Launching the Search for Our Privacy CISO in Residence: Bringing Security Expertise into the Heart of Privacy

Privacy and security are two distinct disciplines that are now increasingly converging to meet shared challenges. IDC reports that 68% of organizations’ privacy policies and initiatives are driven by the CISO, and Gartner notes that 34% of CISOs report plans to invest in Governance, Risk & Compliance in 2024. This overlap is occurring due to tightening regulations, rising concerns around AI technologies, and the constant need to safeguard personal data against data breaches.

At Transcend, we see this convergence as an opportunity to offer more to our community. That’s why we’re introducing the privacy industry’s first-ever “CISO in Residence” (CISO-IR) program—a groundbreaking initiative designed to embed security expertise into the heart of privacy leadership.

What is a CISO in Residence?

Transcend’s ‘In Residence’ program builds off of the popular venture capital model of having experts in-house for priority engagements, and is designed to bring expertise directly into the privacy space, starting with security. Once selected, the Transcend CISO-IR will drive:

• Expert guidance: Drawing on extensive experience, the CISO-IR will be positioned to help privacy leaders tackle top-of-mind challenges, develop strategies, and make informed decisions.
• High impact engagements: This is a short-term placement role to ensure timely, targeted and transformative engagement for our community.
• Deep connections and insights: The CISO-IR will connect privacy professionals to existing expertise, their own CISO networks, and tools and strategies to elevate their impact with a security lens.

What does this mean for the Transcend community?

With nearly a third of Transcend’s engagements driven by CISOs and another third by privacy leaders who are transforming their business, we’ve seen firsthand how this convergence can and is reshaping privacy conversations within the enterprise. The CISO in Residence program will empower the privacy industry with direct access to insider security expertise, to guide them through today’s complex landscape and the convergence of these two fields.

In partnership with our formidable Field Chief Privacy Officer Ron De Jesus, and alongside our Next-Gen Voices initiative, we believe that our In Residence program will foster a more diverse set of conversations throughout the industry, founded in deep respect for user privacy, while positioning the discipline for maximum business impact.

More “In Residence” announcements to come

While we’re starting with security, we see this as just the beginning. Privacy has always had partnerships across the business, and is a deeply collaborative discipline. In the future, we envision expanding our In Residence program to include privacy-centric Chief Information Officers, Chief Marketing Officers, and Chief Product Officers.

As privacy continues to transform, Transcend remains committed to equipping privacy professionals with the expertise, tools, and resources they need to be next-generation leaders.

The CISO in Residence role is now open and we will keep you updated when we fill this new position!