PwC’s 2025 Cyber Exchange

Mathias Herzog is the President, Global Technology, Communications and Professional Services at Korn Ferry and is a member of the firm’s global leadership team. He is responsible for leading Korn Ferry’s consultants focused on these industries across all Korn Ferry lines of business.

Mathias also leads Korn Ferry Digital, the firm’s products and HR Tech business.  In this capacity he is responsible for Korn Ferry’s Talent Suite, IP and talent platform, which Korn Ferry’s clients leverage to deliver talent impact at scale across the entire talent lifecycle.

Prior to joining Korn Ferry, Mathias served in several executive roles focused on corporate strategy, business operations and GTM / Sales. He has held executive positions at Salesforce and Automation Anywhere, and was a Partner at multiple consulting firms, including PwC/Strategy&, Oliver Wyman and Infosys, where he led global and regional practices.

Mathias has worked with Fortune 1000 and pre-IPO technology companies as an operator and management consultant in North America, EMEA and APAC. He leverages his broad functional expertise in the technology industries and collaborates with colleagues across Korn Ferry’s competencies to create value for our clients.

Mathias studied International Business at Reutlingen University (Germany) and holds an MBA from Georgetown University.

John Hultquist is Chief Analyst at Google Threat Intelligence Group, having come to Google through its acquisition of Mandiant. John has over 25 years of experience in intelligence and special operations, principally covering emerging threats in cyber espionage. His team found and first publicly exposed the Russian threat actor best known as Sandworm. John is the founder of CYBERWARCON and SLEUTHCON, and he teaches at Johns Hopkins University. He is also aveteran of the US Army.

Rob served over 34 years at the NSA in multiple roles. He finished his career as the head of the Agency’s Cybersecurity Directorate. He also served on the White House National Security Council as a Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator, as well as Acting Homeland Security Advisor. Throughout his career, Rob led operations pursuing the most sophisticated hackers and innovated technologies to protect vital national assets—including US classified networks and nuclear authorization codes. He is now a Cyber, Risk & Regulatory Senior Fellow at PwC and the founder of Joyce Cyber LLC where serves on boards and in advisory capacities, utilizing his cybersecurity expertise.

In academia, private sector, government and media, Professor Juliette Kayyem is an international leader in crisis management and homeland security. Professor Kayyem serves as the faculty chair of the Homeland Security and Security and Global Health Projects at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Previously, she served as President Obama's Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and as MA Governor Deval Patrick's Homeland Security Advisor.

An on-air CNN Senior National Security Analyst, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and contributing writer for The Atlantic and Boston's local NPR station, GBH, Kayyem also consults for governors, mayors, public and private institutions on crisis management. She is a Senior Advisor to Teneo, the global consulting firm, and founded her own consulting firm to support the preparedness needs of companies, from Fortune 500 to startups. She was named Inc. Magazine’s top 100 Female Founders in 2019 and received the Lifetime Achievement Pinnacle Award from the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce in 2023.

Juliette is the author or editor of six books, including her most recent "The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters” which was described in a New Yorker profile of her as an “engagingly urgent blueprint for rethinking our approach to disaster preparedness and response.” Juliette lives in Cambridge, MA with her husband, Judge David Barron, and has three children.

Chris Krebs is a CBS News Contributor, as well as the founding partner of Krebs Stamos Group, and previously served as the first director of the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

Most recently, Krebs Stamos Group has merged with SentinelOne to create a new entity called PinnacleOne Strategic Advisory Group.

As Director, Krebs oversaw CISA’s efforts to manage risk to the nation’s businesses and government agencies, bringing together partners to collectively defend against cyber and physical threats. At CISA, Krebs also pioneered the Rumor Control program, which was designed to counter disinformation campaigns.

Before serving as CISA Director, Krebs served in various roles at the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for a range of cybersecurity, critical infrastructure and national resilience issues. Prior to his time at DHS, he directed U.S. cybersecurity policy for Microsoft, and advised industry and government clients on complex cybersecurity and business risk matters, while serving at positions with Obsidian Analysis and Dutko Consulting. He also served in the George W. Bush Administration, advising DHS leadership on domestic and international risk management and public - private partnership initiatives.

Krebs holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University.

