CISO conversations: From Risk to Readiness in the Age of AI

In today’s hyperconnected world, the question is no longer “Will we be attacked?” — it’s “How ready are we when it happens?”

Join Jayant Dave, CISO, Asia Pacific and Japan at Check Point Software Technologies, and Sunil Kulkarni, CISO at Protean eGov Technologies, in conversation with Simon Piff, Vice President of Research, IDC as they explore how business and security leaders can move beyond reactive defense to build intelligent, adaptive, and AI-driven cyber resilience.

Through this session, you’ll gain practical insights into how leading organizations are:

• Designing security architectures that are proactive by design, not reactive by necessity.
• Turning GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) and Data Privacy frameworks into engines of trust and business growth.
• Leveraging AI and next-gen security technologies to predict, prevent, and respond faster than ever before.

Sunil Kulkarni joined Protean eGov Technologies in August 2022 as VP, CISO. He brings with him over 19 years of experience in the field of Information Technology & Information Security, having successfully led several projects in developing enterprise security roadmap, managing security operations and implementing security projects. In his all-encompassing journey, Sunil has witnessed the cyber security evolution from traditional information security to cyber security.

A proven strategic leader, Sunil is passionate about creating tangible business value using security solutions and innovation to drive and deliver business results.

Prior to joining Protean eGov Technologies, Sunil led the Information Security team at Bajaj Allianz Life, Bajaj Housing Finance, AGS Transact Technologies Ltd. where he enabled and enhanced information and cyber security processes and systems for smoother experience to Business. Sunil has also worked with Reliance Capital Ltd. HDFC Life, ControlCase as PCI DSS QSA and Wipro Infotech in the past.

Sunil holds a Master of Business Administration degree and completed his graduation in Commerce and Law. Subsequently he completed his certifications in Information Security Standards (ISO 27001:2013 Lead Auditor), CISSP, CISM, CEH.

 Jayant Dav

Jayant provides strategic cybersecurity guidance and drives growth through partnerships, leveraging his extensive expertise.  His 20+ year career features a proven record of leading global cybersecurity initiatives at Citibank Asia Pacific, cultivating strong relationships with regulators and stakeholders, and significantly enhancing organizational reputation and credibility. 

 Simon Piff, Vice President Research, IDC

Simon Piff is research vice president for IDC's Asia/Pacific (AP) region based in Singapore. After almost 30 years in the AP IT scene, there are very few areas Simon has not spent time working within — be it cloud computing, business intelligence, datacenter management, security, and automation. From building ISPs in the 90s to explaining distributed ledger technologies in the 2019, he has always been across the leading-edge technology innovation and implementation across the AP region.

Always with a keen eye on how IT brings value to business leaders, Simon is able to articulate the key messages around these technological areas that need to be modernized for the Future Enterprise, the value they bring, and some sound advice on the next steps for technology practitioners and the C-suite alike.

Currently running the Future of Digital Infrastructure research program for IDC Asia/Pacific, the topics of data management, security, cloud architectures, as well as the more physical storage, compute, and network layers all fall under his remit.