September 20-22, 2026
CISO/Executive Leadership Forum
Grand Geneva Resort and Spa
7036 Grand Geneva Way,
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Set along the scenic shores of Lake Geneva, this refined lakeside retreat offers a relaxed yet inspiring environment designed for thoughtful dialogue and meaningful connection. Framed by calm waters and natural beauty, the accommodations provide a comfortable, well-appointed setting that supports both strategic collaboration and personal downtime. Attendees can expect a carefully curated experience that blends fresh perspective, peer engagement, and focused conversation—creating space to connect deeply, exchange ideas, and recharge throughout the event.
Meet Our Guest Speaker
Insider Threats: The Call Is Coming From Inside the House
Craig Stanland
TEDx Speaker, Founder
Realistic Reinvention™
You’re in the Chair: The Judgment Crucible
Scott Barnes
CISO
Fortune Brands Innovations
Thanks to Our Partners
Agenda
Sunday, September 20, 2026
2:00pm - 2:10pm
Evergreen 1
Opening Remarks
Gina Gianikos, Founder, Mindfluence
2:15pm - 2:50pm
Evergreen 1
The CISO Hot Seat
CISOs answer rapid‑fire, uncomfortable, real‑world questions anonymously submitted by attendees. No slides. No prep. Pure leadership honesty.
Facilitator:
Arpi Long, Deputy Chief Information Security Officer, Collective Health
Guests:
Chris Carter, Senior Advisor, Continuous Threat Exposure & Identity Posture, Service Now
Nitin Raina, SVP Chief Information Security Officer, Thoughtworks
Alyssa Miller, Board Member, Epiphany Solution Group
2:50pm - 3:00pm
Break
3:00pm - 3:45pm
Evergreen 1
Blueprinting Your Career in Transition: Consulting, Board Work & Staying Leadership‑Ready
In today’s shifting leadership landscape, career transitions are becoming more common — and more strategic. This panel explores how executives can use transition periods to expand their influence, strengthen their professional portfolio, and stay deeply engaged in the industry.
Our discussion will highlight how leaders leverage consulting engagements, board advisory roles, and project‑based work to remain active, relevant, and valuable while exploring their next full‑time opportunity.
We’ll break down how to confidently communicate this phase to peers, networks, and potential employers — not as downtime, but as a period of intentional growth, contribution, and reinvention.
Panelists will share real experiences, practical strategies, and mindset shifts that turn a career transition into a powerful chapter of leadership development.
Katie Hanahan, Managing Principal, Ahead
Nidhi Luthra, CISO, Proofpoint
3:45pm - 4:15pm
Galewood B-C-D
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #1
4:15pm - 4:45pm
Galewood B-C-D
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #2
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Link's Patio
Welcome Reception
Monday, September 21, 2026
7:15am - 8:15am
Brissago
Breakfast & Networking
8:15am - 9:00am
Evergreen 1
AI in the Enterprise: From Hype to Operational Reality
What’s actually working, what’s stalled, and how leaders are prioritizing investments.
Facilitator:
Michael Boucher, VP, CISO, Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago
Panelist:
Shafia Zubair, Director, Head of Cybersecurity GRC, Johnson Controls
Matthew Tharp, Director of Sales Engineering, Corelight
Benjamin Corll, CISO, Zscaler
9:00am - 10:00am
Evergreen 1
Invited Guest Speaker:
Insider Threats: The Call Is Coming From Inside the House
Craig Stanland, TEDx Speaker, Founder, Realistic Reinvention™
10:00am - 1:00pm
Evergreen Foyer
Headshot Session (Executive Branding Station)
10:00am - 2:00pm
Swinghurst
Chair Massage Station (Wellness & Recharge Lounge)
10:00am - 10:30am
Galewood B-C-D
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #3
10:30am - 11:00am
Galewood B-C-D
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #4
11:00am - 11:45am
Evergreen 1
Inside the Front Lines: The FBI on Ransomware, Insider Threats & What’s Next
Lee Chartier, Supervisory Special Agent, FBI
11:45am - 12:45pm
Brissago
Lunch
12:45pm - 1:30pm
Evergreen 1
Live Cyber Crisis Workshop:
You’re in the Chair: The Judgment Crucible
A live cyber crisis where certainty is denied, pressure is weaponized, and leadership is the only control that scales.
