CIO & CISO Think Tank

Mr. Richard Rushing is the Chief Information Security Officer for Motorola Mobility LLC.; Richard participates in several corporate, community, private, and government Security Council’s and working groups setting standards, policies, and solutions to current and emerging security issues. As Chief Information Security Officer for Motorola Mobility, he has led the security effort by developing an international team to tackle the emerging threats of mobile devices, targeted attacks, and cyber-crime. He organized developed and deployed practices, tools and techniques to protect the intellectual property across the worldwide enterprise. A much-in-demand international speaker on information security Richard has presented at many leading security conferences and seminars around the world.

Erik Hart oversees global information security for Cushman & Wakefield, one of the world’s largest commercial real estate services firms. A recognized thought leader with more than 20 years of experience in providing information security services to various industries and organizations, he also serves in an advisory role for numerous companies and organizations in the information security field, including Mimecast, CrowdStrike, InfraGard Chicago Members Alliance and Western Illinois University. Before joining Cushman & Wakefield in 2018, he served as CISO and Director of IT Risk Management for Zebra Technologies, a provider of mobile, logistics and point-of-sale technology and systems to retail, health care, transportation, manufacturing and other industries. Erik earned his Bachelors from Western Illinois University and Masters from Western Governors University.

Nitin has 25+ years of experience in performing IT, Security and Risk leadership roles for various organizations and serves as a global advisor tasked with prioritizing and evaluating trade-offs and conflicts among various security initiatives within the realm of ThoughtWorks businesses. Proven leadership with key skills like security governance, compliance, budgeting, hiring, risk management, project management, mentoring, negotiation, and problem-solving skills demonstrated throughout his career. Expert in translating between technical and business contexts; people, processes, technical aspects of technology, and in assisting organizations delivering effective, secure, and business-enabling solutions. Stakeholders/CxO advisory experience in IT/ITes organizations. Customer-focused and strategic mentality. Problem-solving and process-oriented. Nitin holds a Bachelor's degree (B.S) in Electronics engineering and Masters (PGDIT) in Information technology. He also holds the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) industry certifications and Board Qualified Technology Executive (QTE).

Strong record of success in information security management, IT strategy and budget planning, organizational development, and strategic technology architecture. Value creation through process improvement, organized optimization, talent development, and technology integration. Proven ability in collaboration, information security, application development management and governance structures. Over 20 years IT experience, over 10 years in information security and over 12 years in IT management roles. Experienced in leading web and application development functions and managing the delivery of systems on-time and under budget. Skilled at staff development, strategic and budget planning, project management, vendor management, process improvement, systems analysis, and technology integration. Adept at creating scalable internet architectures, managing multiple projects simultaneously. Able to bridge the gap between technical and non-technical personnel. Specialties: consulting, talent and organizational development,enterprise architecture,strategic planning, security and risk,cloud computing, networking Certifications: HCISPP, CISSP, CISM, CGEIT

Highly motivated Information Security Executive with a unique combination of IT Security and auditing backgrounds. Solid hands-on experience with; IT Security, Disaster Recovery, Sarbanes Oxley and EU Privacy Compliance, Identity and Access Management, IT Development, Project Management, Change Management, Risk/Penetration Assessments and Auditing with CISA, C|CISO and CRP credentials. Outstanding track record of managing projects, documenting & creating IT and business processes as well as assessing risk and controls within a business environment. Quickly adaptable to new situations and technologies; possess’ strong leadership and motivational skills in managing complex projects from strategy through completion.

Grant Ecker is a senior technology executive leading Enterprise Architecture and Integration at Ecolab, managing a global team of architects and integration leaders. With 20+ years of experience, he drives transformation and innovation across billion-dollar IT portfolios, building proactive architecture communities and aligning technology strategy with business value. Grant is known for deploying enterprise architecture across multiple Fortune 150 companies, fostering trusted relationships with IT leadership, and advancing global strategy, planning, and governance initiatives.

Pete has been involved as an Owner or C-level in IT and Security for over 30 years, with the last 20 years as CISO in two Fortune 100 organizations. Pete has extensive experience in Pen testing physical and network projects with a 100% success rate. Pete has been the incident commander of over 120 incidents and his work has been featured in the Verizon Breach report. He has managed two “clouds” through the FEDRAMP/NIST800-53 process and Gartner had the security of his cloud designs ranked #1 and #2 in the industry. Pete has been working with Artificial Intelligence for over 15 years starting with a DARPA-funded project and has written books, and magazine articles and has been interviewed and shown AI demonstrations over 200 times on TV as an AI expert for Good Morning America, Fox Business, BBC and all major networks. Pete is currently the Global CISO for Check Point Software, a leading security provider specializing in the highest-efficacy Firewalls, Endpoints, Cloud, and Email risk reduction tools and strategies. Pete is a member of the FBI Infragard and Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force. Pete resides in Breckenridge Colorado and Islamorada Florida….and one of his kids is in Cybersecurity and close to attaining a CCIE certification!

Kevin Dattolico, Syntax’s Regional CEO for SAP Technical Managed Services and Oracle Business Units, joined in 2020 as Chief Revenue Officer of Syntax Americas, later becoming CEO in 2022. With over 20 years in IT infrastructure sales, he excels in cloud solutions for enterprise and web scale clients, driving large and complex sales transactions. Formerly, Kevin served in leadership roles at Novell, VMWare, and Virtustream, driving global growth strategies and market leadership in cloud services and software solutions. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing from Hofstra University. Since joining Syntax in 2020 as Chief Revenue Officer for the Americas, Kevin has demonstrated visionary leadership, facilitating large and intricate sales transactions through his blend of technical expertise and commercial acumen.

Shawn Surber is a seasoned leader in Information Technology Operations and Security, currently managing Island's North America Sales Engineers. With decades of experience, he has successfully engineered solutions for complex business challenges at key technology and information systems firms. Previously, Shawn served as a VP, Technical Solutions Engineering at Tanium and held key technical leadership roles at Fortinet, Ascension Health, and Trinity Health, consistently demonstrating his strategic vision and expertise in navigating the evolving landscape of information security.