Laura Deaner

Laura Deaner is the Chief Information Security Officer at Northwestern Mutual where she leads the Enterprise Information Risk & Cybersecurity team and is responsible for the firm's information security strategy. Prior to this, she was CISO at S&P where she was responsible for establishing and driving the enterprise information security vision and program. She leverages her twenty-one years working in security for multinational Fortune 500 companies to build effective and robust information security programs by aligning deep technical expertise with executive business vision and support. She was previously the first-named CISO at PRNewswire, where she built a comprehensive security practice from the ground up. Laura holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Old Dominion University in the state of Virginia in the United States. She is a member of the FS-ISAC Board of Directors as well as several information security and technology societies including OWASP, WiCyS, ISC2, and Society of Women Engineers (SWE). She’s featured in Women Know Cyber – 100 Fascinating Females Fighting Cybercrime. Laura is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in technology as well as her field of Cyber Security. She serves as a council member of the S&P Global Diversity and Inclusion Council which is tasked with fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. Her accomplishments as a council member have included revamping the Employee Resource Groups and adding the sentiment and data-driven metrics to enhance the community goals. She worked to establish partnerships with various organizations to build diverse talent pipelines in the technology organizations such as Girls Who Code. Laura is a frequently requested speaker and respected thought leader, recognized for her innovative leadership and strong business acumen. She has participated in the World Economic Forum’s Global Futures Council on Cyber Security as a co-chair leading a group of subject matter experts in solving cyber challenges.