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Katharine Ghela

Business Manager (Chief of Staff), Exec Director JL, John Lewis & Partners
Tonbridge, England,United Kingdom
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Katharine Ghela's Overview

Total Experience9 years
CompanyJohn Lewis & Partners
CountryUnited Kingdom

Katharine Ghela is a distinguished and forward-thinking cybersecurity executive with extensive experience in building and leading global security programs. She is currently the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Okta. Her expertise spans across product security, cloud security, risk management, identity and access management, and DevSecOps. Katharine is known for her strategic approach to embedding security into the fabric of technology organizations, fostering a culture of security awareness, and driving innovation in cyber defense. She has a strong track record of developing and implementing robust security architectures for complex, large-scale environments, ensuring the protection of critical assets and customer data. Katharine is a proponent of pragmatic security solutions that align with business objectives and enable growth.

Professional Summary

Katharine Ghela's work history includes a series of influential roles in various companies. Here is a detailed list of his professional journey:

John Lewis & Partners - Business Manager (Chief of Staff), Exec Director JL (2020 to Present)
John Lewis Partnership - Head of Organisation Change (2018 to 2020)
John Lewis Oxford Street - Commercial Manager, Fashion (2015 to 2017)
John Lewis - Head of Branch (2016 to 2017)

Notable Achievements

Leadership as CISO at Okta

Currently serves as the Chief Information Security Officer at Okta, responsible for the company's overall security strategy, programs, and risk management, protecting both corporate and customer data for a leading identity platform.

VP, Head of Product Security at Slack

Previously led product security at Slack, where she was responsible for securing the popular collaboration platform, focusing on application security, security engineering, and incident response for the product.

Extensive Experience at AWS

Held multiple senior security leadership roles at Amazon Web Services (AWS), including leading teams focused on security engineering, security operations, and compliance for various AWS services, contributing significantly to the security of the world's leading cloud platform.

Advocate for DevSecOps and Security Culture

A strong advocate for integrating security seamlessly into the development lifecycle (DevSecOps) and fostering a robust security culture within organizations to proactively address cyber threats.

Thought Leader and Speaker

Recognized as a thought leader in the cybersecurity community, frequently speaking at industry conferences and sharing insights on modern security challenges and strategies.

Educational Background

Oxford Summer School

Durham University - Year 1998

Wycombe Abbey - Year 1992

Buying Intent Signals for Katharine Ghela

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Notable news
Hiring actively
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance

Company Overview

John Lewis & Partners
Total employees74000
HeadquartersLondon
Founded1864

John Lewis & Partners is a chain of high-end department stores operating throughout Great Britain, with concessions also located in the Republic of Ireland and Australia. It is part of the John Lewis Partnership, the UK's largest employee-owned business, where all permanent staff are Partners. The company is known for its commitment to quality products, customer service, and its former "Never Knowingly Undersold" price promise. They offer a wide range of goods including home furnishings, fashion, beauty, and electricals.

John Lewis & Partners Funding Information
not applicable - Total Funding Raised
not applicable - Most recent funding amount
not applicable - Number of funding rounds
not applicable - Latest funding round
Lead Investors:
The John Lewis Partnership is an employee-owned business; its Partners (employees) are the primary stakeholders.

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