What does it take to transition from a manager who tells people what to do to a leader who empowers great minds to innovate? Andrew Wilder, Chief Security Officer at Vetcor, shares his wisdom gained from over 25 years of building robust cybersecurity systems from the ground up at global giants like Nestle and Hillenbrand. He dives into the tactical realities of managing cybersecurity risk in the boardroom, adapting to the exponential rise of AI, and the profound impact of cultivating empathy in leadership. Unpack the invaluable lessons of ruthless prioritization, utilizing early retirement programs during reorgs, and why no one will ever care more about your career than you do.
Bio: Andrew Wilder is one of the few cybersecurity executives who has built security programs from scratch — not once, but multiple times. As a multi-time founding CISO at organizations including Nestlé, Hillenbrand, and Vetcor, he's led security at scales ranging from 300,000-employee global enterprises to high-growth private equity-backed companies on the path to IPO.
At Nestlé, Andrew spent 18 years rising to Regional CISO for the Americas, Asia, and Europe — leading a 60-person global team and securing one of the world's largest workforces. At Hillenbrand, a $3.5B industrial manufacturer, he built the security organization from one person to fifteen, pioneered OT and ICS security across global manufacturing operations, and presented the Annual Cyber Risk Report directly to the Board. Most recently at Vetcor, he drove cyber maturity from 43% to 97% in under 12 months.
Named a Top 50 Global Certified CISO, Top 100 CISO, Top Global CISO, and LinkedIn Top Voice in Information Security, Andrew is known for translating complex cyber risk into language that resonates in the boardroom — and for building security programs that enable business transformation rather than slow it down.
A champion for innovation in cybersecurity, Andrew works closely with some of the world's top venture capital firms and emerging cyber startups to help shape the next generation of security solutions. He also serves in nonprofit board leadership, bringing his security expertise and executive perspective to organizations beyond the corporate world.
Something Extra: "I believe the something extra that every leader needs is empathy...I think, you know, running a mile in someone else's shoes, seeing what it is that they're doing."
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