Patric Versteegh: Lead From Within — Personal Leadership for CISOs, Teams & Boards

Summary

In this episode of re:invent security, hosts Jeroen Prinse and Irfaan Santoe sit down with Patric Versteegh, European CISO of the Year 2024, to explore the “inner game” of cybersecurity leadership. Patric shares how authentic leadership, mixed style teams, and simple but powerful risk storytelling can make security both effective and sustainable.

You’ll hear how Patric:

• Builds resilient teams using diverse working styles, clear outcomes, and a “beekeeper” mindset.
• Protects team energy by addressing brilliant but low trust outliers.
• Wins the boardroom without needing a seat, tailoring the message to culture: financial, reputational, or license to operate.
• Quantifies risk with simple math (people × hourly rate × downtime).
• Manages himself in crises through breathing resets and mentoring.
• Frames board reporting around compliance, risk, and material breaches—visualized over time.

Key Highlights

• Authentic leadership: why “reinvention” can be a mask.
• Compensating controls for your own stress responses.
• Mixed style teams, trust rules, and when to let go.
• Culture fit storytelling for boards.
• Practical risk math and materiality.

Takeaway Question

What will you do differently this week to strengthen your inner game—and how will that change the way you lead security?

Resources Mentioned

• True North — Bill George
• Surrounded by Idiots — Thomas Erikson
• De Bijherder (The Beekeeper, Dutch metaphor)
• Man in the Mirror — Michael Jackson (self-reflection theme)
• Thinkers: Simon Sinek; Brené Brown
• Practice: Visual risk trend infographics for board updates
• Community: NextGen CISO Network