Pavi Ramamurthy

Pavi Ramamurthy, the Global CIO and CSO of Blackhawk Network, shares over 20 years of security expertise. He discusses balancing security risks with business goals, urging startup founders to foster genuine conversations with CISOs. Insights on the true costs of vendor switching reveal that perception is crucial, while the rise of shadow AI mimics earlier IT trends. Ramamurthy emphasizes the power of CISO communities, challenges of vendor selection, and why 'best-of-suite' often prevails in decision-making. His mantra? "Know your CISO!"

Pavi Ramamurthy, the Global CISO and CIO at Blackhawk Network, brings a wealth of experience in security leadership. In this conversation, he discusses the challenges of communicating security risks to business leaders and how to manage rapid AI integrations while safeguarding data. They also tackle the pressures CISOs face from executives demanding perfection, the burnout factors leading many to leave their roles, and practical methods for evaluating security vendors amidst rising complexity.