Cybersecurity Advisors Network

In the lead up to Europe’s most prestigious and impactful Security Conference in Munich, we headed to the Bavarian capital to speak with Natalia Oropeza, Global Chief Cyber Security Officer, Siemens

Natalia Oropeza heads cyber security for one of the largest electrical engineering and electronic-related products and services companies in the world. In figures, 2019 data reports €87 Billion in revenue and 384,000 employees. A large chunk of the world’s electrical and operating technology backbone is provided by the company, with their products present in everything from Power, Gas, Medical Devices, Phones, Power Plants, Trains, Dams, Smart Infrastructure… the list goes on, and on, and on…
The sheer scale of responsibility is pleasantly paired with Natalia’s calm and sharply intellectual demeanour. It was a pleasure to speak with her about her journey from Mexico to Munich, an inspiration for any aspiring cyber engineer and especially for girls and women who may be thinking of entering and advancing in the field.
The synopsis for this episode is short and sweet as I’m on the road again, but hands down this episode covers it all – Stuxnet (yep, those were Siemens devices that were Pwnd), Supply Chain Security, Cross-Border legislative failures and successes, the push and pull of influence and compliance with policy makers, Natalia’s participation in the creation of mechanisms built to encourage greater equality in the field (ECSO’s Women4Cyber) and plenty more.
As always, listen, share and please send me any feedback you may have as well as recommendations or introductions for other critical thinkers and operators you may know!

The Secure in Mind project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you; a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments.
Collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

In this “Secure in Mind” podcast episode, we are glad to welcome Ms. Hanane Boujemi, Internet policy and governance expert directing the Tech Policy Tank in the UK, a think tank providing market intelligence, policy analysis and advice on tech products and services deployment

Hanane is an experienced and ambitious leader, specialised in internet governance and regulatory challenges, international law and diplomacy.
In what was a truly enriching discussion, we explored the complex and multi-faceted world of Internet governance, with it being subject to the influence of a variety of cultures, agendas and countries. Its overall global relevance is significant, as Hanane clarifies by sharing the importance of anticipating and understanding the impact that Internet usage and management has on the users’ current and future societies, as well as by engaging users into shaping policies governing Internet usage.
Women empowerment in IT & tech: how to shape the policy of the future together
During the discussion, Hanane and I explored her view on the voice of women in tech & ICT, predictably still a challenging field due to strong societal and stereotypical issues. However, she highlighted the great, beneficial role the internet can and does offer when employed as a tool of empowerment… often easier said than done but Hanane is one of the inspirational women making it happen!
Finally, we touched on her Blockchain research, of the rising accountability in ensuring users’ privacy and rights with reference to one Facebook’s exorbitant fine as well as the subsequent need for stronger government-enabled regulatory frameworks… the perennial issue of the day being the creation of legislation is a reactive manoeuvre, and our tech world keeps on moving faster and faster…
The Secure in Mind Project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over.
He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

In this “Secure in Mind” podcast episode, we are glad to welcome Ms. Hanane Boujemi, Internet policy and governance expert directing the Tech Policy Tank in the UK, a think tank providing market intelligence, policy analysis and advice on tech products and services deployment

Hanane is an experienced and ambitious leader, specialised in internet governance and regulatory challenges, international law and diplomacy.
In what was a truly enriching discussion, we explored the complex and multi-faceted world of Internet governance, with it being subject to the influence of a variety of cultures, agendas and countries. Its overall global relevance is significant, as Hanane clarifies by sharing the importance of anticipating and understanding the impact that Internet usage and management has on the users’ current and future societies, as well as by engaging users into shaping policies governing Internet usage.
Women empowerment in IT & tech: how to shape the policy of the future together
During the discussion, Hanane and I explored her view on the voice of women in tech & ICT, predictably still a challenging field due to strong societal and stereotypical issues. However, she highlighted the great, beneficial role the internet can and does offer when employed as a tool of empowerment… often easier said than done but Hanane is one of the inspirational women making it happen!
Finally, we touched on her Blockchain research, of the rising accountability in ensuring users’ privacy and rights with reference to one Facebook’s exorbitant fine as well as the subsequent need for stronger government-enabled regulatory frameworks… the perennial issue of the day being the creation of legislation is a reactive manoeuvre, and our tech world keeps on moving faster and faster…
The Secure in Mind Project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over.
He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