Brett Leatherman is the Assistant Director of the FBI’s Cyber Division. Under Presidential Policy Directive 41, the FBI is the lead cyber threat response agency for the United States Government, and in this role, Mr. Leatherman serves as the senior executive managing the FBI’s strategy to impose cost on some of the most sophisticated cyber adversaries targeting US interests. Prior to this role, Mr. Leatherman held several key leadership roles within Cyber Division and the Dallas Division. Mr. Leatherman entered on duty as an FBI Special Agent in 2003. He first served in the Cleveland and Detroit Field Offices, while also serving as an FBI pilot and hostage negotiator. He graduated from Cornerstone University with a degree in Computer Information Systems and received a master’s degree in Cybersecurity Risk Management from Georgetown University. Mr. Leatherman holds several widely recognized cyber certifications and speaks domestically and internationally on emerging national security and cyber threats.

Nicole Perlroth spent 13 years leading cybersecurity coverage at The New York Times. Her Times bestseller, “This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends,” earned her the FT McKinsey “Best Business Book of the Year Award,” the Arthur J. Ross Award for Foreign Policy and was inducted into the Cybersecurity Canon Hall of Fame.

In 2021, she left journalism to go “inside the tent” to help solve the nation’s cyber challenges. She is a venture partner at Ballistic Ventures, managing director of her own cyber mission fund, Silver Buckshot, and served on the advisory committee of the DHS’ cyber defense agency, CISA, and the Council on Foreign Relations’ Cyber Task Force. She lectures at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Her podcast, “To Catch a Thief,” charts China’s rise to cyber dominance.

Chris Porter is the SVP and Chief Security Officer for Fannie Mae. He is responsible for enterprise-wide risk-based security including cybersecurity and workplace safety and security, as well the enterprise’s architecture strategy, platform and governance. He leads the development and execution of Fannie Mae’s defense and response capabilities including emerging threats/risk mitigation, policy development, and protection of the firm’s data and systems assets. He is responsible for security services to protect Fannie Mae sites and leadership. In addition, he is responsible for ensuring that Fannie Mae's technology and infrastructure is aligned with business goals and objectives.
 

Chris has over 20 years of experience in IT and security industries. His background includes work as an economist, network and system administrator, information security consultant and researcher. In a previous role at Verizon, Porter was a lead analyst and author of Verizon's Data Breach Investigations Report series. He was also the co-creator of the VERIS Framework (Vocabulary for Event Recording and Incident Sharing) which allows organizations to collect and report security incident metrics in a standard and repeatable manner.
 

Chris is a member of the Board of Directors at the FAIR Institute and the Safe Housing Alliance and a Board member of the Analysis and Resilience Center for System Risk (ARC). He is also a faculty member of the McIntire Business Institute at the University of Virginia.
 

Chris has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Psychology from the
University of Virginia and a Master’s degree in Management of Information Technology from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce. He has multiple recognitions over the years including CISO, Top 100 CISOs; Cyber Defense Magazine Top CISO and Top Global CISO; HotTropics.ht and Forcepoint, Global CISO 100 List as well as FAIR Institute, FAIR Champion Award; named Trailblazing CISO by Cyber Defense Magazine.

A bestselling author, leadership advisor, keynote speaker and ‘courage catalyst’, Dr. Margie Warrell brings deep insight into human and organizational behavior to foster braver leadership and better outcomes.

Dr. Margie Warrell is a globally recognized expert in leadership and human behavior, renowned for her ability to help leaders and organizations unlock untapped potential by countering the underlying dynamics that inhibit bold thinking, decisive action, and transformative growth.

Growing up in rural Australia instilled in Margie a deep understanding of resilience and the courage required to navigate uncertainty. Over the past three decades, she has lived and worked across five continents, gaining a globally grounded perspective on overcoming the forces that stifle innovation and limit performance in individuals and organizations alike.

Drawing on her doctoral research in leadership and coaching, as well as extensive experience consulting for Fortune 500 companies, Margie has become a trusted advisor to boards and leaders across the private, public and government sectors. She specializes in cultivating courageous cultures that strengthen decision-making, elevate team performance and accelerate transformative change.

Her expertise has been sought by leading organizations such as NASA, Dell, Morgan Stanley, Novartis, Google, and Johnson & Johnson. Her insights also extend to policy influencers and emerging global leaders, including U.S. Congressional Chiefs and McCain Global Fellows.

