Cyber ​​Warfare Expert to Speak at Forge Institute Cyber ​​Summit

Jim Richberg, head of cyber policy and global field chief information security officer at Fortinet, a cybersecurity company headquartered in California, will be the keynote speaker at the fifth annual Forge Institute Cyber ​​Summit Oct. 7 and 8 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.

“Forge Institute is excited to have Jim Richberg join us yet again at the 2024 Forge Institute Cyber ​​Summit,” said Lee Watson, chairman and CEO of the Forge Institute in Little Rock. “He brings a unique level of expertise that greatly enhances our ability to create exciting partnerships across the public and private sectors to address emerging threats.”

Richberg is recognized globally as a leader in driving innovation in cybersecurity, threat intelligence and cyber strategy spaces. At the summit, he will share some of the key questions and guiding principles he used to develop cyber resilience for the federal government and private-sector partners.

He brings nearly 40 years of experience to his role at Fortinet. Before joining the company, he served as the US national intelligence manager for cyber. The senior federal executive focused on cyber intelligence within the more than $80 billion, 100,000-employee US Intelligence Community.

He led the creation and implementation of cyber strategy for the 17 departments and agencies of the IC, set integrated priorities on cyber threats, and served as the senior advisor to the director of national intelligence on cyber issues.

He brings a broad, enterprise-level approach to cybersecurity, an approach he honed as a member of the executive team that oversaw the implementation of the US Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative for two presidents.

“Having collaborated with the Forge Institute as a leader in federal cybersecurity, I am proud to continue this partnership as a Fortinet executive as we are dedicated to public-private partnerships that help advance cybersecurity resilience,” he said. “The cybersecurity problems we face require action by both the public and private sectors and a focus that encompasses current and emerging problems. This summit offers the opportunity to make progress in these areas on behalf of Arkansas and the nation.”

As a nexus for professionals from diverse sectors ranging from industry and academia to critical infrastructure, government, military and intelligence, the Cyber ​​Summit seeks to not only provide a place for conversation but to be an incubator for ideas and actions that can shape Arkansas’ and , by extension, America’s cybersecurity posture in an increasingly digital world.

Registration for the Cyber ​​Summit is open. For more information, visit forge.institute/summit.

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