SEC “Hot Topics” Conference to Feature Deloitte Cybersecurity Managers | College of Business and Economics at CSUF (sec-hot-topics-conference-to-feature-deloitte-cybersecurity-managers)

_{_{John Gelinne (left) and Meg Schult, Deloitte cybersecurity experts who will present at the SEC Conference sponsored by Cal State Fullerton’s Center for Corporate Reporting and Governance this September.}}

When Orange County accountants, auditors, accounting students and faculty, and policymakers attend the annual SEC Conference on Sept. 20 presented by the Center for Corporate Reporting and Governance at the Cal State Fullerton College of Business and Economics, they will hear from a wide range of industry leaders and regulators, including John Gelinne, managing director of cyber risk services for Deloitte, and Meg Schult, specialist leader for cyber wargaming for Deloitte.

In an era in which cybersecurity is front and center as a challenge and opportunity for businesses across all industries, these cybersecurity experts will provide insights on staying ahead of the curve and utilizing the latest tools to protect your business and the supply chain, along with a two-hour interactive simulation on cyber wargames.

From Naval Cybersecurity to Protecting For-Profit Clients

Today, Gelinne and Schult support the protection of surgery centers, banks, civilian nonprofits and other organizations against cyber threats. But their experience bolstering cyber defenses began in the U.S. Navy.

“As part of my role, I deliver cyber simulations across government and cross-industry commercial organizations. We work with organizations interested in exercising and rehearsing their crisis capabilities,” says Schult, who worked for 30 years in cybersecurity in the U.S. Navy, including service as the deputy chair of the wargaming department at the Naval War College.

“I came to Deloitte because I wanted to apply my military experience to help our clients enhance their ability to minimize the impact of a cyber attack through cyber wargaming. We develop plausible, interactive scenarios that bring diverse stakeholders together to challenge biases and assumptions, identify critical gaps and vulnerabilities, and provide insights into emerging threats and opportunities.”

Gelinne has been at Deloitte for nearly a decade, after serving as a naval officer and working together with Schult at Fleet Cyber Command 10th Fleet on his last naval tour.

“I was operational on ships and had three commands, along with a sub-specialty in information technology. We send our officers to the Naval War College or the Naval Post-Graduate School for technical degrees, so I earned a subspecialty in technology,” says Gelinne. “That put me in charge of one of the critical business processes in the Pentagon’s National Military Command Center and making sure that process would be uninterrupted.”

Gelinne recalls being on duty on 9/11, when it was necessary to exercise many of these continuity of operations plans in a crisis environment.

“One of the reasons Deloitte hired us was our military experience in staying one step ahead of adversaries on the cyber-front and bringing that into the commercial sector, to help organizations develop the muscle memory to minimize the impact of a breach,” says Gelinne. “10 years ago, only a relatively small number of companies conducted cyber wargames. The good news is that number has significantly increased today as organizations better understand the benefits of practicing crisis management.”

“Learning in the middle of a breach is not a good place to be.” explains Schult. “Through exercises, our clients can better understand the dependencies that they were not previously aware of. The preparation of a scenario can give an organization an awareness of what will be inoperable when systems go down, such as what wouldn’t work in a hospital or financial setting. And then we look at how they can communicate this information with key stakeholders, customers, regulators, law enforcement, the media and business partners.”

Attendees of the SEC Conference will come away equipped to build the muscle memory to respond to cyberattacks and a deeper understanding and appreciation of preparedness for significant cyber events such as ransomware attacks.

The wargame simulation by Gelinne and Schult will be supplemented by perspectives from the SEC presented by Jorge Tenreiro, deputy chief of crypto assets and cyber unit in SEC’s Division of Enforcement, and a panel discussion on practical perspectives on cyberattacks featuring Robert Renzulli of the Port of San Diego and Bryan Willett of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office, among others.

Check out the full event program online!

Preparing for the Challenges of Climate Change

In addition to a focus on cybersecurity and protection against cybercrime, this year’s SEC Conference will also include an overview of what organizations are doing and can do to prepare for climate change.

Lauren Assaf-Holmes, senior associate attorney for Gibson Dunn, and Laura Blattner, product lead and financial reporter for Watershed Enterprise Sustainability Platform, will headline a discussion on new climate rules, which will impact many small- to medium-sized enterprises in addition to large firms.

“The common thread I see with both climate and cyber is that small-to medium-sized firms will be impacted in a more onerous way in both cases,” says Vivek Mande, co-director of CCRG and department chair of the School of Accountancy.

“On the climate side, the one-size-fits-all climate rules will adversely impact smaller firms,” says April Morris, the co-director of CCRG and an accounting lecturer. “Both of these issues are very important for businesses in Orange County. This conference offers the resources to help your business address both cyber and climate.”

About the SEC Conference

The SEC “Hot Topics” Conference is a practical and accessible way for professionals, academics and policymakers to stay abreast of current trends.

Seven CPE units and 5.75 California MCLE credits are available for the professional development of attendees.