What happens when your cybersecurity team is running during a natural disaster, with no power, no cooling, and 40°C outside?
In this episode, Nigel Hedges, GM – Cyber & Risk at Chemist Warehouse, joins Tom Finnigan and Jason Murrell to talk about what cyber security really looks like inside a major retail environment.
With a career shaped by enterprise security, leadership under pressure, and a pragmatic approach to risk, Nigel gets real about:
- Leading teams through disaster recovery while it’s still happening.
- Why team dynamics and trust beat tech tools during high-stress moments.
- The dangerous gap between AI hype and actual capability.
- Why CISO burnout is real—and how he's learned to step back and reset.
- Nigel also shares what stood out at RSA 2023, from AI’s role in the supply chain to the global maturity gap that’s leaving some regions exposed.
🔑 Key Takeaways
Retail is a high-risk target with little room for downtime.
Trust within teams is critical during high-pressure events.
“Donkey work” is disappearing—AI is taking it—but thinking still matters.
Collaboration is essential, even between direct competitors.
Natural disaster planning is now a cybersecurity imperative.
AI is here to stay, but explainability, regulation, and human oversight still matter.
Cyber fatigue is rising, especially at the director level.
Self-care and role boundaries are survival tools for long-term leadership.
🗣 Soundbites
“We need to break the siloing down.”
“Retail is definitely a target.”
“You can’t do everything as one person.”
“The scale of the problem is massive.”
“AI will naturally replace donkey work.”
“What does AI in the tin even mean?”
“We were running with no power. It was 40 degrees outside.”
“You can’t plan for every scenario—but you can plan for how you’ll respond.”
⏱ Chapters
00:00 – Cybersecurity in Retail: Reality Check
03:03 – Budget vs Risk: The CISO Balancing Act
06:06 – Leadership Through Chaos (And Natural Disaster)
08:57 – Building Trust: Inside the Chemist Warehouse Team
12:03 – Crisis Recovery Under Pressure
15:00 – RSA Conference: AI, Regulation & What’s Coming
23:02 – Automation, Job Roles & the Future of the CISO
25:43 – Retail, Identity & Third-Party Risks
29:40 – Collaboration Over Competition
33:24 – Accountability at the Director Level
36:00 – Self-Leadership, Role Clarity & Resetting Burnout
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