The Defender's Journal

Welcome to Episode 30 of The Defender’s Journal. This week, we sit down with Cezary Piekarski - a global cybersecurity leader with decades of experience across the financial sector, national advisory roles, and the highest levels of organisational leadership!In this conversation, Cezary unpacks the three steepest climbs in his leadership journey = from managing a team for the first time, to leading leaders, to becoming accountable for a distinct security domain. We explore how he builds clarity in complexity, why transparency and vulnerability are essential tools for influence, and what real humility looks like when you’re the one shaping global security culture...+ Interested in joining us on the show? Connect with Cameron Wenham on LinkedIn or via our website.

Welcome to another thought-provoking episode of The Defender’s Journal.This week, we sit down with Assaf Keren - a global security leader whose career spans Qualtrics, PayPal, and advisory roles with central banks, regulators, and startups. In this episode, we dive into the reality of building an AI-first workforce - and whether it’s actually achievable, why “friction” in security is inevitable but manageable, and how Assaf rewired his own leadership philosophy to enable healthier, higher-performing security cultures. He also shares what security leaders still misunderstand about boards, and the one belief he held early on that no longer holds true...+ Interested in joining us on the show? Connect with Cameron Wenham on LinkedIn or via our website.

Welcome to a special spin-off episode of The Defender’s Journal.This week, we sit down with Meg Anderson - a longtime security executive whose career spans nearly 40 years in one of the most tightly regulated environments in the industry...We explore what longevity really takes, how leadership evolves over decades, and what she might need to unlearn if she swapped it all tomorrow for a disruptive, fast-moving startup. Meg also reflects on legacy, burnout, and the unseen patterns that define great CISOs - whether their name is on the resume or not!+ Interested in joining us on the show? Connect with either Jeff Harrod or Cameron Wenham on LinkedIn or via our website.

Welcome to a bonus episode of The Defender’s Journal.This week, we welcome back Ted Harrington - ethical hacker, author, and co-founder of IoT Village - to explore the mindset behind his new book "The Inner Hacker".We dig into what hacker thinking really means (even in a world of audits, regulation, and surface-level compliance). Ted shares how to spot opportunities others miss and explains why minimum standards are dangerous. We also explore how cultural contexts can shape (or resist) innovation - and how any leader, technical or not, can start “hacking” their own blind spots today...+ Interested in joining us on the show? Connect with Cameron Wenham on LinkedIn or via our website.

Welcome to another standout episode of The Defender’s Journal.This week, we sit down with Doug Innocenti - a security leader whose journey spans call-centre telecoms, banking giants, and now crypto-native fintech. As CISO at MoonPay, Doug is shaping security in one of the fastest-moving markets on earth, balancing scale, trust, and innovation.In this episode, we dive into the challenge of leading 60,000+ employees, the quiet signals that trust is fading, and the new threats AI introduces. Doug also shares how nature - and distance from code - can bring breakthrough clarity, and why he’ll always be a hands-on builder at heart...+ Interested in joining us on the show? Connect with Cameron Wenham on LinkedIn or via our website.