As a sought-after speaker and thought leader, Margie bridges the gap between strategy and human behavior, weaving insights from her collaborations with luminaries like Bill Marriott, Richard Branson, Ken Blanchard, and Amy Edmondson.

Through her Forbes column, Live Brave podcast, and appearances on CNN, Bloomberg, and The Wall Street Journal, she inspires audiences to rethink fear, lead with purpose, and embrace the courage to drive meaningful impact.

A passionate advocate for advancing women in leadership, Margie has contributed to government roundtables, spearheaded initiatives to elevate more women to decision - making roles, and co-led Korn Ferry’s Power of All program during her tenure as a Senior Partner in their CEO & Enterprise Leadership Institute.

Margie’s latest book, The Courage Gap (Jan ‘25), distills her decades of research and experience, providing a roadmap for closing the gap between potential and performance.

Based in Alexandria, Virginia, Margie balances her professional endeavors with her love of adventure. A lifelong hiker and aspiring barista, she finds inspiration scaling mountains, including summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro with her husband and four children.

Morgan Adamski most recently joined PwC as a U.S. Leader for their Cyber, Data, and Technology business. Prior to joining PwC, Morgan served as the highest ranking civilian and third in Command at United States Cyber Command. In this role, she led Department of Defense initiatives focused on rapidly integrating technology for operational outcomes, adoption of artificial intelligence for offensive and defensive cyber operations, and building strong public-private partnerships to protect against cyber threats.

Morgan’s extensive leadership experience includes more than 15 years as a Senior Executive at the National Security Agency spanning positions leading computer network defense, exploitation, and analysis. She revitalized public-private cybersecurity collaboration as the inaugural Director of NSA’s Cybersecurity Collaboration Center and has been at the forefront of the U.S. Government’s cyber defense strategy for the past five years. Ms. Adamski was also a passionate leader for promoting Women in cybersecurity initiatives throughout her career.

Vikas Agarwal is Partner and Commercial Technology Officer for Advisory at PwC, where he is recognized as a leader of leaders, a visionary strategist, and an innovative thinker who leads his team to push boundaries and uncover what’s next while turning obstacles into opportunities. He blends the proven success of a global business executive with the forward-looking mindset of a technology pioneer. With more than 20 years of experience guiding financial institutions worldwide through risk, regulation, and transformation, Vikas has built a reputation for pairing deep business insight with bold, technology-driven execution.

As PwC’s Commercial Technology Officer, Vikas defines the vision and sets the direction for a global network of world-class technology strategists, product innovators, engineering pioneers, and UX design leaders. Under his leadership, these innovative teams don’t just deliver projects — they build the future of consulting. From AI-powered platforms and agent-driven workflows to user-centered solutions, his teams create outcomes that are scalable, intuitive, and transformative. His ability to articulate a bold vision and rally some of the best leaders in the industry around it ensures PwC’s technology strategy consistently translates into measurable client value.

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Building upon his previous successes as PwC’s Financial Services Risk & Regulatory Leader, Vikas anchors his innovation agenda in trust, compliance, and controls. He ensures that every breakthrough balances responsibility with ambition. His leadership philosophy — “ignite where the fire is hottest” — captures his commitment to pursuing the toughest challenges, inspiring leaders, and co-innovating with clients to bring bold ideas to market.

At his core, Vikas believes that vision without execution is incomplete, and execution without outcomes is irrelevant. By leading leaders and guiding their vision, he ensures PwC delivers solutions that don’t just respond to client needs today — they set the standard for what comes next.

Matt Gorham currently leads PwC’s Cyber and Risk Innovation Institute. Prior to his current role, he had a twenty-five-year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Among other leadership roles during his tenure, Matt served as the Director of the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force (NCIJTF) and the Deputy Assistant Director of the Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG), where he oversaw the FBI's national crisis response assets.

In his final FBI role, Matt served as the Assistant Director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, where he led all FBI cyber investigations and operations for nation state and criminal actors. In addition, after retirement from the FBI, he served a four-year term on the United States Secret Service, Cyber Investigative Advisory Board.

Amandeep is a Partner, and he leads PwC’s Cybersecurity & Privacy for theWashington Metro market. He has over fourteen years of experience leading a teamof security and IT audit consultants in providing security strategy, threat andvulnerability management, and technical security assurance services for largemultinational organizations.

