Lisel Newton

About Lisel Newton

Lisel is a cybersecurity leader dedicated to building resilient organizations through strong governance, modern security practices, and empowered teams. With extensive experience across cybersecurity, GRC, data privacy, and third-party risk, she brings a holistic, business-focused approach to managing enterprise risk. She partners with Executive leadership to embed cybersecurity into business strategy - leveraging zero trust, cloud-first architectures, and automation to drive transformation and scalability. A strong communicator and collaborator, Lisel is recognized for translating complex cyber and technology risks into actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders, enabling confident, risk-informed decisions. She is known for her ability to connect people, process, and technology - fostering a culture of accountability, inclusivity, and continuous improvement. She holds CISSP, CISA, and CDPSE certifications and is passionate about supporting the next generation of cybersecurity leaders, particularly women in the field.Speaking engagements include- SDSU\'s AITP and Women in Technology groups, March 2026- Rubrik\'s \'Championing Women in Cybersecurity\', March 2026- GuidePoint Security\'s,\'Women in Cyber\', March 2026- ISACA San Diego,\'Checkboxes to Judgement: Lessons in Modern Risk Thinking\', February 2026- ISSA’s ‘Climate Change: Disaster Recovery & Supply Chain Sustainability’, April 2025- ISACA LA, ‘Offensive Security on the Frontlines: Best Practices & Lessons Learned’, April 2025 - ReliaQuest’s ‘Strategies for Third-Party Risk in the Cloud’ at Exponent April 2025- USD Cyber Law & Risk Symposium’s ‘US Cyber Laws & Regulations’, November 2024- BIO24’s ‘Thriving in the Age of Digital Insecurity…Cyber Resilience.’ in May of 2024 - FutureCon Keynote Cybersecurity Panel, October 2023- ReliaQuest’s ‘Women in Cyber’ panel at Exponent, May 2023 - GRSee Consulting’s Podcast Episode #56, released November 6, 2022

Experience

1. Executive Director, Information Security, Risk and Compliance

   Gossamer Bio

   Nov 2019 — Present · San Diego County, CA, US

   Cybersecurity & ITo Accelerated security posture maturity, deploying multifactor authentication (MFA) and XDR across ~400 endpoints in <4 months, significantly reducing enterprise risk exposure. Sophisticated zero-trust, cloud-based solutions, conditional access.o Improved cyber defense effectiveness, reducing MTTR by 56% and increasing MITRE ATT & CK coverage from 64% to 93% within one year.o Directed threat intelligence and preparedness strategy, enabling proactive defense through real-time monitoring, actionable insights, and intelligence-driven tabletop exercises.o Designed and executed targeted security awareness program, aligning to role-based threat vectors; phish susceptibility reduced by 5% year-over-year. Executive & Board Reporting, Risk, Compliance & Data Privacyo Trusted Audit Committee, Board and Executive presence, delivering clear, concise communication on cybersecurity, technology risk, & business impact, translating cyber posture, incidents & program maturity into strategic business insight.o Depth in understanding business needs, translating strategy to technology plans; collaboration with org-wide teams.o Founded Cybersecurity Oversight Committee, instituting quarterly executive reporting, securing ~$1M budget increase, and assuming full cyber budget ownership. o Led cyber SEC and 10(k) reporting, articulating cyber risk, governance, and program maturity for external stakeholders.o Directed global data privacy program, operationalizing compliance with GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and other regulations in partnership with the DPO. o Built and scaled SOX 404(b) compliance program, implementing workflow automation and reducing audit effort by 10% while enhancing control effectiveness; third-party assurance (SSAE18), regular Board-level reporting and control oversight.o Led enterprise third-party risk management program, aligning vendor oversight to NIST CSF and global regulatory expectations (e.g, GDPR, FDA, EMA).

Education

• The University of Montana - College of Business

  Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Management Information Systems

  2008 — 2010

• Montana State University-Northern

  Associate of Science, Business

  2004 — 2008

• University of Montana

  Bachelor of Science, Business Administration; Management Information Systems; Accounting

  2008 — 2010

Skills

• Delegation
• Payroll
• Microsoft Office
• Microsoft Excel
• Workshop Facilitation
• Sarbanes-Oxley Act
• Leadership
• Internal Audit
• Internal Controls
• Troubleshooting
• Accounting
• Software Documentation
• Sdlc
• IT Audit
• Business Analysis
• Information Technology
• Managing Project Budgets
• Proposal Writing
• Management
• Business Process
• File Management
• Networking
• Process Improvement
• IT Recruitment
• Project Management
• Business Process Improvement
• Budgets
• Recruiting
• Auditing
• Customer Service
• Access
• Quickbooks
• Public Speaking
• Visio
• Data Analysis
• Time Management