Maggie Calle

Currently serving as the CISO at Varicent, Maggie is a Security and Risk Professional with over two decades of experience. She has held key information security roles in the financial and insurance and retail sectors as well as small-medium size companies where she successfully implemented and led security and risk programs. She enjoys researching new concepts and applying them in the real world.

What makes you a Risky Woman?

I like having the ability to partner with business stakeholders and contribute to the enablement of business outcomes. It is very satisfying to be called to the table to assist with acquisitions and RFPs that contribute to the bottom line or to help understand cyber risk.

Name your top 3 achievements

1. Successfully establishing a “tone at the top” in the management and oversight of cybersecurity programs through strong governance, measurement and reporting of cybersecurity at the Board-level at institutions where I served;
2. Successfully establishing a top-notch Cybersecurity Awareness program at two institutions with industry performance benchmarks and metrics, which were reported in the Sustainability Annual Reports as accomplishments to ensure protection of company’s and customers’ data; and
3. Establishing a metrics framework and Key Risk Indicators at the business unit level, which received praise by regulatory bodies.

What is the biggest risk you’ve taken in your career?

The biggest risk was to pursue an MBA with a concentration in Risk Management and Corporate Governance on a part-time basis, self-funded and while working fulltime in an executive role at a global institution. All this while being a mom to two young children and doing the last courses when the pandemic started.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

Most people would be surprised to know that a lot of the cybersecurity content published by the Canadian Bankers Association, was the work of a committee where I was a standing member and we were focused on creating content for cybersecurity education and awareness for citizens of Canada.

What is the best quality for successful leaders in Risk?

A successful leader should have the ability to speak risks and connect security to business outcomes while marketing the importance of the security program to the highest level of the organization. However, a successful leader also takes the time to be a servant leader that earns the respect of their people embracing diversity of thought.