Shamla Naidoo brings a rare mix of global business acumen, technical skills and law to audit committees and boards of public and private companies. She has built a track record of creating business value with innovation and technology whilst aggressively managing risk across diverse industries such as finance, legal, technology, healthcare and energy across six continents.

Her passion has helped companies navigate new and complex laws regulating technology, data, privacy and cybersecurity as well as supporting mergers and acquisitions. She is currently Head of Cloud Strategy & Innovation at Netskope, a security startup and a former Managing Partner, Global Chief Information Security Officer and Head of Technology Risk, where she was responsible for securing the company’s digital assets. Her mission included the protection of IBM’s critical information assets, including the world’s largest patent portfolio.

The mask behind this confident and capable professional, one entrusted with positions of enormous responsibility by world-leading organisations, is a determined woman that has lived many lives just to reach her position today. Shamla was born into poverty in South Africa. A coloured child in Apartheid, in a male-dominated society, the eldest of three daughters of a single mother whose only ambition was to ensure she kept a roof over their heads, in a society that conspired against their race, their gender, and their class. Her childhood was a transient one with no permanent home apart from her mother’s resilience in finding work and ensuring her daughters were educated as a means out of poverty.

These values pushed Shamla to continue to invest in herself and her passion for technology. This investment paid off allowing Shamla to grow a worldwide reputation as a leader in technology. Shamla will help you find your own values, the things that matter most to you, and use those values to find and apply your inner strength.