor of The Economist

Now joining us for a third year, Tom Standage will open the COMPASS Summit 2025 and set the stage for the discussions ahead. As Editor of The Economist's famous “The World Ahead” publication, Tom will reflect on the interlocking challenges facing cyber leaders after a year of pivotal elections, from the uncertain outlook for geopolitics and supply chains to the bewildering pace of technological change—a must-see Keynote from one of the world's leading publications.

Fireside: The Decade Ahead - Tom Standage, Deputy Editor of The Economist, Chia Song Hwee, Deputy CEO, Temasek & Tom Glocer, Chairman ISTARI

After the opening session, Tom Standage will be joined by two eminent cyber and business leaders to discuss what key trends will impact the next decade and how they will shape the cybersecurity landscape.

Keynote: We Are All Prisoners of Geography - Tim Marshall, Author and Broadcaster

"All great nations spend peacetime preparing for the day war breaks out.” Tim Marshall is one of the World's leading foreign experts, and his international best-seller 'Prisoners of Geography' shaped a generation on the notion of geopolitics. How geographical features of nations—mountains, deserts, rivers, and coastlines—have molded their economic and political destinies throughout history and how the race to establish new frontiers in cyber and space impacts international relations.

Break

Panel Discussion: Smashing the Map: Has Cyberspace Removed the '"Geo" from Geopolitics?- Lucas Kello, University of Oxford & Guest Speakers

In today’s geopolitics, rivalrous states no longer need to cross physical borders to project power and influence. Cyberspace enables actors to strike across continents and deep within foreign societies, bypassing the traditional constraints of terrain and distance. This panel examines how digital tools are reshaping the logic of interstate conflict – and what this shift means for national security, sovereignty, and the evolving relationship between governments and industry.

Lunch

BlueVoyant: AI Cybersecurity Use Cases: The BlueVoyant Experience with AI-Aided Attacks and Defense Capabilities - Jim Rosenthal, CEO, BlueVoyant

Panel Discussion: Building Resilience in an Era of Unpeace - Akvile Giniotiene, UN & Guest Speakers

In the world of great power competition cyber has found itself at the forefront. Business and cyber leaders now have to navigate a multi-polar ecosystem where international cooperation and government partnerships are increasingly essential. This special session welcomes thought leaders as well as important figures with national agency leadership experience from the US, UK and Singapore to outline how nations are helping to shape and set the agenda for a cyber-resilient future.

Sygnia: Breaching Beyond Borders: How China, Russia & North Korea Are Reshaping Cyber Threats - Adam Finkelstein, Senior Vice President, Global Client Leadership, Sygnia

As global responders who work on the frontlines of complex cyber incidents every day, Sygnia obtains firsthand observations of ruthless attacker trends and behaviors, along with their evolving TTPs that put our skills to the test as security leaders and practitioners. To keep the defender community informed on the latest trends we’re seeing, Sygnia compiles its top threat intelligence every year that proves the need for strategic response in our Annual Threat Report.

The cyber landscape continues to endure an abundance of geopolitical-driven incidents deriving from both nation-state and state sanctioned threat actors, who are seeping into the environments of enterprises across various industries and sizes. This calls for defenders to understand how these attackers are intensifying their motives, shifting their patterns, and evolving their sophisticated tactics—because the stakes are getting higher.

Of these nation states, three remain supreme in persistence and effectiveness: China, Russia, and North Korea. This session presents a deep-dive into these nation states actors and the evolving threat landscape.

Break

Keynote: Uber - Why Does it Matter? - Dr. Simon Learmount, Cambridge Judge Business School

The indictment, conviction and court case involving Joe Sullivan is not only the single most high profile case in the global cyber security community - it is the most important. Dr. Simon Learmount, Associate Professor in Corporate Governance at Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, sets the scene for why this continues to be such a milestone case from a corporate governance perspective.

Interview: The Inside Story of Uber with Joe Sullivan, former CSO, Uber & Dr. Simon Learmount, University of Cambridge

Panel Discussion: The Future of Securing an AI-First Organisation - Abel Archundia, ISTARI & Guest Speakers

As artificial intelligence becomes the central nervous system of modern enterprises—powering decision-making, customer interactions, automation, and innovation—traditional cybersecurity models are being pushed to their limits. AI-first organisations must now protect not only data and infrastructure, but also algorithms, models, and autonomous processes that increasingly shape outcomes at scale. This panel brings together cyber and AI thought leaders to explore the next generation of cybersecurity strategies required for AI-native businesses.

Day One: Dinner Gathering at Kensington Palace

Gala Dinner

We are delighted to once again return to Kensington Palace for our very special Gala Dinner. This year we will be celebrating in The Orangery, built in 1705 by Queen Anne to host summer parties at the palace and newly renovated in 2024, it offers the prefect backdrop for our community event in West London.

