Russell Okoth

About Russell Okoth

2x CISO. Founder, Cyberdiligent. IANS Faculty. Board Member I operate at the intersection of cybersecurity leadership and executive decision-making, helping boards and executives turn cyber, AI, and data risk into clarity, confidence, and competitive advantage. Over 25+ years, I\'ve led security transformation across regulated industries, including financial services, fintech, critical infrastructure, and high-growth technology, as a CISO, board advisor, and trusted partner to executives navigating complexity. I\'m typically engaged in environments facing rapid growth, regulatory pressure, operational gaps, M&A activity, AI adoption, or post-incident recovery where clarity, speed, and executive alignment are critical. A core strength is serving as a board-level translator of cyber, data, and AI risk. I help executives and directors understand what matters, why it matters, and where to invest without fear-based narratives or technical overload, so decisions are informed, timely, and defensible. In recent years, my work has increasingly focused on AI and data governance, assisting organizations in adopting emerging technologies responsibly while addressing model risk, data integrity, privacy, regulatory expectations, and trust. Through Cyberdiligent, I serve as a permanent CISO, interim or fractional leader, and trusted advisor to boards, executives, and investors—particularly in regulated industries, high-growth tech sectors, and PE-backed companies establishing or transforming their security programs.

Experience

1. Ians Faculty

   IANS

   Aug 2024 — Present · Boston, MA, US

   Provide experience-based advisory guidance to CISOs, security teams, executives, and boards navigating complex security and technology decisions.Deliver Ask-an-Expert advisory sessions to CISOs, security leaders, teams, and boards on emerging technology, risk management, strategy, and program execution.Help organizations translate technical risk into executive-ready decisions and operational guidance.Contribute to deployment-focused research, playbooks, executive education, and published thought leadership on cybersecurity, AI governance, and risk management.Coach CISOs and security leaders on board communication, regulatory engagement, crisis leadership, emerging technology adoption, risk strategy, and program maturity.

Education

• North Lake College

  Assoc. Applied Science, Computer Information Systems

• Columbia Southern University

  Bachelor of Science, Information Technology

• Pittsburg State University

  Master of Business Administration - MBA, International Business

• Lenana School

  High School Diploma

Skills

• Enterprise Privacy, Risk and Cyber Security Management Compliance & Regulations
• Compliance & Regulations: Pci, Sox, Ssae16 (Sas70), Ffiec, Glba, Hipaa
• Security Incident Response Programs & Plans
• Contingency Plans, Crisis Response and Management
• Threat and Vulnerability Assessment and Risk Management
• Vendor Management, Third Party Audits and Acquisitions
• Cybersecurity Policy and Program Framework Design and Development
• Security Awareness Training and Education
• Penetration Testing & Assessment
• Security Operations
• Cloud Security
• Security Architecture Design
• Web Application Security
• Vision Strategy and Execution
• Team Building and Mentoring
• Business Process Design & Engineering
• Customer Relationship Management
• Executive Decision Support
• IT Audit
• Software Development Life Cycle (Sdlc)
• Data Privacy
• Privacy Compliance
• Secure Sdlc
• Cissp
• Information Security
• Security
• Network Security
• Information Technology
• Vulnerability Assessment
• Networking
• Firewalls