From Race Cars to Risk: Dual CISO-CTO Leadership with Ben Wilcox

In this high-speed episode of Life of a CISO, Dr. Eric Cole welcomes Ben Wilcox, a rare dual-role executive serving as both CISO and CTO at ProArch — and a race car driver to boot. Ben shares his 30-year journey from building websites in the early internet days to leading enterprise security and technology strategy today. Dr. Cole and Ben dive into the challenges and opportunities of balancing technical innovation with cybersecurity, how to win executive support for security investments, and how to leverage AI for productivity. Ben also drops valuable advice for aspiring CISOs, emphasizing the power of saying "yes" to new challenges, building business-aligned security strategies, and continuously learning. This episode is packed with practical insights on executive communication, risk quantification, AI in cybersecurity, and even how lessons from the racetrack apply to the boardroom.