Hyderabad
January 30, 2026
C-DAC Hyderabad successfully organized the ISEA–CISO Leadership Meet 2026 at Hyderabad, bringing together senior cybersecurity leaders, government officials, industry experts, and practitioners to deliberate on the theme "Governance, Risk, Resilience & Data Protection: Building Enterprise Cyber Maturity in 2026." The event served as a strategic platform to examine the evolving cyber risk landscape and the need for resilient, governance-driven cybersecurity practices in India.
The programme commenced with registration and peer networking, followed by the opening ceremony, which included the traditional lamp lighting and invocation. The opening remarks was given by Dr. Lakshmi Eswari P.R., Scientist G & Centre Head, C-DAC Hyderabad, who welcomed the dignitaries and participants and outlined the objectives of the leadership meet. Dr Eswari, emphasized the importance of moving beyond compliance-oriented cybersecurity toward practical, outcome-driven cyber resilience aligned with national priorities.
Setting the context for the day, Dr. C.H.A.S. Murty, Scientist-G, CISO & Centre Head (Kolkata), provided an overview of the ISEA Project and the CISO Training and Certification initiatives under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). He highlighted the role of structured capacity building in strengthening India's cybersecurity leadership ecosystem and enhancing organizational readiness across sectors.
A key highlight of the forenoon session was the strategic keynote address by Shri P. V. Raja Shekhar, Additional Director General, IRISET, titled "The Evolving Cyber Risk Landscape: Strategic Imperatives for 2026." In his address, he underscored the need for leadershipdriven cybersecurity governance, resilient system design, and preparedness to manage large-scale disruptions.
Following a networking tea break, the event featured an expert panel discussion on "Governance, Risk, Resilience & Data Protection: Building Enterprise Cyber Maturity in 2026." The panel was moderated by Shri Harmesh Rana and included Ms. Roopa Manjula (Head Cyber Security, MITC), Ms. Sandhya Chebiyyam (Head – Cybersecurity, Sampaati Cybersecurity LLP), Shri AnjineyuluChagaleti (DPO, Experian), and Shri Vamsi Krishna G.V. (CISO, NopalCyber).
The discussion focused on real-world governance failures, risk decision-making challenges, data protection realities, and accountability gaps. Panelists shared candid perspectives drawn from their professional experience, emphasizing that cyber maturity requires leadership ownership, not just frameworks and audits.
The afternoon sessions included two Spotlight Sessions designed to provide focused leadership perspectives. The first session, "From Risk to Resilience in 2026: Cyber Leaders in Spotlight," was delivered by Shri Sujay Gankidi, President, ISACA Hyderabad Chapter, who shared insights on translating risk management into operational resilience and leadership accountability.
The second spotlight session, "Securing Agentic AI & Cyber-Resilience in AI," was delivered by Shri Venkata Talatam, Founder, Kodryx AI, highlighting emerging risks associated with AI-driven systems and the need for governance and security-by-design in AI adoption.
Shri Jagadish Babu highlighted the importance of Cyber Security Awareness and the ISEA Digital Nagrik initiatives to the gathering, and invited participants to collaborate in activities aimed at building a cyber-secure nation.
The programme concluded with closing remarks and a call to action by Smt. Indraveni K, ScientistF, C-DAC Hyderabad, who summarized the key takeaways of the day and emphasized continued collaboration, learning, and community-driven efforts to enhance India's cyber maturity.
The ISEA–CISO Leadership Meet 2026 successfully facilitated meaningful dialogue among stakeholders and reaffirmed C-DAC Hyderabad's commitment to advancing cybersecurity capacity building, leadership development, and resilient digital ecosystems in India.
The upcoming CISO Leadership Meet2026 are open for registrations: Kindly circulate to your circles: https://faas.isea.app/formview/CISOMeetAll
