Connect CISO Forum 2026 at Radisson Blu Hotel, Nashik -

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The Connect CISO Forum 2026 is a premier gathering of India’s top 100+ CISOs and security leaders, taking place in Nashik over two days. The theme of the forum is “CISO Agenda 2026: Quantify Risk, Build Resilience, Enable Growth.”

Senior decision-makers and technology architects gather at this event to talk about how to translate cyber risk into business terms while navigating the intricacies of the recently announced DPDP Rules 2025 and the India AI Governance Guidelines.

With an emphasis on converting boardroom expectations into practical security roadmaps for the trillion-dollar digital economy, the forum sets itself apart by fusing high-level strategic conversation with distinctive experiential networking.

Purpose of Event

To equip the upcoming generation of security leaders, the summit is based on four strategic pillars:

Strategic Business Alignment: Quantifying cyber risk using economic terms that appeal to CEOs and boards, going beyond technical measurements.
AI Governance & Safety: Constructing frameworks for secure enterprise AI adoption and TRiSM (Trust, Risk, and Security Management) to address the “Shadow AI” issue.
Regulatory Compliance: Direct examination of sectoral regulations and the DPDP (Digital Personal Data Protection) Act to guarantee data sovereignty and ongoing compliance.
Operational Resilience: Enhancing the capacity to tolerate and recover from complex disturbances through ecosystem security and updated SOC models.

Agenda

The two-day residential program is designed to foster meaningful peer-to-peer interaction and deep engagement:

Day 1 (13 Feb): Strategic Foundations & Networking

Keynotes: Board-level expectations and Building Enterprise AI Governance sessions.
Ideas Café & Roundtables: “Wine & Cheese” roundtables and quick brainstorming meetings are useful for solving real-world problems.
Musical Evening: A Bollywood star will perform at an exclusive gala dinner to promote casual networking.

Day 2 (14 Feb): Future-Proofing & Experiential Engagement

Operational Panels: Conversations about operationalizing AI TRiSM and In-House versus MSSP models.
Sunrise at Gangapur Dam: A carefully planned outdoor experience at the Godavari and Kashyapi rivers’ meeting point.
Sula Vineyard Visit: The summit will end with a private tour and wine tasting at India’s top vineyard.

Speakers & Dignitaries

Prominent experts and practitioners from India’s cybersecurity scene are featured on the forum:

Harsha Vardhan Jonnalagadda: CISO & Data Privacy Officer, Birlasoft.
Vivek Shankar: CITSO & Vice President, Axis Max Life Insurance Limited.
Jagannath Sahoo: CISO, Gujarat Fluorochemicals Limited.
Ranganathan Iyer: Group CIO & DPO, JBM Group.
Anil Kumar: CISO, The Oberoi Group.
Ruby Mishra: National IT Security Officer, KPMG India.
Aditya Vardhan: CISO, Jindal Steel & Power.

Sponsors & Partners

A variety of industry supporters and tech pioneers are supporting the event:

Gold Partners: Top suppliers of breach detection solutions, GRC platforms, and identity security.
Exhibit & Lanyard Partners: Specialized companies presenting data discovery and SOC augmentation capabilities driven by AI.
Concept & Media Partners: Motivated by the CISO Forum community and 9dot9 Media.
Knowledge Partners: Cooperation with regulatory advisory agencies and regional security organizations.