In this “Secure In Mind” podcast episode, Morgan Deane, CEO of Baader Helvea Group, discusses the unstoppable force of technology in banking and its potential part in increasing transparency in the banking sector

The word wheelhouse is currently working its way wildly through my mind during these days of pandemic pandemonium. Here in Milan, the epicentre Europe’s pandemic, I’m joined by the rest of the world’s non-medicos listening to and heeding the advice of virologists, epidemiologists, doctors and more transform into emergency policies.
There are quasi-infinite wheelhouses one can specialise in these days, and we at Secure In Mind are fortunate enough to speak with many such people in a commanding position in their chosen fields. In this episode, I had a great conversation with Morgan Deane who, alongside being the CEO & President of the Executive Management Board at the Baader Helvea Group, is also Ambassador for the Transparency Task Force, an initiative with a goal of raising the battered level of trust the public has in its critical banking & financial institutions.
Throughout what I thought was a very relaxed, engaging discussion, we explored everything from Morgan’s formative educational period as an aspiring Human Rights lawyer living in Ghana for 3 months working on issues related to child-trafficking, through to the potential application of cutting-edge technologies such as the Blockchain to cement transparency in industry (banking and finance in this case).
We spend a good portion of time on the Transparency Task Force; the purpose, goals, successes thus far and ongoing challenges to tackle. When discussing precursory steps in the process of the Task Force’s creation, Morgan draws a link to his time in Ghana; both the task force and the project to combat child-trafficking evidenced incongruent views of function and outcome from the same situation. What becomes apparent is that Morgan has a deep and balanced level of insight across all sides of a particular issue, certainly a positive given the importance of both the banking sector and, in parallel yet oft in opposition, the transparency and trust of said sector.
So wherever you are listening from… whether it be the bedroom, the kitchen-converted-to-office, the bathroom or the balcony, please enjoy this engaging discussion and share so that others in lockdown can also benefit!

The Secure in Mind project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you; a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments
Collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

In this “Secure in Mind” podcast episode, we discover the human brain behind Intel: Matthias Wilson, Senior Intelligence Analyst and Trainer at government level, guides us through the fascinating and multi-faceted world of Intelligence

I had the pleasure to chat with Matthias Wilson, a super-smart guy having a senior intelligence and military background for civilian, government, corporate and law enforcement services. He is one of the major experts in multiple types of Intelligence a.k.a. the strange acronyms you often stumble across without being able to decode them (perhaps) – OSINT, HUMINT, GEOINT, SIGINT. Keep on listening to learn more!
Do you really think there’s just one type of Intelligence?
He is skilled at combining different types of Intelligence collections methods in order to leverage another type of information gathering, putting it all together to support businesses in fraud investigation and due diligence, as well as reporting critical information to governmental authorities to protect both the German army and nation. Nice!

How to discover the human being behind online communications
We covered a broad range of subjects, including the level of sophistication of German intelligence, the German law on HUMINT and data protection, and the importance of understanding financial accounting and forensics for corporate purposes.
Particularly, I could learn the major tech- and policy-wise shifts in intel information collection (to discover if now it’s all about HUMINT or OSINT, you know what to do). As for OSINT – ok here I can say that: Open Source Intelligence – we explored the role of some of the major communities, such as bellingcat, and their collaboration with intel agencies as for criminal activities detection and prevention. Interesting use, isn’t it?
Finally, all social media and online platforms addicted will be interested in learning that different cultures do a different use of social networks… find out how!
The Secure in Mind Project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over.
He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

This “Secure in Mind” podcast episode sees Nick Kelly speak with Martijn Van de Beek, whose impact on cross-border law enforcement collaboration was critical to many serious crime investigations

This “Secure in Mind” podcast episode sees Nick Kelly speak with Martijn Van de Beek, whose impact on cross-border law enforcement collaboration was critical to many serious crime investigations. In an episode with a true pioneer in EU high tech crime, we discuss all things cyber-crime, risk and crucially the separation of politics from everyday law enforcement activities. If you like the idea of cops from all countries working together to stop truly horrendous bad guys, then this is an episode not to be missed!

