In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, securing an organization is no longer just about having the latest technology. True resilience comes from the synergy between people, processes, and technology. But how do organizations strike the right balance? How do we build a culture that not only recognizes but intuitively manages risks? And what role does continuous training play in fortifying the human firewall?

Join us for a fireside chat with industry leaders Daria Catalui and Steve Purser as they dive deep into these critical questions. Together, they will explore the complexities of cybersecurity beyond traditional checklists and procedures. Through engaging discussions, Daria and Steve will:

• Analyze the people-process-technology model and reveal why many organizations struggle to balance these elements effectively.
• Discuss the importance of cultural alignment in driving security success.
• Introduce the concept of “electronic common sense” – developing intuitive risk management models that go beyond mere compliance.
• Differentiate between general awareness training and more specific security training that truly makes an impact.
• Examine the interplay between knowledge and experience, and why both are indispensable in today’s security landscape.
• Offer actionable recommendations on organizing effective training programs, including common pitfalls to avoid.
• Emphasize the importance of ongoing human firewall training alongside necessary updates to technical defenses.
• Highlight the critical need to know your assets and vulnerabilities to ensure a strong security posture.
• Explore how well-trained humans are the strongest asset in any organization, moving away from the outdated mindset of the “weakest link.”
• Address how AI demands a sharper focus on both human and technical defenses to stay ahead of emerging threats.

Drawing from their shared experience in public-private cybersecurity partnerships and large-scale exercises such as Cyber Europe, Daria and Steve will also share best practices and lessons learned in building resilient human and technical defenses.

This fireside chat promises to provide practical insights and strategic guidance to help you fortify your organization’s most valuable line of defence – its people.

Speakers: Steve Purser and Daria Catalui

Steve Purser

Steve is a cybersecurity practitioner with over 30 years’ experience.
He graduated from Bristol University in the UK with a Batchelor of Science in Chemistry and subsequently completed a doctorate in Chemical Physics at the University of East Anglia.
He began his professional career in 1985 as a software developer and project manager with Logica SD (UK) and moved to Logica SA (Belgium) in 1998 following a year consulting in network implementation in Florida (USA). In 1993, he joined CETREL as a project manager, but took on the position of Head of Information Security later that year. He subsequently occupied Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) level posts in the Banque Générale du Luxembourg and Clearstream Services.
In 2008, he joined the EU Network & Information Security Agency (ENISA) as Head of Operations, a post he held until 2021. During this time, he was responsible for strategy and for execution of the annual work program. He was also active in stakeholder development and was a member of several boards (including CERT EU, Europol EC3, ANSA and Trust in Digital Life (TDL)). He subsequently held the posts of Chief Technology Officer and Policy Advisor to the Executive Director.
Steve has been a regular speaker in international conferences for many years and has published several articles in the specialised press. He is the author of ‘A Praactical Guide to Managing Information Security’ (Artech House, 2004). Steve is now an independent cybersecurity consultant.

Daria Catalui

Daria is a cyber security training and awareness professional with working experience in EU’s cyber security agency- ENISA, the European Commission and the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. She is an advocate for the following projects, which she had the chance to kick-off and helped grow for public awareness and scaled-up for impact: Cyber Aware and CyberReadyGame, European Cyber Security Month, NIS quiz, NIS educational map, European cyber security challenge and the Annual Privacy Forum. Furthermore, Daria is conducting research with focus on gamification and initiated CyberEDU project. She speaks regularly at international conferences.

CPE: 1 point