In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Francesco Chiarini, Chairman of the ISSA Cyber Resilience Task Force and CEO & Chief Researcher at High Value Target, sits down with Aleksandra Melnikova to discuss what cyber resilience really means beyond incident response. They explore high value targets, recovery-first thinking, cyber risk quantification, and why most enterprises still misunderstand resilience. From board-level risk conversations to accountability, creativity, and skills gaps, Francesco explains how security leaders can move from reactive defense to sustainable resilience

00:00 Francesco's journey into cybersecurity, Incident response vs true cyber resilience
10:32 Defining company-specific high value targets correctly
16:15 What companies get wrong about cyber risk quantification
21:31 Why the CIA Triad matters most in pharma and healthcare
26:32 The need to address fundamental threats and manage legacy assets
34:29 The gaps Francesco wants to fill in cyber resilience
39:59 "Magic wand" for CISOs: Cyber Recovery

🔔 Follow Francesco and Aleksandra on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiarini/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleksandra-melnikova-1012/

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In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Dan Lohrmann, Field CISO for Public Sector, Presidio, sits down with SquareX Founder's Office's Aleksandra Melnikova to discuss how AI agents, browser-based threats, deepfakes, and shadow AI tools are reshaping the attack surface—and why CISOs must be embedded in AI governance early. They also touch upon what truly differentiates public-sector cybersecurity, from election cycles and budget whiplash to centralized security governance and trust-based leadership.

00:00 Introduction and when Dan almost got fired over Wi-Fi
8:57 What makes public sector security different from the private sector
13:21 Being Michigan's first ever CISO
22:39 Inside a $28 million ransomware negotiation
28:48 Emerging threats and securing AI
32:37 Advice for CISOs in 2026
35:42 Browser security in AI age and malicious extensions
43:04 People remember stories, CISOs need to earn trust

🔔 Follow Dan and Aleksandra on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/danlohrmann/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleksandra-melnikova-1012/

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Deployed as a lightweight extension, SquareX turns any browser, on any device, into a secure enterprise browser. Find out more about SquareX at https://hubs.la/Q03rPcbf0

In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Vivien Bilquez of Zurich Insurance sits down with SquareX Founder Office’s Aleksandra Melnikova to discuss whether AI can replace cybersecurity leaders, how CISOs should communicate risk to boards, and what skills will matter most in the future. Vivien shares why AI delivers universal answers but lacks human judgment, why CISOs must master storytelling and financial language, and how to secure executive buy-in through cyber risk quantification. From champion rock-and-roll dancer to CISO at one of the world’s largest insurers, he explains why nearly 50% of companies are uninsurable and how Zurich reduced 500 security questions to just 10 key controls that mitigate 70% of cyber attacks.

00:00 Vivien's start as an acrobatic rock-and-roll dancer, and how the CISO role is mixed with politics
7:42 Cybersecurity is human-centric
12:27 How 10 controls can mitigate 70% of cyber attacks
16:42 Quantifying cyber risk in financial terms
25:58 Cyber Insurance vs Cyber Resilience
29:39 The different people you deal with during a cyber crisis
37:24 Speaking to boards in business language, not cyber
45:10 Why AI cannot replace the CISO and human experience

🔔 Follow Vivien and Aleksandra on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivienbilquez/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleksandra-melnikova-1012/

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Deployed as a lightweight extension, SquareX turns any browser, on any device, into a secure enterprise browser. Find out more about SquareX at https://hubs.la/Q03rPcbf0