Crucial Conversations With Your CEO

In this episode of Security Visionaries, host Emily Wearmouth welcomes Nycholas Szucko, a board member for many security companies who is based in Brazil, to discuss better approaches to solving misaligned communication between CEOs, boards, and security leaders. Using key data points from the Crucial Conversations report as a jumping off point, Nycholas offers practical strategies for CISOs and CIOs to bridge the gap. Together they cover the essential skills needed, from communication and storytelling to selling skills and understanding financials. They also offer advice around becoming a CEO’s "trusted lieutenant," determining your CEO's risk appetite (even using AI role-play for preparation), navigating frustration with technology as a "black box," and shifting investment from short-term "band-aid" fixes to strategic, long-term platform modernization. This episode provides constructive approaches for improving alignment, becoming proactive in strategic planning, and leading the business into the age of agentic AI. This conversation is a must-listen, whether you’re a CEO, board member, security leader, or anything in between.