Edna Conway

Edna Conway is an innovative board director and global C-suite leader who forecasts the future of business and creates clear strategies to deliver new and secure operating models for the digital economy. She has held Chief Security & Risk Officer roles in $245B technology companies including Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) and Cisco (Nasdaq:CSCO). She has delivered cyber security, risk management, AI, governance, compliance, sustainability, operations, engineering, legal affairs, physical security, and supply chain transformation in Asia, North America, Europe, South America, and Australia. She has led due diligence on supply chain, security, and third-party risk for over 60 M&A transactions, JVs, and divestitures for deals upwards of $7B. A widely recognized authority on innovation, growth, strategy, and relationship-building, she has influenced security frameworks and international standards, U.S. governing bodies and intelligence agencies, NATO, and NASA. Edna has served on over 12 boards including Attabotics (Chair & ACC), Critical Start, and Gallaudet University (Audit Chair). She advises Dust Identity, Infosec Global, and PE and VC funds including Vista, Long Ridge Equity Partners, Night Dragon, Iconiq, Insight Partners. As CEO of EMC Advisors, she counsels CEOs, boards, and global governments. She is a Sr. Nonresident Fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and chairs U.S. government working groups on cutting edge technology, security, and risk. She advises companies in the F100 in the U.S. and the F50 in Europe, guiding boards and C-suite through crisis, disaster recovery, and regulatory changes to ensure business continuity. Previously, Edna served as Chief Security & Risk Officer at Microsoft Cloud, where she developed award-winning security architectures, protected billions in revenue, and enhanced compliance to 94%. At Cisco, she held several executive roles, including CSO for the Global Value Chain and Manufacturing Supply Chain and led strategies to protect multibillion-dollar revenues, saved millions through R&D and sustainability efforts, combatted third-party risks, and drove int'l standards. Earlier in her career, Edna held senior positions in Cisco’s legal, supply chain, and engineering organizations. She held a TS/SCI security clearance, has been inducted into Fortune Most Powerful Women, the Global Cyber Security Hall of Fame, and received the Top Woman in Technology and Fed 100 award. She is a passionate advocate for food security and the deaf community. In her free time, she enjoys rowing and marksmanship.