Greg van der Gaast

Greg van der Gaast boasts a distinguished, yet diverse, 25+ year career in information security and cybersecurity. Deemed one of the World's Top 5 Most Infamous Hackers and an FBI most-wanted, Greg now uses his expertise as a force for good – having since worked as an undercover FBI and DoD operative. Driving change in information security practices, Greg shares his in-depth understanding of how to maintain the security of data as a business-minded CISO and cutting-edge technical consultant. Aside from his business commitments, Greg is also sought after as a keynote speaker – sharing his expertise on how organisations can protect themselves from cyber threats with unconventional approaches.

As a teenager, Greg forged a reputation as a notorious hacker, having famously hacked into a nuclear weapons facility. Leaving his legacy as a hacker behind, Greg has since committed his expertise in the vulnerabilities of technology to help organisations better manage their information security. From acting as the Head of Security Architecture for CGI to being the Associate CISO of the Francis North Group and the Head of Information Security for the University of Salford, Greg has generated fresh narratives and powerful perspectives on information security. Recognising that there are fundamental problems with how security is practised, Greg has made it his mission to see that security problems are treated as quality issues – unlocking the numerous business efficiencies and opportunities that grow from good information security.

Most recently, Greg was appointed as a Security Advisor to the Office of the CTO of CDW UK, having also been the Chief Technologist of Security for CDW UK. He has also been an avid Strategic Security Advisor for Clearco and a Member of the Cyber Expert Group of the Cyber Resilience Centre for Greater Manchester. To further his passion for information security, Greg has authored the bestselling books What We Call Security and Rethinking InfoSec. He has also committed time to working as the CISO of Scoutbee and a Navigator for Bloor Research. Committed to making organisations less vulnerable to cyber threats, Greg is now also highly sought after as an information security keynote speaker for corporate events, imparting his wisdom on how security can grow bottom and top-line revenue.

Renowned for his holistic and business-focused approach, Greg van der Gaast is hired as a keynote speaker to share his “radical” perspectives on information security. Sharing his engaging stories and insight from his decorated security career, Greg explores how he went from a teenage hacker to a distinguished technical consultant and CISO. Building a variety of detailed information security programs for Fortune 500s and startups, Greg is dedicated to emphasising that security is a fundamental quality issue that must be addressed. If you are looking for a keynote speaker who can inspire unconventional approaches to information security and fresh insights on strategy, leadership and human potential, don’t hesitate to hire Greg van der Gaast today!