The CEO’s Role in Cyber Resilience with Abdel Abatouy, CTO, CIO, FCM Travel and Christopher Lek, Director, Cybersecurity, NTU
In today's digital-first world, cyber resilience is no longer just an IT concern—it’s a critical business priority. Cyber threats are evolving, and CEOs and founders must lead the charge in safeguarding their businesses from data breaches, ransomware attacks, and operational disruptions.

Cyber resilience is more than just cybersecurity; it involves risk management, rapid response, and business continuity planning to ensure enterprises can withstand and recover from cyber incidents. Leadership plays a fundamental role in setting the tone for a security-first culture, ensuring teams are equipped to detect, respond, and recover from cyber threats efficiently.

(Explore Asia Tech x Singapore cybersecurity sessions for leaders to gain strategic insights into cyber resilience. View our full agenda here.)

Understanding Cyber Resilience: Approaching Cybersecurity

Cyber resilience is the ability of an organisation to anticipate, withstand, recover from, and adapt to cyber threats and security incidents. Unlike traditional cybersecurity, which focuses on preventing attacks, cyber resilience ensures an enterprise can continue operations even during an ongoing attack.

Key Components of Cyber Resilience:

• Prevention: Implementing robust security measures to reduce vulnerabilities.
• Detection: Monitoring and identifying cyber threats in real-time.
• Response: Reacting swiftly to contain cyber incidents and minimise impact.
• Recovery: Ensuring business continuity and post-attack resilience.

The Evolving Role of the CEO and Founder in Cyber Resilience:

• Cybersecurity is a business risk, not just a technical issue.
• CEOs and founders must integrate cyber risk management into corporate governance.

Leadership must drive cybersecurity awareness across all departments.

(Security and business leaders will discuss the CEO’s role in cyber resilience during speaker sessions at ATxEnterprise. Take a look here to find out more.)

Leadership Strategies for Building Cyber Resilience
Fostering a Cybersecurity-First Mindset

Cyber resilience starts with executive leadership setting the right example. CEOs and founders should:

• Establish cyber resilience as a board-level priority.
• Encourage cross-functional collaboration between IT, security and business units.
• Integrate cybersecurity into business strategy rather than treating it as an afterthought.

Building a Security Strategy Aligned with Business Goals

• Risk-Based Approach: Security strategies should align with business objectives and risk appetite.

• Proactive Cyber Threat Intelligence: Use AI and machine learning to predict and mitigate risks.

• Zero Trust Architecture: Implement strict access controls to limit exposure to cyber threats.

Creating Cross-Functional Collaboration Between IT and Leadership Teams

• IT and security teams must work directly with executives to ensure cyber resilience.
• CEOs should regularly review security policies and assess risk exposure.
• Clear communication between leadership and technical teams is essential for incident preparedness.

(Gain insights from CISOs and CEOs on cybersecurity governance as they share real-world experiences on driving cybersecurity leadership. Take a look at our full agenda here.)

Risk Management Frameworks for Cyber Resilience
Key Frameworks for Building Resilience

Businesses can adopt industry-proven risk management frameworks to enhance cyber resilience:

• NIST Cybersecurity Framework – A structured approach to identifying, protecting, detecting, responding, and recovering from cyber threats.

• ISO 27001 – A global information security management standard ensuring compliance and best practices.
• CIS Controls – A set of best practices for cyber defence, helping businesses prioritise security efforts.

Risk Assessment Processes: Identifying Threats

• Conduct regular risk assessments to identify potential vulnerabilities.

• Implement continuous monitoring and threat intelligence solutions.

• Utilise AI-driven analytics to anticipate evolving threats.

(Want to learn how to integrate risk management into business strategy? Explore how you can do that by checking out our speaker sessions here.)

Incident Response: How to Prepare for Cyber Attacks

No business is immune to cyberattacks, making incident response planning essential.

Why CEOs Must Be Involved in Incident Response Planning:

• Cyberattacks impact business operations, reputation, and customer trust.

• Executives must coordinate crisis communication and response strategies.
• Leadership engagement ensures swift decision-making during cyber crises.
  

Steps for Creating an Effective Incident Response Plan

1. Develop a Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT) with defined roles and responsibilities.
2. Implement a clear communication strategy to handle internal and external messaging.
3. Regularly test response protocols through cybersecurity simulations and tabletop exercises.

Role of Leadership in Communicating During a Cyberattack

• CEOs and founders must ensure transparency while maintaining customer confidence.
• Avoid misinformation by working closely with legal and PR teams.

(Find out more on how to prepare, respond, and recover from cyberattacks. Discuss real-world incident response case studies with our speakers at ATxEnterprise.)

Business Continuity Planning: Ensuring Operations During a Cyber Crisis with Dennis Chan, Chief Security Officer (Singapore, Brunei), Huawei

The CEO’s Role in Business Continuity Planning

• Ensure the company has disaster recovery measures in place.

• Develop strategies to minimise downtime and financial losses.
• Regularly test and update business continuity plans based on cyber threat intelligence.

Technologies & Strategies to Ensure Minimal Disruption

• Cloud-Based Disaster Recovery: Ensures fast data restoration after an attack.

• Automated Security Monitoring: AI-driven tools detect threats before they escalate.

• Redundant Infrastructure: Backup systems to maintain business operations.

(CEOs share best practices on disaster recovery and cyber resilience. Find out more by viewing our full conference agenda.)

Empowering the Workforce: A Culture of Cybersecurity Awareness

Why Cybersecurity Training Should Be a Priority for Leadership

Employees are often the weakest link in cybersecurity. Many cyberattacks, including phishing, ransomware, and social engineering scams, exploit human error rather than technical vulnerabilities. CEOs and founders must recognize that building a security-aware workforce is just as critical as investing in advanced security technology.

• Employees handle sensitive data daily—they must be equipped to detect threats.

• Cyberattacks can bypass even the best security systems through human negligence.

• Regulatory frameworks like GDPR and ISO 27001 mandate security awareness training.

When cyber resilience becomes a company-wide priority, organisations drastically reduce their risk exposure and increase operational security.

Strategies for Fostering a Culture of Security

• Conduct regular cybersecurity awareness training.

• Encourage a zero-trust approach to data access.

• Implement security policies with clear accountability.

Measuring the Effectiveness of Cybersecurity Awareness Programs

• Phishing simulations to test employee responses.
• Cybersecurity maturity assessments to track progress.