196 Countries, One CISO

Most security leaders spend their careers building programs in the private sector—strong compensation, clear organizational lines, and at least some degree of control over the stakeholder map. Occasionally, someone makes a different call. Bjørn Watne left senior CISO roles at Telenor and Storebrand—two of Scandinavia's most recognized institutions—to take on one of the most complex security mandates on the planet: Global CISO of INTERPOL, the international law enforcement organization supporting 196 member nations in the fight against transnational crime. In this conversation with Navroop Mitter, Bjørn explores what that decision looked like up close—the mission that drew him in, the trade-offs he accepted, and what you learn about security leadership when your stakeholder map includes sovereign governments that may not always see eye to eye, some of whom are actively sanctioning each other.