Boston CxO Security Forum

Zero Trust Facts for
CIOs & CISO: From the Creator

9 October 2025

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A Private, Peer-Led Forum for Cybersecurity Leaders

The NYC Forum series brings together senior cybersecurity, risk, and compliance executives for a candid, highly interactive gathering that prioritizes education, mentorship, and networking. Hosted quarterly in the heart of Manhattan, each session offers a curated experience designed by and for C-level practitioners—no vendor pitches, no filler, no distractions.

This is not a traditional conference. It’s a community-led forum where every participant contributes, learns, and connects with purpose.

Graciously supported by

Agenda

Stay tuned, agenda forthcoming

Registration & Networking

3:00 PM

Welcome/Introductions

3:30 PM

Zero Trust for Leaders: An Antifragile Approach to Risk, Strategy, AI & ML in 2025

As the creator of Zero Trust, John Kindervag has been sharing his foundational thinking on the strategy for more than 15 years. In his session, he’ll introduce several ideas in a short presentation: Strategy vs Tactics, Risk = Danger, the impossibility of predicting probabilities in cyber, how AI & ML augment a Zero Trust strategy, and what leaders should be thinking about when it comes to getting their organizations incentivized to make Zero Trust a reality in their environment.

Key thinking: Zero Trust, combined with AI and ML, becomes an anti-fragile system — it gets stronger under attack.

3:45 PM

Start-Up Showcase - Contestant #1

4:15 PM

Personal Liability for CISOs: What You Need to Know

This discussion contemplated the fact that everyone in the room is well aware of Uber/Joe Sullivan and SolarWinds/Tim Brown cases. However, there are a few things that cybersecurity team leaders may not be aware of, i.e.

Corporate officers are now subject to the same personal liabilities as corporate directors
It is often the case that they are not covered by their firm’s “directors and officers” (D&O) insurance
They have at their disposal whistleblower laws (such as under the False Claims Act or FCA)

In this interactive conversation, we’ll examine the tenuous position that security team leaders have vis-à-vis their employers and offer some ways to mitigate personal risk amid the current negatively-shifting liability landscape.

4:15 PM

Start-Up Showcase - Contestant #2

4:40 PM

Networking & Organized Interaction Break

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4:45 PM

Start-Up Showcase - Contestant #3

5:10 PM

Cyber Insurance Inside Scoop 2025

In this session, our expert will provide insights based on years of working with underwriters, carriers and brokers to give the participating executives a view from the other side of the table. How can CIOs & CISOs lower premiums? What updates should executives give underwriters regularly? How to limit exposure in the event of a breach notification? What are the key trends related to coverage around AI topics?

5:15 PM

Reception & Networking

Refreshments, food, cocktails & discussions till 8pm

6:00 PM

Forum Discussion Leaders

(Past, Present & Future)

John Kindervag

Creator of Zero Trust | Chief Evangelist - Illumio

John Kindervag is considered one of the world’s foremost cybersecurity experts. With over 25 years of experience as a practitioner and industry analyst, he is best known for creating the revolutionary Zero Trust Model of Cybersecurity. As Chief Evangelist at Illumio,

John Kindervag is responsible for accelerating awareness and adoption of Zero Trust Segmentation.

Most recently, John led cybersecurity strategy as a Senior Vice President at On2IT. He previously served as Field CTO at Palo Alto Networks and, before that, spent over eight years as a Vice President and Principal Analyst on the security and risk team at Forrester Research.

In 2021, John was named to the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) Zero Trust Sub-Committee and was a primary author of the NSATC Zero Trust report that was delivered to the President. That same year, he was also named CISO Magazine’s Cybersecurity Person of the Year.

John serves as an advisor to several organizations, including the Cloud Security Alliance and Venture Capital firm NightDragon.

Morgan Jones

Partner, Cybersecurity/Data Privacy Practice Group, Brown Rudnick LLP

On tech evolution and regulatory/legal trends, business planning amid rapid tech evolution, and managing risk/liability profiles. Brown Rudnick frequently guides clients on how to navigate emerging issues with an eye to helping them to avoid having to start over again down the road. Expect a candid conversation about the current regulatory landscapes for AI and privacy, and data breach best practices.

About CxO Forum

CxO Security Forum began as a response to a common frustration among senior cybersecurity leaders: the way enterprise solutions are marketed, sold, and evaluated is fundamentally broken. What started as a call for change has grown into a trusted community that puts executive practitioners at the center of the conversation.

We bring together CISOs, CIOs, and senior decision-makers who are responsible for protecting their organizations, guiding strategic risk, and navigating the evolving role of AI in security. Every forum, gathering, and conversation is designed to foster education, mentoring, and authentic peer connection.

What makes us different is our focus on relationships. Our events are intentionally small, curated, and built for real dialogue. Sponsors are carefully selected, and there are no product pitches. Participants come for thoughtful, actionable conversations that support both professional development and practical decision-making.

At CxO Security Forum, the goal is simple. Give experienced leaders a space to learn from one another, to share insight, and to build meaningful connections that last beyond the event itself.

Participation is free for qualified senior executives

Location

Brown Rudnick

7 Times Square, New York City

Registration

Registration is open only to qualified executives (excluding Sales, Marketing, and Business Development!)