Marcos Semola

About Marcos Semola

I\'ve spent 30+ years protecting critical infrastructure, building enterprise and cyber resilience, and turning cybersecurity from a cost center into a competitive advantage. Today, I\'m focused on what I believe is the most consequential challenge in our field: the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, as a strategist, where the organizations that get it right will lead, and those that don\'t will be left exposed. As Managing Director at Accenture Security, I lead the Energy Security USA business, supported by a team of professionals protecting the world\'s largest oil & gas, power, and utility operators. We work across IT/OT convergence, AI governance, GRC, enterprise risk management, regulatory compliance (NERC CIP, TSA Pipeline Security), and business resilience within a global practice of Before Accenture, I scaled EY\'s cybersecurity advisory practice 4.6x across Latin America in five years. At Shell, I safeguarded a multi-billion-dollar Gas & Power operation from the Netherlands and led IT transformation across Shell Latin America\'s Downstream business. I also built Atos\' security practice in Brazil from scratch and expanded it to the UK. The constant across every role: translating technical complexity into board-level decisions. Not threat reports, outcomes. Not compliance checkboxes, resilience and business trust. I\'ve advised boards and C-suites on cybersecurity strategy, enterprise risk management, digital transformation, and AI risk governance, always connecting security investment to business value. I hold degrees from Harvard Business School, UCP, and FGV, where I taught information security for 25 years. I’ve completed the HBS\'s Generative AI Strategy and Execution program to deepen my work at the AI-cybersecurity intersection. Certified in CISM, CIPM, CDPSE, PCI/DSS, ISO27kLA, and CCISO. Author of 8 books on risk management. Awards include IAPP Global Vanguard (2023, one of five worldwide), Security Leader of the Year finalist (2023), IRM Professional of the Year (2008), and LinkedIn Top Voice (2022). Regular speaker at global industry cybersecurity events. Outside work, I mentor STEM leaders at RISE University and UT Austin. I enjoy connecting with CISOs, CIOs, CEOs, and board members navigating cybersecurity, AI risk, and enterprise resilience in energy, finance and critical infrastructure. If you\'re building something that needs this kind of experience, I\'m always open to the conversation.

Experience

1. Managing Director, Security Lead

   Accenture

   Apr 2024 — Present · Houston, TX, US

   Managing Director and member of the Global Security Leadership, accountable for the Energy Security USA P&L, a $165M operation within Accenture\'s $10B global security business. Accountable for the performance of the portfolio, with a team of local and global security professionals protecting Fortune 500 energy clients across IT/OT convergence, AI governance, GRC, enterprise risk management, regulatory compliance (NERC CIP, TSA Pipeline Security), and business resilience.Delivered 31.3% YoY sales growth in FY2025 through innovative solutions leveraging global offshore, nearshore, and onshore teams.

Education

• Estácio

  Specialization

  1996 — 1997

• UERJ

  Post Graduation

  1999 — 2000

• HEC Paris

  Master's degree (on hold)

  2017

• Universidade Católica de Petrópolis

  Bachelor of

  1991 — 1996

• FGV - Fundação Getulio Vargas

  MBA

  1998 — 1999

• Harvard Business School Executive Education

  Diploma of Education

  2026 — 2026

• Harvard Business School

  Certificate

  2016 — 2017

• The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

  Certificate

  2006 — 2006

Skills

• Professional Mentoring
• Project Management
• Cyber-Security
• Enterprise Resource Planning (Erp)
• Business Strategy
• Management Consulting
• Bottom Line Results
• Management
• Security
• Iso 27001
• Governance
• Business Process Improvement
• Information Technology
• Service Delivery
• Project Delivery
• IT Audit
• Business Analysis
• Cobit
• IT Operations
• IT Management
• Pre-Sales
• Business Continuity
• Disaster Recovery
• Business Development
• Security Management
• Risk Assessment
• IT Consulting
• IT Service Management
• Change Management
• Integration
• Pmi
• Stakeholder Management
• Portfolio Management
• Information Security Management
• Itil
• Partnerships
• Strategy
• Risk Management
• IT Grc
• Business Intelligence