Cooperation in the field of cybercrime law enforcement
Martijn Van de Beek started his working life for the Amsterdam Police Force where he gained exposure to a variety of different policing disciplines including investigation, which became his core area of focus.
He has worked in the War Crimes unit and was responsible for establishing the Cyber Crime Unit looking at serious organised cybercrime in 2006/2007. This led to a distinguished career in different positions in the Netherlands National Police involving relationship building and joint investigation activities with multiple, cross-border law enforcement stake-holders including the FBI and FSB.
He has also worked as a Europol expert into the Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan. Currently, he is the General Manager of Hoffmann BV, a consulting firm that provides fraud, cyber and risk expertise to corporate sector clients. He holds a Master’s degree in Law and Criminal and Administrative Law amongst an array of other associated certifications and trainings.
The Secure in Mind project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you; a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments
collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

In this “Secure in Mind” podcast episode, we welcome Ms. Maria Smekalova, Project Director at the RIAC think tank in Moscow, who discussed with us the current state of affairs in cyber space at the global level from a peculiar perspective

Maria is a PhD candidate and Project Leader at the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), a think tank based in Moscow committed to raise awareness and stimulate the debate on all matters cyber security, cyber culture and international affairs at the global level.
The project coordinated by Maria looks at Information Security and Cooperation in Cyber Space between two historically opponent super-powers: Russia and USA. If we add to this that the project’s kick-off coincided with the 2016 Russiagate, we can easily get Maria’s brave and strong leadership.

The “Russia Trend”, cyber hygiene and cyber education
Maria shared with us some of the key principles to follow in order to overcome the numerous preconceived ideas in cyber nowadays, namely cyber education and cyber hygiene.
Particularly interesting was exploring Maria’s opinion on the so-called “Russia trend”, which puts her country at the center of a true media hype for any kind of bad news, especially when referring to the cyber sphere. Education, curiosity, information and awareness of the fingerprints we leave online are the weapons we can rely on to fight national biases and positively rebrand a country.
I really enjoyed this well-balanced conversation with Maria, a person coming from a think tank who understands and appreciates the complexities concerning a country as a whole and its distinct layers of state, including military, policing and civil society as well as macro trends. Although a think tank perspective often tends to be as objective as possible, and considering the think tank as a positive yet new and emerging phenomenon in Russia, it was an interesting conversation to uncover some of the most tangled and multi-faceted cyber issues from the other side of spectrum.
The Secure in Mind Project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.

f we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over.
He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

This “Secure in Mind” podcast episode sees Nick Kelly speak with Keren Elazari, Israel’s most famous hacker with 2.5 Million views on TED and a Forbes Israel 30 under 30. What a discussion – hacking, women in tech, philosophy…

This “Secure in Mind” podcast episode sees Nick Kelly speak with Keren Elazari. Keren is an internationally recognized researcher, author and speaker on all matters cyber security and hacker culture. Since 2000, Keren has worked with leading security firms, public organizations and Fortune 500 companies. Keren’s independent research about cyber security has been featured by Scientific American, WIRED, TED, CNN, Financial Times and more.
The Internet’s immune system
Keren’s TED talk “Hackers: the Internet’s immune system” has been viewed by millions online, translated to 30 languages, selected as “Most Powerful Ideas” and helped shape a global conversation about the role of hackers in the information age.
In 2016 Keren founded BSidesTLV, a community event for hackers in Israel. Keren is also a visiting faculty member of Singularity University, in NASA Research Park, California. Her latest collaboration is an Amazon bestseller, a book for “Women in Tech” (2016, Penguin Random House).

The Secure in Mind project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you; a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations around the world in diverse countries and environments
collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life like politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are all merely mortals making the best of it.

Karol Okonski is the Secretary of State at the Polish Ministry for Digital Affairs and, in this episode, he discusses Poland’s cyber security mandate, his role’s key responsibilities and the country’s approach to the cyber security issue

All roads lead to cyber, it seems… Karol holds a polyhedric background, ranging from technical to economical, from accounting to banking: he is currently a member of the European Cyber Security Organization BoD, as well as being entitled by the Polish Prime Minister with the responsibility to craft, coordinate and manage the national cyber security environment.

