Meet the CIO | Kerissa Varma on what it takes to be a top CISO

Being a chief information security officer (CISO) in 2025 is a daunting role, but one that TechCentral’s guest in this episode of the Meet the CIO relishes.
Kerissa Varma, who was recently appointed as chief cybersecurity advisor in Africa for Microsoft, previously served as group CISO at Vodacom and before that as group CISO at Old Mutual. She understands what it takes to be a leading CISO.
She tells Meet the CIO about what’s involved in being a leader in enterprise cybersecurity, why she is passionate about developing female talent in the industry – she heads the South African chapter of Women in Cybersecurity – and what it takes to “make it” in what is very much still a male-dominated industry.
Varma chats about her experience as group CISO at Old Mutual and Vodacom. She also unpacks:
• How she became a leader in the enterprise security space;
• The role of a CISO in the modern enterprise – and why interpersonal skills are just as key as understanding technology;
• The top functions and priorities of today’s CISO;
• Strategies to fight the cybercrime scourge – including a look at how South African companies should be dealing with ransomware;
• Artificial intelligence and how it is transformation the infosec space – the impact, the threat and the opportunity;
• Quantum computing and the impact it could have in years to come;
• The gender imbalance in the infosec space and why it’s a concern to her;
• Skills development in cybersecurity in South Africa; and
• Her new role at Microsoft.
Don’t miss a fascinating conversation. And if you missed any of the previous episodes of Meet the CIO, you can find them here. TechCentral