Guwahati

February 25, 2026

The ISEA-CISO Leadership Meet 2026 was successfully held on Feb25th, 2026 at Taj Vivanta, Guwahati. The event was organized under the Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) Project of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, and implemented by C-DAC.

Outreach, on-boarding of participants, and the overall event organization and logistics were strategically planned and executed by the C-DAC CINE team, with additional support from team members of C-DAC Hyderabad to ensure smooth coordination across multiple functions.

The summit brought together 103 participants from diverse sectors including Education, IT, Government, Public Safety, Energy, Banking, FMCG, Utilities, Infrastructure, Agriculture, Telecommunications, Mining, Finance, Logistics, Consulting, Aviation, Transportation, Trade, Healthcare, Manufacturing, and Research.

The attendees included CISOs, Deputy CISOs, General Managers (IT), Directors, Commandants, IPS officers, Professors, Assistant Professors, IT Officers, Engineers, Managers, Financial Officers, Consultants, and senior administrative officials, ensuring strong representation from leadership, technical, academic, and operational domains.

The event commenced with registration and networking, followed by the traditional lamp lighting ceremony.

Ms. Tulika Pandey, Scientist G & Group Coordinator (R&D in Cyber Security), MeitY, spoke on Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), stressing that CISOs must not only manage technical security but also align cybersecurity with national regulations, enterprise risk frameworks, and sectoral compliance requirements. She highlighted the increasing accountability on organizations in areas such as data protection, critical infrastructure security, and digital public platforms. During the inaugural session, she formally released the GRC Checklist Handbook with other dignitaries, offering structured guidance for practical and scalable implementation of GRC mechanisms.

Shri Gaurav Joshi, Director, MSME Development and Facilitation Office, Ministry of MSME, highlighted the growing importance of cybersecurity governance in MSMEs. He encouraged enterprises to integrate risk management and compliance frameworks into business strategies rather than treating cybersecurity as an afterthought.

Dr. Ch. A. S. Murty, Scientist-G and CISO, ISEA National Coordinator & Centre Head, C-DAC Kolkata, delivered the welcome address. He outlined the objectives of the leadership meet and emphasized the need for structured CISO capacity building under the ISEA initiative. He stressed that today’s cybersecurity leadership requires governance-led resilience, where CISOs act as strategic advisors to boards and leadership teams.

Shri Jitesh Choudhary, Centre Head, C-DAC CINE, delivered the Vote of Thanks, appreciating the contribution of dignitaries and speakers.

Shri Bindeshwar Kumar, Second-in-Command, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), delivered the keynote address titled "Cyber Security and Challenges in the Governance of Indo-Tibetan Border Police". He stressed the importance of policy enforcement, secure communications, and resilience in high-risk operational environments.

Technical sessions were delivered by:

• Shri Dusmanta Kesari Patra, Deputy CISO, Punjab National Bank delivered insights on readiness for quantum-proof security in financial institutions. He discussed emerging risks associated with quantum computing and the importance of proactive risk management and cryptographic preparedness. Shri Patra emphasized that financial institutions must adopt forward-looking governance strategies to safeguard critical assets.
• Shri Naresh Kumar, Assistant Commissioner,Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan spoke on Cyber hygiene and protection for students and schools highlighting the importance of cyber hygiene at the school level and the need to protect minors from digital threats. He stressed that governance in cybersecurity must start at foundational levels to build a secure digital future.
• Dr. Syed Rizwan Ahmed Naser, Advocate, Advocate, Gauhati High Court spoke on cyber law, data protection, and judicial mechanisms explaining the evolving legal landscape governing cyber incidents and emphasized the need for organizations to ensure compliance with statutory obligations. Dr. Naser highlighted that governance failures often translate into legal liabilities, making it essential for CISOs to understand regulatory implications and maintain proper documentation and accountability frameworks.
• Prof. Ashok Singh Sairam, Professor, Department of Mathematics, IIT Guwahati addressed the topic of cybersecurity in academic institutions emphasizing the growing risk exposure within educational institutions due to digitization and research data sensitivity. Prof. Sairam advocated for structured governance mechanisms, awareness programs, and integration of cybersecurity principles into academic ecosystems.
• Shri Bindeshwar Kumar, Second-in-Command, ITBP spoke on cybersecurity and governance in disciplined, security-sensitive organizations sharing insights into cybersecurity governance within disciplined and security-sensitive organizations, highlighting the challenges of securing geographically dispersed operations and mission-critical systems.
• Dr. Satyajit Das, IIT Guwahati spoke on the confidential computing for IoT and Healthcare to ensure privacy, compliance, and trustemphasizing its critical role in ensuring data privacy, regulatory compliance, and building trust in connected and distributed digital ecosystems.
• Shri Raja Sekhar, Deputy Head of IT, Dr. Bhubaneswar Borooah Cancer Institute spoke on the information security in hospitals discussing the increasing cyber threats targeting healthcare institutions and the necessity of securing patient data and life-critical systems. Shri Sekhar emphasized that healthcare cybersecurity must be treated as a patient safety issue, not merely an IT concern.
• Prof. Ferdous Ahmed Barbhuiya,Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIIT Guwahatidelivered a session cybersecurity audits for OT environments highlighting audit methodologies, risk assessment models, and the need for continuous monitoring in industrial and hybrid IT-OT infrastructures. Prof. Barbhuiya stressed that governance-led auditing practices are critical for building resilience in operational environments.
• Shri Bhudev Kumar Das,IT Leader & CISO,Numaligarh Refinery Limitedspoke on managing risk in operational technology (OT) environments emphasizing the complexity of securing industrial systems and the importance of balancing operational continuity with cybersecurity controls. Shri Das highlighted the need for risk-based governance frameworks tailored to critical infrastructure sectors such as oil and gas.

Interactive panel discussions were effectively moderated by Ms. Indraveni K, Scientist F, ISEA, In-charge PMU, C-DAC Hyderabad allowing participants not only to address but also ask questions on sector-specific challenges, practical implementation issues, and best practices for governance-led cybersecurity.

The programme concluded with closing remarks, followed by the National Anthem and a high-tea networking session.Participants lauded the event for its strategic planning, insightful sessions, and opportunities to connect with peers and experts.

The ISEA-CISO Leadership Meet 2026 reinforced the importance of Governance, Risk, and Compliance as foundational pillars of cybersecurity leadership. The discussions emphasized that modern CISOs must function as strategic governance leaders, ensuring resilience, regulatory alignment, and enterprise-wide risk accountability across government, industry, academia, and critical infrastructure sectors.