How to shape and coordinate a national cyber security environment
Together, we went over some of the main responsibilities involved in the role, such as how the government implements new technologies to automatize and secure processes such as electronic identification and national central registry management, by also identifying the solutions and tools available to citizens in this respect.
Top national cyber priorities and the international cyber diplomacy game
What are the main responsibilities of a country’s representative for cyber and digital affairs? Karol explored this theme with us: securing and protecting the public administration’s critical infrastructures and core services, as well as educating people to foster cyber hygiene, awareness and culture, are the top key missions contemplated by his mandate.
We ended our chat looking at the international scenario and analyzing the complexities involved in the cross-border diplomacy, military and policy cyber game, especially where adversarial countries are involved, as well as examining the EU scenario, its need to find a common ground in cyber and the distinct nature of relationship with the so-called “digitally-like-minded” countries.
The Secure in Mind Project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over.
He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

Meet M. Juan Carlos Lara, a financial leader in wealth management ranked among the “Top 100 People in Finance in 2018” for his efforts in pursuing sustainable development through finance

Juan Carlos holds a background in various branches of the financial sector, including trading, brokerage and stock exchange, private banking, asset and wealth management and financial advisory. Most importantly, he acquired particular knowledge of how the financial system works from a global, cultural and geographical perspective, having travelled to the US from his Mexican homeland until settling in Switzerland.

A walk through a slice of the financial system
I had the pleasure to meet him at a Swiss event on freedom and security online, where we could first approach the theme that would later become this episode’s object: how to fight widespread corruption and increase oversight in finance.
Currently, Juan Carlos pursues these efforts by managing the Point5Family Offices in Switzerland, an asset management and advisory firm committed to full disclosure in the provision of real, alternative financial products to its customers, as well as to foster women empowerment via its collaboration with the international NGO Graduate Women International.
A pioneer in finance, Juan Carlos sees the financial system as a viable tool to make sustainable development happen – tune in to discover everything about the ESG Lab and its mission!
Financial super structures
In this episode, we covered a broad range of current topics in finance, including risk assessment mechanisms, due diligence investigations and the pervasiveness of corruption.
We then swam in grey – the blurred lines between survival and graft – to grasp the far-reaching impact of corruption in our daily lives.
Listen now to an experienced financial leader speaking to what he sees as the most critical trends characterising the financial system – and, by result, all of us – nowadays and, presumably, in the foreseeable future.

The Secure in Mind Project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over.
He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

In this “Secure in Mind” podcast episode, we cover a broad range of issues stemming from security and policy with Jonathan Reichental, multiple award-winning tech leader ranked among the top and most influential CIOs globally

Our guest, Jonathan Reichental, is a connoisseur of the most interesting challenges of today – the 4th Industrial Revolution, Urban Innovation, Future of the Cities and Blockchain Technology. As the smart guy in the room, his innovative work for the US government was recognised ad-hoc by the White House – nice!
How to become a major innovator in Palo Alto
Through his founded and/or managed companies, such as Human Future, Highrise and Silicon Valley Innovation Centre, he does what we aim to do – see the human being behind the tech, or using the digital economy to reconstruct and serve the future of humanity. Pretty ambitious goal, isnt’it?
However, the bar is never set too high and we believe the human experience needs to keep on being the core of the global digital transition, while cybersecurity will necessarily be approached as a top priority in economic, social and political agendas.
How to replicate the successful, innovative model of the Silicon Valley
Jonathan left his mark as the Senior Advisor of the Silicon Valley Innovation Centre, especially focusing on a hot and much-needed topic in today’s crazy world: smart cities. A bunch of cool use cases illustrate how digital services were put in place to serve a plethora of sectors, carrying on socially-important innovations in healthcare, transportation, education, energy and housing, to name but a few.
We then moved on to discuss the complex and interesting scenario of public policy and local authorities, in which city councils and federal governments work hand-in-hand to provide solutions to the major afflictions of today’s world.
Finally, we could not ignore the main challenge linked to the smart and interconnected city revolution: security and privacy, and in so doing, we explored Palo Alto’s perseverance as for pushing – successfully! – on a crucial movement that is still under-invested and complex to manage because of the multiple entities involved (see above). So here we go – tune in for first-hand lessons shared by a true tech & future innovator!
The Secure in Mind Project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over.
He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

In this “Secure in Mind” podcast episode, we welcome John W.H. Denton, the Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce. John brings a wealth of international insight on economic and international development

A former Diplomat and member of the Australian Federal Government’s Strategic Advisory Board on the implementation of emerging policy issues, John Denton now resides in France, heading the International Chamber of Commerce on all matters of Trade, Commerce, Economic and International Development, Business and Trade Disputes.
John also sits on the Board of the UN Global Impact and is Chair Emeritus at the Business Council of Australia’s Global Engagement Task Force. To reinforce the strong ties between business and governance, he founded the B20, the business movement associated with the G20.

