Cyber Leadership in a New World

Welcome Reception

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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