Amandeep specializes in leading threat based information security organization andcapability risk assessments; developing and implementing security strategies,policies and standards; penetration testing and vulnerability assessments; andtechnical security audits and assessments for networks, operating systems,databases, emerging technologies and platforms (cloud, mobile, and social).​

Amandeep leads PwC’s center of excellence for Threat and VulnerabilityManagement for developing and delivering advanced capabilities in penetrationtesting and ethical hacking, as well as infrastructure and network security.

He is a recognized information risk and security speaker and trainer and hasdelivered training courses and presentations for SANS, ISACA, IIA, state agencies,and numerous organizations. He holds a degree in Computer Science fromUniversity of Maryland, College Park, and is a Certified Information SystemsSecurity Professional (CISSP) and Project Management Professional (PMP).

Kristen is a Cybersecurity Partner at PwC and a U.S. Army Veteran. She is one of PwC’s global subject matter specialists in cybersecurity program transformation and governance, risk, and compliance (GRC), with a specialty focus on cyber risk management analytics. In addition to delivering cybersecurity projects within the telecommunications, technology, and media industries, she is the Lead Client Partner for a high-profile tech company, responsible for overall account management and execution.

Kristen successfully led the cybersecurity organization integration of two major technology companies during a complex deal transaction that included high-profile breach activity. She has designed and implemented several cyber GRC programs, including one for a Fortune 50 telecom company.

Before joining PwC, she served as an active-duty Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, specializing in communication security. She is a regular speaker at technical conferences and was recently named one of Philadelphia Business Journal’s 2024 Veterans in Business honorees.

Kristen is a former volunteer at the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House and a LEADERSHIP Philadelphia Fellow. She resides in the city with her husband, where they enjoy riding their scooters to explore the architecture and history of Philadelphia. She holds a bachelor's degree from Drexel University, as well as numerous technical certifications.

Joe is PwC's Network Information Security Managing Partner and US CISO. He recently assumed these roles after 28 years of experience as a Cybersecurity Consultant in PwC's consulting practice. He is energized by interacting with people and building new relationships. Joe enjoys helping teams achieve their goals.

He loves understanding the technical challenges of information security & translating these into practical business solutions that are achievable in a corporate culture. Joe has developed a broad network of trusted relationships within PwC and the information security community.

Joe graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Notre Dame and is also responsible for leading PwC’s campus recruiting efforts at Notre Dame. He is a frequent speaker at conferences such as Blackhat, FS-ISAC, LOMA, and other leading industry events. He has been quoted in number of publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Forbes, PCWorld, SC Magazine, and Wall Street & Technology.

Joe and his, wife Laura, make their home in Chicago and have two children: Molly and Nicholas. Joe also joined the Board of Trustees for Roosevelt University in 2021 where he serves on the Audit Committee and the Academic Affairs Committee.

Avinash Rajeev is a seasoned Principal and Platform Leader at PwC, where he leads the US Cyber, Data & Tech Risk business. With a distinguished career spanning over two decades in cybersecurity and risk consulting, he began his Identity & Access Management (IAM) journey at Novell before becoming a key leader at PwC—where he has held strategic roles such as Chief Operating Officer of Cyber, Risk & Reg, IAM Leader, and Acceleration Center Partner Champion.

Avinash is widely respected for his leadership in driving complex, large -scale IAM and cybersecurity initiatives across global Fortune 500 clients. He brings a powerful combination of technical expertise and commercial acumen, designing and implementing IAM strategies and systems that improve resilience, ensure regulatory compliance, and align seamlessly with business goals.

 A values-centered leader, Avinash leads with authenticity, transparency, and integrity. His leadership style emphasizes building trust, nurturing high-performance teams, and delivering sustainable outcomes. He is known for embracing difficult conversations and fostering meaningful change through character-driven leadership.

Recognized as an expert in IAM and the broader cybersecurity strategy domain, Avinash has been featured as a panelist in the industry event “Time to Kill the Password?”—a collaboration between PwC, ForgeRock, and IDC—where he shared his insights as PwC’s IAM Implementation Partner.

Avinash holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics from the University of Mumbai, where he developed the strong technical foundation that has underpinned his career in cybersecurity, technology strategy, and leadership.