David Gee, Former CIO & CISO opens the discussion by sharing the story behind his newly released book, which compiles real-life experiences and lessons from Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) around the world. He explains that the idea comes from a desire to capture the “war stories” and hard-won insights that CISOs wish they had known earlier in their careers. The book features contributions from leaders across Australia, Asia, Europe, and the United States, including executives from Suncorp, Fidelity, QBE, Coca-Cola, and PayPal. David describes the book as a practical guide structured in several parts: advice for new CISOs, skill-building for established leaders, advanced toolkits for crisis recovery, and “Yoda Masters” chapters highlighting seasoned experts with decades of experience.

In this interview, Daryl Pereira, APJ Head Office of the CISO at Google Cloud and an experienced cyber security leader with operations in Singapore, shares his insights on recovery after major breaches. His contribution to the book focuses on this critical area. Daryl brings a unique perspective because he is often called in to rebuild organisations after incidents. This is one of the most challenging and least desirable situations for any security professional. His experience aligns with the book’s theme of helping CISOs respond effectively under extreme pressure and transform crises into opportunities for learning and long-term resilience.

Daryl recounts his role in managing a severe cyberattack on critical infrastructure involving a nation-state actor. He describes the immediate chaos and political tension that follow such an incident, particularly the tendency for blame to fall on IT teams. His first step, he says, is to understand the internal politics and expectations of the board, as executive sponsorship is vital for effective recovery. In this case, the CEO, who has been personally fined millions by regulators, becomes the key sponsor of the remediation programme. Daryl emphasises that the most successful recovery efforts are led by those with the greatest stake in the outcome, whether that’s the CEO, CIO, or another senior leader whose success is directly tied to the organisation’s recovery.

Key takeaways:

• Shared lessons from global CISOs: David’s new book brings together insights from cyber security leaders worldwide, offering practical advice for new and seasoned CISOs through real-world “war stories” and strategies for building resilience after major incidents.
• Leadership under pressure: Daryl’s experience rebuilding after a nation-state cyberattack highlights the importance of understanding internal politics and maintaining unity between technology teams and business executives during crisis response.
• Executive sponsorship is critical: Successful recovery depends on having the right leader backing the remediation effort, ideally someone with direct accountability and “skin in the game,” such as a CEO personally impacted by the breach.