The International Chamber of Commerce’s role in bringing peace and prosperity
During our discussion, we explore the ICC’s mission – to bring stability, growth and security worldwide by enabling business and trade globally – and how the organisation realises this in practical and applied terms.
We consider the regulatory and enforcement responsibility and capability of the International Chamber of Commerce, which is not only charged with setting standards and norms but also with enforcing them.
In fact, the world’s leading private arbitral body is actually the ICC court of arbitration – so settling major cross-border, nation-influenced issues makes up a large portion of the ICC’s remit.
Finally, John gave us precious insights on how a good governance and robust legislative framework can enable and ensure prosperity and security at multiple levels worldwide. His words were illuminating; partly as a result of the privileged observation right the ICC has by holding a seat at the UN General Assembly.
The Secure in Mind Project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over.
He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

John Salomon, Regional Director at the FS-ISAC, tells us his story about how he got where he is and what helped him understand his true calling in the information security sector…a precious lesson for every young talent out there

John is the Regional Director for Continental Europe, Middle East and Africa at the FS-ISAC, a global organization that involves different industry players with the aim of defining and implementing better rules and regulations governing information security in the financial sector, primarily by fostering information sharing among its members. NOTE: John does not speak for FS-ISAC in this interview; rather, for himself.
In our conversation, he relives the path he followed that led him to where he is now. From getting into security when it was a hot &trendy topic to now, where he encourages collective defence in the financial sector by anticipating and coping with relentlessly swinging trends.

Financial security, critical infrastructure & national defense: tying them together
John embraces a strategy-driven and all-encompassing approach in tackling the cyber issue by combining lessons learned and best practices from emerging markets with his field-specific expertise enriched by a global and multi-cultural perspective.
He ended our conversation on a positive and promising note for all the young cyber talents to-be out there, encouraging inter-industry alliances to find and train and by betting on the power of inspiration and mentorship to prepare the next generation of cyber minds.
The Secure in Mind Project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over.
He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

In this “Secure in Mind” podcast episode Nick Kelly speak with your friendly hacker Jayson E Street. This unique individual uses his devices and experience to break into often supposedly unbreakable locations to educate companies, governments, users and everyone in between what they need to do to better their cyber security posture

This “Secure in Mind” podcast episode sees Nick Kelly speak with Jayson E Street. Well what can we say – this unique, warm individual uses his confidence, smarts, devices and experience to break into often supposedly unbreakable locations to educate companies, governments, users and everyone in between what they need to do to better their cyber security posture.

Break into supposedly unbreakable locations
Strap yourselves in for a fun, educational discussion with a champion for positive change.
Jayson battled a dragon during the Fire Run in Barcelona Spain. He ‘accidentally’ broke into a shark tank in the Dominican Republic and climbed the pyramid of Giza (until the guards carrying AK-47s expressed their displeasure). He consulted with the Secret Service in 2007 on the WIFI security of the White House and has had tea with a Lebanese General in Beirut.
Jayson never finished High School but does have his GED. His first book is used as course material at four colleges in three countries (that he knows of), and he has spoken at numerous universities in the US and gave an eight-hour lecture at the Beijing Institute of Technology in 2014. Outside of standardized education, Jayson has spoken numerous times at DEF CON, at the first six DerbyCons and at many other Cons (Hack in Paris, Nuit Du Hack, IT-Defense, SYSCAN360, PH-Neutral, etc….) around the world. He was also on the David Letterman show (seriously) though he is still waiting for Stephen Colbert to have him on his show!
Jayson is only one degree away from Kevin Bacon after awkward hugging Oliver Stone and Jimmy Fallon. He started in security and law enforcement over 30 years ago and has always striven to make things more secure. Jayson has been in the Information Security industry for over 18 years, and once broke into a high scale hotel in the South of France – barefoot – wearing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pyjamas. He was also noted as the best janitor of all McDonald’s in the South East Texas region for 2 consecutive years.

