12 August 2008

ISF President Announced

Rob Stringer

Howard Schmidt has been appointed president of the Information Security Forum (ISF).

Comprising some 300 corporations and public sector bodies, the ISF seeks to gather their collective knowledge and experience in order to combat information security threats and resolve risk management issues. Mr. Schmidt will bring almost forty years of experience gained in defense, law enforcement and corporate security.

Schmidt served as the CISO and chief security strategist at eBay and was chief security officer for Microsoft Corp, as well as having spent 31 years in local US and federal government. He was vice chair of the US government’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Board and was special advisor for cyberspace security to the White House.

More recently, he was chief strategist for the US CERT Partners Program of the National Cyber Security Division of the Department of Homeland Security.

“It is a distinct privilege to be the first President of the ISF and I look forward to working with the dedicated professionals that have brought the ISF to the position it is today,” says Schmidt.

“I will strive to help raise greater awareness of the information security challenges faced today – from the increase in cybercrime to the growing burden of compliance. Companies need to adopt a risk management perspective and recognize that information security is business driven and not crisis driven.”

“We are delighted that Howard Schmidt has accepted this important position at the ISF,” announced Kim Aarenstrup, chairman of the ISF and group head of information security at the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group.

“It is clear that Howard’s unparalleled experience and knowledge will make a major contribution to the future of the ISF and its members. He will also be driving our ambitious plans to expand the scale and reach of the ISF, building on our existing membership from Europe and Scandinavia through the Americas to the Middle East, India, Africa, Australia and the Pacific Rim.”

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