Content

Influencer – Edna Conway

Category: Influencer

Name: Edna Conway

Title: Chief Security Officer, Global Value Chain

Company: Cisco Systems, Inc.

Why nominated: Throughout her career Conway has been a tireless and early advocate of designing security into new products and their manufacturing process, helped bring others into the field and written extensively on the topic of cybersecurity.

Profile: Edna Conway's career path has taken her from law firm partner, to assistant Attorney General of New Hampshire and then into a role at Cisco 17 years ago where she started out as director of licensing and technology and has remained thereafter remaining at the forefront of IP protection and information security.

Conway has held a variety of roles at Cisco, including senior director of global solutions, chief compliance and sustainability officer, global supply chain and CSO of the manufacturing supply chain. In these capacities Conway was able to see early on the need to “bake in” security and helped bring this to Cisco by helping to create the company's Secure Development Lifecycle program.

Her influence extends well beyond the office having written copiously on many security topics and has worked tirelessly to increase the number of women working in cybersecurity. She has done this though personal mentoring, being the executive director of Cisco's Connected Women and Inspiring Women through Information Sharing & Experiences affinity groups and customizing a program to teach cybersecurity to students in grades K-5.

What colleagues say: “Recognized globally as a cybersecurity change agent, Edna Conway is shifting the view on cybersecurity from “limiting damage” to enabling business differentiation. Recognizing the convergence of IT, OT and humanity and its impact on cybersecurity long ago, she has evangelized the need for a comprehensive approach to pervasive security. The impact of her thought leadership is readily apparent today, particularly as deployment of IOT devices proliferates exponentially.”

Andras Szakal, Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, IBM U.S. Federal

Get daily email updates

SC Media's daily must-read of the most current and pressing daily news

By clicking the Subscribe button below, you agree to SC Media Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.