Executive Perspectives: Pierre Noel on Cybersecurity Leadership, Risk, and Resilience

In this edition of Axio’s Executive Insight Series, Scott Kannry, CEO of Axio, sits down with Pierre Noel, former CISO of Microsoft Asia and Huawei, to discuss the evolution of cybersecurity leadership, managing cyber risk, and the importance of resilience in an ever-changing digital landscape. With decades of global experience advising enterprises and governments, Pierre shares practical insights for today’s security leaders, from communicating risk effectively to building diverse and resilient cybersecurity teams.

Watch the Full Interview

Key Takeaways from the Conversation

1. The Evolving Role of the CISO: From Technical Expert to Business Leader: Most CISOs come from technical backgrounds, but success today requires fluency in business and risk management. Pierre emphasized that security leaders often struggle not with cybersecurity itself but with being understood by executives. Effective CISOs translate security threats into business impact, making risk a strategic discussion rather than a technical problem.
2. Cybersecurity Is Not About Perfection—It’s About Resilience: Failure is inevitable, and security leaders must move beyond the unrealistic expectation of stopping every attack. Instead, they should focus on how well they respond when incidents occur. Organizations are judged not by whether they experience a breach but by how effectively they contain and recover from it. Shifting from a prevention mindset to a resilience mindset is crucial.
3. Building Executive Buy-In: Why CISOs Need the CFO & COO as Allies: Many security leaders struggle to justify budgets because executives view cybersecurity as a cost center. Pierre advises CISOs to partner with CFOs and COOs—leaders who already think in terms of risk and business continuity. Additionally, tabletop exercises can be an eye-opener for executives, making the abstract threat of cyber risk feel real and urgent.
4. Trimming the Security Tech Stack: Vendor Management & Optimization: Security teams often accumulate tools without assessing their long-term value, leading to complexity, inefficiencies, and wasted spending. Pierre recommends regular audits of security investments to eliminate redundant or outdated tools. The challenge isn’t a lack of technology—it’s ensuring that every tool contributes meaningfully to risk reduction.
5. The Power of Community: Cybersecurity Is a Team Sport: Despite the tendency to treat cybersecurity strategies as proprietary, sharing intelligence strengthens everyone. Pierre highlighted the importance of ISACs and peer networks, where security leaders exchange insights on threats, best practices, and real-world challenges. Collaboration is essential—attackers work together, and defenders should, too.

Cybersecurity leadership is evolving, and the role of the CISO is more complex than ever. Technical expertise alone is no longer enough—today’s security leaders must speak the language of risk, engage executives, and prepare for inevitable incidents with resilience. Organizations that embrace collaboration, continuous risk evaluation, and diversity in thinking will be better equipped to navigate the ever-changing threat landscape.