What to Look for in a Cybersecurity Speaker: A Buyer’s Guide for Event Planners

As technology, AI, and global events continue to evolve faster than ever, cybersecurity has become an increasingly important conversation for many organizations. New threats can affect everything from day-to-day operations and employee behavior to business resilience and long-term planning.

Cybersecurity is also a broad field, and the experts who speak on it can come from very different backgrounds. A former CISO, hacker, cybercrime investigator, or national security expert may each bring a distinct perspective on where risks come from, how organizations are affected, and what deserves attention.

For event planners, understanding those differences can help narrow the options and identify the expertise that makes sense for the event. An experienced speakers bureau can also help you sort through those distinctions, compare experts, and identify speakers whose backgrounds align with what you want the session to accomplish.

Here are six areas to consider when choosing a cybersecurity speaker.

1. Start With What You Want People to Take Away

Before comparing speakers with a bureau, consider what is most relevant to your audience and what you want them to gain from the conversation.

A few areas can help bring that into focus:

  • What matters most to your audience? Consider the cybersecurity issues affecting their work, organization, or industry, along with developments they may need to understand or prepare for.
  • What are their biggest challenges and opportunities? Think about what is keeping them up at night, as well as where new technology or ways of working are raising questions they may not have had to consider before.
  • What should people be able to do with the information? Consider whether the session should help them make a decision, respond differently to a potential threat, ask better questions, or assess an issue with greater context.

These answers can give you a more focused brief as you begin evaluating potential speakers.

2. Consider the Speaker’s Cybersecurity Background

A speaker’s professional background can tell you a lot about the kinds of cybersecurity issues they are equipped to address.

  • Former CISOs and security executives can bring firsthand experience managing cyber exposure inside organizations, including decisions around preparedness, governance, and resilience.
  • Intelligence and national security experts can connect cyber activity to state actors, global conflicts, critical infrastructure, and broader security concerns.
    • Paul M. Nakasone – Former NSA Director & Commander, US Cyber Command
    • Robert Joyce – NSA Cybersecurity Director (2021-2024)
    • Beth Sanner – Former Deputy Director of National Intelligence
    • Kemba Walden – Former Acting U.S. National Cyber Director
    • Sean Roche – Former Associate Deputy Director for CIA
    • Vinh Nguyen – Former NSA Chief Responsible AI Officer
  • Hackers and security researchers can show how vulnerabilities are found and exploited, giving people a closer look at how an attacker approaches a system or target.

3. Look for Someone Who Can Make Technical Issues Accessible

Deep technical knowledge can be difficult to translate into a keynote, particularly for people who don’t work in security. As you review potential speakers, it’s helpful to pay attention to how they make complicated ideas easier to understand.

That might include: 

  • Case studies that show how an attack happened and what can be learned from it.
  • Live demonstrations that give the audience a firsthand look at how a vulnerability can be exploited.
  • Visuals and multimedia that make technical concepts easier to follow.
  • Real-world examples and stories that connect cybersecurity to situations the audience can recognize.

This is also an area where a speakers bureau can be especially helpful. Beyond reviewing a demo reel, a bureau may have seen the speaker present live or have feedback from clients about how well they communicate with nontechnical audiences.

4. Make Sure Their Expertise Is Current

The cybersecurity landscape changes quickly, so it’s worth understanding how a speaker stays connected to the field and keeps their presentation relevant.

As you evaluate a speaker, consider:

  • How close they are to the field today. Current executive roles, research, advisory work, investigations, or other hands-on experience can keep a speaker connected to new developments.
  • How often they update their material. Recent videos and presentation descriptions can give you a sense of whether their keynote reflects changes in areas such as AI, cybercrime, and technology.
  • Whether they can incorporate timely developments. A significant breach, attack, or geopolitical event shortly before your event could warrant a mention, particularly when it relates directly to the subject of the session.

5. Look for a Speaker Who Can Put Cyber Threats in Context

Cybersecurity lends itself to attention-grabbing stories. A sophisticated attack, major breach, or demonstration of what a hacker can do may capture an audience, but the value comes from helping them understand what that example means for them.

Pay attention to whether a speaker can distinguish between:

  • What deserves attention now and what is still emerging. New threats don’t all develop at the same pace or carry the same implications.
  • What is possible and what is probable. A scenario may be technically possible without being equally likely for every organization or industry.
  • Where organizations have some control. A useful discussion can help attendees recognize where changes in behavior, processes, or planning could make a difference and what they may simply need to keep watching.

The strongest cyber stories give audiences more than a reason to pay attention. They help them judge what deserves their attention in the first place.

Questions to Ask Before You Book

Once you have narrowed your options, a few questions can help you compare speakers:

  • Given what we want to accomplish, what would you focus on?
     
  • Is there anything about our industry or organization that would change how you approach the topic?
  • What have you changed in your keynote as the cyber environment has changed?
  • What do you want to learn from us before the event?
  • Can we see recent video from a comparable event?

Pay attention to the questions you get in return. Someone who wants to understand the purpose of the event before recommending an approach may give you a better sense of how they will prepare once booked.

Find the Right Cybersecurity Speaker With Leading Authorities

Finding the right cybersecurity speaker often involves details that aren’t easy to assess from a bio or demo reel alone. Firsthand knowledge of a speaker’s presentation, communication style, subject-matter strengths, and past audiences can provide valuable context when comparing options.

Leading Authorities works with cybersecurity speakers with backgrounds in business, national security, cybercrime, emerging threats, and organizational preparedness. Our team can help you compare different perspectives and find an expert suited to the conversation you want to have.

To learn more or find a cybersecurity speaker for your next event:

  • Call us at 855-827-9635
  • Email [email protected]
  • Start a live chat
  • Fill out our contact form