The life of a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

ACISO is an executive-level manager who directs and manages an enterprise’s strategies and governance to protect its information assets. He has sufficient authority within an organization as he is responsible and accountable for all its security programs. The scope of a CISO’s role is very critical that’s why this person has to be strategic so he’d be able to accurately evaluate the organization’s risk landscapes, educate top management on risk mitigation, and conduct investigation and cyber forensics when needed.

What’s a better way to understand the many technical and managerial skills the position requires than getting to know someone who is in this role and checking out his qualifications, characteristics, and values.

So for anyone who may be curious, here’s what a CISO looks like: Manuel Joey A. Regala is currently EastWest Bank’s FVP and Chief Information Security & Data Protection Officer. He is also the current president of the Information Security Officers Group (ISOG) and the past president (2013-2014) of the Information Systems and Control Association (ISACA). He has 36 years of combined management experience in the industries of IT and Financial IT Security, this is why all his active advocacies are all related to IT infrastructure and cybersecurity.

He established the Information Security Management System (ISMS) using the ISO 270001/002 standards, a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and Certified 27001 Lead Auditor. In 2017, at Hanoi, Vietnam, he became one of the ASEAN CIO/CSO Awardees. On top of his merits and credentials in the IT industry, it’s also noteworthy to know that he was also a Certified Public Accountant, making his knowledge in the finance industry indisputable.

Joey states that as a CISO, establishing great impact in his domain was made possible because of these three important aspects that all CISOs should be mindful of. He calls it his CIA, which stands for Culture, Integrity, and Ability.

What also sets Joey apart from other IT executives are his leadership and people skills combined with his creativity, and passion for what he does. He has already acheived many accomplishments and experiences in both finance and IT industries but still keeps a very low profile.

Now, with ISOG’s growing influence, he continues his quest to coun- ter cybercrimes and help provide innovative IT enterprise solutions. From October 8 to November 8 of this year, this team will hold an annual campaign with three culminating activities on October 17, 18, and 24. This cybersecurity event is a pioneer in the Philippine history and most of the country’s top-level IT professionals are attending.

A CISO is an executive-level manager who directs and manages an enterprise’s strategies and governance to protect its information assets.