Episode 320 Deep Dive: Kavitha Mariappan | The Future of Data Protection

In this episode, we sit down with Kavitha Mariappan, Chief Transformation Officer at Rubrik, as she unpacks data protection and the critical importance of cyber resilience. Kavitha challenges the industry’s tendency to hyper-focus on prevention and detection, advocating instead for a holistic approach that integrates resilience and recovery as boardroom imperatives. She shares insights from Rubrik Zero Labs on the real-world challenges organizations face when recovering from ransomware attacks, and highlights the often-overlooked need to make backup, recovery, and risk mitigation a core part of business continuity and security strategy. The conversation covers the business impact of breaches—including monetary loss, reputational risk, and regulatory implications—while emphasizing the growing complexity of identity management in the age of AI and the need for interoperability between security domains. Kavitha also stresses the role of executive leadership in driving change and the importance of public-private collaboration to shape standards and frameworks for a secure digital future. Kavitha Mariappan, Chief Transformation Officer, Rubrik Kavitha leads Rubrik’s efforts to accelerate enterprise transformation and deepen executive engagement, with a focus on expanding Rubrik’s footprint across the Global 2000 and public sector decision-makers. She partners across the GTM organization, shaping Rubrik’s CXO narrative, championing value economics, and unlocking new revenue streams. Prior to Rubrik, Kavitha was EVP of Customer Experience & Transformation at Zscaler, where she built and scaled the company’s CXO and Transformation Practice. She holds a B.Eng. in Communication Engineering from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia, and an M.S. in Cybersecurity Risk and Strategy from NYU School of Law and Tandon School of Engineering.