Identity Giants IDEMIA and Ping: CISO Conversations and Insights

CISO Conversations: CISOs of Identity Giants IDEMIA and Ping

SecurityWeek recently had the opportunity to speak with Dennis Kallelis, Chief Security Officer at IDEMIA, and Jason Kees, Chief Information Security Officer at Ping, two industry leaders in identity and security. The conversation centered around the role of the modern CISO and the paths that these two esteemed professionals took to reach their current positions.

The Unplanned Career Path

One common theme among many top CISOs today is that they did not plan to end up in their current positions. Cybersecurity was a relatively new field when they started, and for many, it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
Kallelis recalled a moment in 2006 when he was walking down the hallway in his office and his CEO approached him, asking if he had federal security clearance and if he was an engineer. When Kallelis confirmed, his CEO named him the new chief security officer. This unexpected promotion prompted Kallelis to become determined to do such a good job that his company couldn’t do without him.
Kees also fell into cybersecurity due to a need he saw in the industry. He started his career as an engineer and saw a lack of dedication to security in his field. He decided to change that and became a leader because it was necessary.