Day Two: Cyber Leadership

Mini Masterclass - AI-powered Cyber Defence - Kevin Jones, CISO, Bayer

Mini Masterclass: We're All in This Together: The Future of Public-Private Partnerships - Tone Thingbø, CISO, Staftkraft

Mini Masterclass: A Cyber Attack from the Dual Perspective of the CEO and CISO - Nikhil Eapen, CEO, & Chuan Wei Hoo, CISO, Starhub

Panel Discussion: In Partnership with Egon Zhender: Cyber Leadership in a New World - Dr. Simon Learmount & Guest Speakers

Cyber and business leaders will explore how the demands placed on cybersecurity leaders have fundamentally evolved. Once primarily focused on technical risk management, today’s CISOs are expected to be strategic business enablers, risk advisors, operational leaders, and critical voices in the boardroom. Drawing on their first-hand experiences, our panel will discuss how the role has expanded across governance, resilience, regulatory engagement, and business transformation—and what that means for the skills, priorities, and mindsets that define success in the CISO role today. Join us for an honest conversation about navigating these growing expectations and leading confidently in an increasingly complex environment.

Break

ISTARI Collective Community Sessions

Our focused working sessions are led by our community and ecosystems partners to help you drill down on a core topic and share and compare with fellow community members.

Topics include: Supply Chain Defence, Artificial Intelligence, Next Generation Cyber Analytics, Upcoming Regulation, Incident Response and Crisis Preparedness

Lunch

ISTARI Collective Community Sessions

Our focused working sessions are led by our community and ecosystems partners to help you drill down on a core topic and share and compare with fellow community members.

Topics include: Supply Chain Defence, Artificial Intelligence, Next Generation Cyber Analytics, Upcoming Regulation, Incident Response and Crisis Preparedness

Break

Fireside: Lessons from the Edge - Rossa Shanks, ISTARI & Marie Yovanovitch, Former US Ambassador to Ukraine

Marie Yovanovitch is as one of America's most courageous diplomats and leading foreign experts. She served three times as U.S. Ambassador, with her final posting in a thirty-year career as the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. From her family’s roots in the Soviet Union she reached the very top of her profession. However, she abruptly found herself at the centre of one of the world's most high-profile political smear campaigns. In an unprecedented move she was recalled by President Trump from her posting. Her return to the United States, the pressure she faced and the courage she displayed as she was called on during the first impeachment inquiry of President Trump was expertly captured in her memoir, Lessons From The Edge. On publication it became an instant New York Times bestseller.

Closing Remarks - Rashmy Chatterjee, CEO, ISTARI

Our Speakers

Joe Sullivan

Joe Sullivan

Former CSO, Uber, and CEO, Ukraine Friends & joesullivan.com

Dr. Simon Learmount

Dr. Simon Learmount

Associate Professor in Corporate Governance, Cambridge Judge Business School

Marie Yovanovitch

Marie Yovanovitch

Former United States Ambassador to Ukraine

Lucas Kello

Lucas Kello

Associate Professor in International Relations, University of Oxford & Advisor, ISTARI

Tim Marshall

Tim Marshall

Author and Broadcaster

Tom Standage

Tom Standage

Deputy Editor, The Economist and Editor of “The World Ahead"

Tom Glocer

Tom Glocer

Former CEO of Thomson Reuters, and Chairman, ISTARI

Jim Rosenthal

Jim Rosenthal

Co-Founder and CEO, BlueVoyant, and former COO, Morgan Stanley

Georgine Roesle

Georgine Roesle

Consultant, Egon Zehnder

Henry Widera

Henry Widera

Executive Search & Leadership Advisor, Egon Zehnder

Dr. Najwa Aaraj

Dr. Najwa Aaraj

CEO, Technology Innovation Institute, the applied research pillar of the Advanced Technology Research Council, Abu Dhabi

Sezaneh Seymour

Sezaneh Seymour

VP & Head of Regulatory Risk and Policy, Coalition

Edward Chen

Edward Chen

Deputy Chief Executive (National Cyber Resilience) in the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore

Francois Ruether

Francois Ruether

Vice President, Paladin Capital Group

Nate Tombs

Nate Tombs

Chief Information Security Officer, Man Group

Ciaran Martin

Ciaran Martin

Professor of Practice in the Management of Public Organisations, University of Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government

Akvile Giniotiene

Akvile Giniotiene

Head of Cyber and New Technologies Unit, United Nations Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of Counter-Terrorism

Jeff Greene

Jeff Greene

Distinguished Fellow, The Aspen Institute

Tone Thingbø

Tone Thingbø

Vice President of Cyber Security, Statkraft

Jessica Figueras

Jessica Figueras

CxB - Cyber Governance for Boards

Nikhil Eapen

Nikhil Eapen

Chief Executive Officer, StarHub

Chuan Wei Hoo

Chuan Wei Hoo

Chief Information Security Officer, StarHub

Charles Ng

Charles Ng

Executive Vice President, Ensign InfoSecurity

Chris Hicks

Chris Hicks

Theme Lead: AI for Cyber Defence, The Alan Turing Institute

Chia Song Hwee

Chia Song Hwee

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Temasek International

KC Yeoh

KC Yeoh

Head (Enterprise Development), Portfolio Development Group, Temasek International

Attend the 2025 Summit

ISTARI COMPASS 2024 group photo

Justifying Your Attendance

Need sign off to attend? We’ve got you covered. 

Use this overview to help you justify why attending our annual community gathering is key in future-proofing the security of your organisation and building important capabilities for your team.

 

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