The Secure in Mind project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick has spent years living and breathing different cultures in far flung lands the world over. From Guatemala to Cambodia and numerous places in between, he has collaborated, negotiated, elaborated and celebrated with fascinating people from all walks of life the world over. Not one to be put in a box, his background is highly varied and yet has always been involved in or associated with technology and ethics, and he brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table.

In this second “Secure in Mind” podcast episode, Nick Kelly speaks with J Michael Daniel, President Obama’s Cyber Security Czar, on the importance of constructing an effective Cyber Security Policy, for Cybersecurity360.it

This “Secure in Mind” podcast episode sees Nick Kelly speak with J. Michael Daniel, who prior to his current role as CEO of the Cyber Threat Alliance, served as the advisor on Cyber Security in the Executive Office of the President to President Obama from 2012 – 2017. This position earned him the title ‘President Obama’s Cybersecurity Czar’.
The complexities of constructing effective cyber policy
In what was an incredibly rich and interesting discussion with a man who has seen it all, we explored the complexities of constructing effective cyber policy in a multi-layered, complicated environment with numerous moving parts.
How do you ensure that clear communication and threat intelligence-sharing is conducted across Federal & State government departments, the Military, Intelligence, Private sector, the broader international community and allies, as well as the global citizenry? Listen to this podcast to find out.

The Secure in Mind project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick has spent years living and breathing different cultures in far flung lands the world over. From Guatemala to Cambodia and numerous places in between, he has collaborated, negotiated, elaborated and celebrated with fascinating people from all walks of life the world over. Not one to be put in a box, his background is highly varied and yet has always been involved in or associated with technology and ethics, and he brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table.

In this “Secure in Mind” podcast episode Nick Kelly speak with Francesca Spidalieri on the need for strong female mentors is absolute in order to encourage further female proliferation within the very heavily male-weighted industry

This “Secure in Mind” podcast episode sees Nick Kelly speak with Francesca Spidalieri (the Senior Fellow for Cyber Leadership at the Pell Center at Salve Regina University), an incredibly impressive young female leader and influencer in cyber security.

The need for strong female mentors in the realm of the cybers
Francesca’s work in advising business and government leaders around the world is nothing short of inspirational for anyone in tech but especially for aspiring girls and women looking to enter the field. As Francesca points out several times during the episode, the need for strong female mentors is absolute in order to encourage further female proliferation within the very heavily male-weighted industry. Francesca is a rising global powerhouse in this field so everyone buckle up and enjoy the show!
The teachings in cybersecurity of Francesca Spidalieri
Francesca Spidalieri is the Senior Fellow for Cyber Leadership at the Pell Center at Salve Regina University, where she leads the Cyber Leadership Research Project and the Rhode Island Corporate Cybersecurity Initiative (RICCI). She is also a cybersecurity consultant for Hathaway Global Strategies LLC, and serves as co-principal investigator for the Potomac Institute’s Cyber Readiness Index 2.0, as a subject-matter expert for the UN International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and as a distinguished fellow for the Ponemon Institute. Francesca teaches graduate courses on cybersecurity for managers and has published extensively on cyber risk management, cyber leadership development, and cybersecurity education and awareness. In addition, she lectures regularly at cyber-related events both in Europe and the U.S. and contributes to journals on cybersecurity matters affecting countries and organizations worldwide.
The Secure in Mind project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you; a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations around the world in diverse countries and environments
collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

Meet Fergus Hanson, Head of the International Cyber Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a think tank focused primarily on defence and national security

I had a very comprehensive chat with Fergus, starting from his background in international relations and law / policy and technology right up to the moment when he started to look at the Silicon Valley-esque culture of innovation in the US and everything in between. You’re going to want to listen to everything in between because there’s a boatload of insight the valiant listener can glean.

Australia-Europe alliances, cyber competition, 5G and organized chaos
We explored ASPI’s mission and objectives, its relations with adversary countries, toyed with an array of joyful topics trending in today’s binary-soaked globe such as IP theft, cyber espionage and intel.
Tune in now to discover Australia’s relations with its European friends, the threats and joys of 5G and Australia’s place in cyber space, among others!
The Secure in Mind Project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over.

Meet Eliot Higgins, the founder and spokesperson for Bellingcat, the man behind the most famous and esteemed open-source, online, intelligence investigation community

Bellingcat started out from a blog Eliot opened as a hobby in 2011: the platform is now the world’s most renowned community of investigative, intelligence and online journalism. In this episode, Eliot explores with us the birth and growth of Bellingcat, its internal organization and its key research focuses.

