The EWF has established the BISO Forum to allow our BISO members and member organizations with BISO practices or BISO-like roles to be part of a safe community. Collaborating to share expertise, build trusted relationships, and support each other’s personal and professional success to accelerate the realization of the BISO role within their organization and the industry. We are so excited to be able to provide this Forum this year and are thrilled about the engagement we have seen so far. As part of the BISO Forum launch, Kerstin Zell, EWF’s VP of Operations and Strategy, sat down with Target’s Senior Director of Cybersecurity Brenda Bjerke to discuss the Forum and the emerging role of BISOs in security organizations.
Please meet:
Brenda Bjerke is a Senior Director of Cybersecurity at Target where she leads the Cyber Risk team. In her role, she is responsible for Business Information Security Officer (BISO), Cybersecurity Management Office, Information Security Policy, Training & Awareness, Vendor Security, Payments & Compliance (PCI, GLBA, SOX & HIPAA) teams for the enterprise. She also serves on the Board of Advisors for the EWF. Connect with Brenda-LinkedIn
Kerstin Zell, VP of Operations and Strategy for the Executive Women’s Forum, where she is responsible for developing and articulating strategy, providing oversight, and daily management of the EWF as part of the executive leadership team. In past roles, Kerstin has led the operations of a Security Services Organization, managed the implementation of a Fortune 50 GRC program, and consulted across multiple industries in various roles centered around strategy, process, technology, communication, and transformation. Connect with Kerstin-LinkedIn
Read the Interview:
Kerstin: Thank you, Brenda. We appreciate you and Target’s support of the BISO Forum. Can you share more about your program?
Brenda: I was delighted to hear that EWF is launching a BISO Forum this year. Target has been on a multi-year journey with BISO, and the value continues to evolve and grow so this Forum will be significant for our BISO team. We are always looking to connect to learn from other BISO organizations. Over the years, we have seen so many different organizational models, scope responsibilities, and engagement models. While each organization is different, there is always a lesson learned that you can bring back and apply to your BISO team. Success metrics or measurable goals for BISO seem to be a consistent challenge for organizations; I am eager to dig deeper on this topic!
“We hope the BISO Forum will inspire women through thought leadership and allow them to address critical priorities.”
Kerstin: The BISO Forum is a great place to dig deeper into best practices and ideas and engage with peers to receive peer support and create authentic relationships. We hope the BISO Forum will inspire women through thought leadership and allow them to address critical priorities. The EWF offers multiple forums (C-Suite, Women of Influence, Women Leaders in the Cloud, Rising Leaders) developed to serve its specific audience and provide the best possible platform for that group. We establish the appropriate meeting format and cadence, recognizing individual roles and topics that need a unique approach.
Brenda: BISO is one of the most unique and special roles across Cybersecurity. As a BISO, you get to work with tech, cyber, business strategies and communicate with all sorts of audiences. It’s the perfect role to experience during your career journey to help prepare for longer-term goals. You can gain hands-on learning to support your development plans. As a BISO, you will have such a unique experience. After just a short time, you will quickly be learning and ultimately be set up for success to go deeper as a SME or go big and become a CISO!
Kerstin: Yes, absolutely – and building women leaders is our passion here at the EWF! This year we are celebrating 20 years of building women leaders. We are so thrilled to be back in person for our 20th Annual Conference in Arizona to experience the sisterhood we have created over the last 20 years. It is a fantastic year to become part of this Forum and join our sisterhood! And I am excited to meet all our outstanding members, including our BISO Forum members, in person.
“No matter where a company is on its BISO journey, connecting with other BISOs will only advance the function and help support a more robust cyber industry culture for women.”
Brenda: Target is pleased to celebrate EWF’s 20th anniversary. As a Benefactor, we value the many programs EWF offers, from Connect, LIFT, Rising Leaders Forum, and many other offerings available for networking and learning. I want to express my gratitude to you and the EWF team for your insightful work to develop a BISO Forum in 2022. No matter where a company is on its BISO journey, connecting with other BISOs will only advance the function and help support a more robust cyber industry culture for women.
Kerstin: We are so grateful for the women, organizations, and allies who are part of the EWF, and I would like to thank the women and organizations who have engaged with the BISO Forum Committee. I encourage any EWF members who are BISO’s or in BISO-like roles to take advantage of this rare opportunity and join the EWF BISO Forum. I also hope that BISOs across the industry will join any events or webinars that are open beyond our membership. It is hard to find a dedicated community of BISOs to collaborate, network, and benchmark, and I am blown away by the dedication, knowledge, and engagement of our BISOs. It is clear how extraordinary these ladies are! Thank you, Brenda.
Thank you for reading!
In celebration of the BISO forum they hosted their Inaugural Virtual Event, The BISO-CISO Relationship – Evolution and Synergies of the Business and Cyber:
EWF Connect Members can listen to the fireside chat with Betsy Wille (CISO, Abbott) as she shares her journey of successfully blending Business and Cyber engagement to drive outcomes. Betsy will discuss how she partners with the BISO role to establish and manage the enterprise cybersecurity vision, strategy, and operations to ensure the company’s information assets and technologies are protected.
Listen to this webinar if you are a woman in the role, or interested in the role, of Business Information Security Officers, Information Security Officers, Portfolio Information Security Officers, and those with similar titles, focus, and/or responsibilities whose main job focus is cybersecurity engagement and collaboration with the business. This includes helping the business understand and implement security policies and processes, identify risk, and collaborate.
EWF Connect Members can log into their account and watch the recording in the Resource Libary.