Becoming a CISO: Insights from Security Leaders Who’ve Made the Leap
Exclusive Executive Dinner
Date: March 26th, 2026 | 9:00 - 11:30 AM PDT
Location: San Francisco, California
The Reality of Mindset Shifts and Tradeoffs in Security Ownership
Join us for an exclusive, peer-driven leadership evening designed for senior security leaders who are actively preparing for the next stage of their careers.
This intimate networking event features a short leadership panel with Patti Degnan, Assaf Keren and Helen Patton, followed by facilitated peer roundtables and meaningful discussion. Light food and beverages will be provided to keep the conversations flowing.
We will explore the real-world decisions, tradeoffs, and mindset shifts required to move into executive security leadership
Francis Odum
Francis is the Founder & Chief Cybersecurity Analyst at SACR. He built a globally recognized brand amongst top CISOs and leading cybersecurity vendors with strong name across the sector
Patti Degnan
Patti is the Chief Information Security Officer at SailPoint. She specializes in building scalable security programs, and driving security governance across global enterprise environments.
Assaf Keren
Assaf serves as the Chief Security Officer at Qualtrics. He brings deep technical expertise in product security and enterprise risk, having previously held senior security leadership roles at CyberArk.
Helen Patton
Helen is an Advisory CISO at Cisco. She is a published author and board member dedicated to improving security governance and mentoring the next generation of security.
Gallery Photos
We were thrilled to host an exclusive evening of networking and insightful discussion. Here are the highlights from our event in San Francisco.
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What to Expect
New CISO
Directives
Explore the evolution of leadership as we move beyond technical oversight into organizational resilience. These discussions break down what truly changes at the CISO level, focusing on the shift from managing security debt to steering business risk in a cloud-first world.
Boardroom
Dynamics
Gain insights into the changing expectations of the Board of Directors and how they reshape your daily priorities. We’ll discuss the art of translating technical telemetry into business impact and how to navigate the pressure of high-stakes reporting without losing sight of operational integrity.
Strategic
Accountability
Move past the theory to examine what strategic accountability actually looks like in 2026. This session dives into the practical realities of ownership, from liability and regulatory shifts to the challenge of maintaining transparency across increasingly complex, decentralized environments.
Key Takeaways
By attending this in-person event, you will learn how to:
The Runtime Revolution
Why runtime is becoming the essential control plane for detection, context, and response in 2026.
Closing the Visibility Gap
Practical strategies to unify cloud environments and SOC operations to eliminate response lag.
High-Fidelity Intelligence
How to transform fragmented cloud signals into actionable intelligence that reduces alert fatigue.
AI-Ready Defense
Building a resilient security posture capable of defending against increasingly dynamic, AI-driven adversaries.
An Invitation-Only Evening for CISOs & Security Leaders
As the threat landscape evolves on a larger scale, CISOs today face a critical challenge: merging traditional SOC operations with the demands of modern cloud security. Get together with other CISOs who lead global operations at this exclusive dinner as Francis Odum and Aqsa Taylor share insights, real-world strategies, and explore how to close blind spots, unify teams, and strengthen resilience in a hybrid security environment.
This dinner is not a vendor showcase. It’s an independent, analyst-led conversation built on deep industry research and insights from the field. No product pitches, no marketing spin – just candid dialogue among CISOs who face the same challenges. Grounded in objective analysis, the discussion focuses on what truly matters for large, complex organizations: solving blind spots, aligning cloud and SOC operations, and strengthening resilience in a rapidly evolving threat landscape.
Francis Odum
Francis is the Founder & Chief Cybersecurity Analyst at SACR. He built a globally recognized brand amongst top CISOs and leading cybersecurity vendors with strong name across the sector
Aqsa Taylor
Aqsa is the Chief Research Officer & Executive at SACR. She leads the firm’s Research Arm, owns building SACR’s first AI-powered research platform, and established the CISO Advisory Board.
Key Takeaways
Closing the Cloud–SOC Gap to Eliminate Blind Spots
Transforming Cloud Runtime into Actionable Intelligence
Unifying Security, Engineering, and SOC Teams Under One Strategy
Building Defense Strategy for Modern Threat Landscape
Register now!
Come meet other security leaders, talk through emerging security challenges, and enjoy some great conversation.
Participating Companies / Sponsors
Harper and Partners Inc.
Whimson International, Inc.
Bijou Solutions, Inc.