How a blog turned into the strongest and biggest online investigation community
Particularly striking was witnessing Eliot’s intuitive ability to effectively combine open-source, easy-to-find tools, such as images, videos, social media pages, with geo-location and geo-mapping to create what is knowns as reference imagery. By exploiting these widely and publicly available pieces of information, the Bellingcat community specialized in investigating complex cases in an extra-ordinary and definitely out-of-the-box way.
Bellingcat’s palmarès and its somewhat complex relations with public entities
Eliot shared with us his view over some of the most high-profile cases Bellingcat successfully embarked on, such as the MH17 Malaysian Airlines flight crash in Ukraine back in 2014, the Lybian scenario in 2011, the Syrian conflict, the UK phone hacking scandal in 2012, up to the Lega Nord case and the Miroslava project.
We then dealt with a thorny but inevitable side of Bellingcat’s investigative commitment: the complex ties with law enforcement agencies, national governments, police and state entities which, from showing a pro-society collaborative approach, can quickly initiate a harsh and open denounce of the online community investigative practices and role.
Eliot was brilliantly clear in demonstrating how his community can prove the truthfulness, authenticity and accuracy of their extra-ordinary investigations, while keeping at bay every conspiracy theory and country propaganda that could hinder their investigation commitment and criticize their unique methodologies.
The Secure in Mind Project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over.
He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

In this “Secure in Mind” podcast episode, Drew Sullivan, Director and Co-Founder of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Program, discusses investigative journalism, corruption, the high costs and the crucial fight to be fought
Fantastic episode with a man who co-founded an organisation that pulls the thread on corruption and crime to the highest international levels. His role, and indeed the roles of his employees, is not for the faint-hearted; in fact, heartbreakingly the opposite as you’ll hear. But the work Drew and the team do is crucial as it peers back the curtain on the stain of development and true prosperity for all – corruption.
Drew Sullivan, Bosnia, is an investigative journalist who has worked for almost a decade in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. He founded the Center for Investigative Reporting in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2004 and served as its editor and first director. He co-founded and serves as editor of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Program, a global network of 40 investigative reporting centers, media, and networks. He also founded the Journalism Development Network, an innovative media development organization with programs worldwide. Under his direction, OCCRP has won more than 90 international awards including the European Press Prize, the Online Journalism Award, the Global Shining Light Award and others. He previously worked as an investigative reporter for the Tennessean newspaper in Nashville and for the Special Assignment Team of the Associated Press in New York.
The Secure in Mind project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you; a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments
Collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

In this “Secure in Mind” podcast episode, Dr Tobias Feakin, the Australian Ambassador of Cyber Affairs, discussed the country’s strategic position and future projected outcomes within the global cyber sphere

Dr Tobias Feakin is the Ambassador for Cyber Affairs at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and holds a PhD in International Relations with a focus on Cyber Security.
Before taking on his government position, Tobias started his career working in think tanks, including the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, where he founded the International Cyber Policy Centre.
Where does Australia stand in cyber space: its vision and developments
In our chat, which I think both of us enjoyed, we covered a lot of ground: cyber space in government, business and society, IP rights and encryption systems, policy and politics, international alliances and relations, internet core values and their preservation…
Specifically, we focused on the Australian Cyber Affairs government department’s agenda, on Australia’s strategy within the global cyber scenario as a nation state and on the country’s links with the EU – and, naturally, how to strengthen them.
The Australian strategic engagement in the global cyber sphere
Tobias fervently illustrated the broad and far-reaching mandate of the International Cyber Engagement Strategy, comprising cybercrime, digital trade and international security, alongside the promotion of cyber capacity made in Australia. We agree on many points, philosophise about some grey areas, agree on complexity in others, push lines of in more.
We moved onto the agenda of the Australian government, including IP rights and theft, human rights and democracy, internet governance and architecture rebuilding versus the creation of a multi-stakeholder infrastructure at the national level.
Finally, we delved deep into how technology can be used to foster country development at the political, economic and societal level, as well as the need to engender international dialogue and cooperation to preserve the core positive benefits of the internet.
I’m sure you’ll get a lot from this chat so tune in and check it out.
The Secure in Mind Project
Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.
There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.
If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations.
Nick Kelly Bio
Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over.
He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.