You are the CISO. The call comes in. The facts are incomplete, the business is already impacted, and every decision will be judged after the smoke clears. This is not a traditional tabletop. It is a live judgment crucible. Participants make rapid decisions with imperfect information while managing competing voices from Operations, Legal, Communications, and the Executive team. Every choice buys time by spending something else: trust, continuity, or truth. The scenario moves fast, consequences arrive immediately, and the session ends where most exercises never go.
Scott Barnes, CISO, Fortune Brands Innovations
Jamie Knobles, Director, Cyber Resilience & Readiness, Immersive
12:45pm - 1:15pm
Galewood B-C-D
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #5
1:15pm - 1:45pm
Galewood B-C-D
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #6
1:45pm - 2:30pm
Evergreen 1
Roundtable Discussion:
3:00pm - 5:30pm
Afternoon Activities
Par 3 Golf starts at 3:00pm
Hiking starts at 3:00pm
Historic Boat Tour on Lake Geneva: The Trolley leaves PROMPTLY at 2:50pm
6:00pm - 8:30pm
Landing
The Chop House
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
7:30am - 8:30am
Brissago
Breakfast & Networking
8:30am - 9:15am
Evergreen 1
AI‑Powered Threats: Redefining the Future CISO
Artificial intelligence is accelerating both innovation and risk at a pace security leaders have never seen before. As AI becomes embedded in every layer of business operations, attackers are weaponizing it just as quickly creating faster, more adaptive, and more unpredictable threats.
This panel explores how AI‑driven vulnerabilities, automated attacks, deepfake‑enabled social engineering, and large‑scale data manipulation will reshape the responsibilities, expectations, and strategic priorities of the next‑generation CISO.
Leaders will discuss what it means to defend in an era where machines attack at machine speed, where identity and trust can be fabricated, and where the CISO must evolve from security operator to AI‑risk strategist, resilience architect, and enterprise influencer.
Moderator:
Erik Hart, CISO, Cushman & Wakefield
Panelists:
Dylan DeAnda, Field Chief Technology Officer, Doppel
Notoane Russell, VP, Enterprise Security Architecture, Morgan Stanley
Yichen Jin, CEO & Co-Founder, Fleak.ai
9:15am - 10:00am
Evergreen 1
Security vs. Compliance: Where the Tension Lives
When regulatory requirements and operational security priorities compete, how do CISOs decide? This panel explores tradeoffs, GRC partnerships, and managing friction across the organization.
Moderator:
Mike Smith, Personal Data Rights and Privacy Compliance, Wintrust Financial Corporation
Guests:
Timothy Hendrix, Senior Solutions Engineer, Teleskope
Michael Wichmann, Chief of Staff, SVP, Information Security, Corporate Security, Identity & Fraud, Wintrust Financial Corporation
Jeff Pearl, CISO & Head of Digital Infrastructure, Astellas Pharma
10:00am - 10:30am
Galewood B-C-D
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #7
10:30am - 11:00am
Galewood B-C-D
Peer-to-Peer Meeting #8
11:00am
Closing Remarks
Kick off your heels and loosen your ties! (Actually, ties not required) Thank you!
Dress Attire:
Business Casual
Questions:
Gina Gianikos
847-800-4433
gina@mind-fluence.com
Think Boldly!
What People Are Saying
Amy Voegeli
Director of Security
Overall I thought it was a great setting and a great event. (2026 Lake Geneva)
Andy Kasi
SVP, Enterprise Application Development
It was a great awesome event. (2026 Lake Geneva)
Bradley Schaufenbuel
Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer
This was an incredibly valuable use of my time. I was able to bring several nuggets back with me to my day job. I will definitely attend again. (2024 Lake Geneva) Great event! (2026 Lake Geneva)
David Cagigal
CXO Advisor
Another great event with relevant and timely topics present by significant presenters with excellent credentials. Best Wishes... (2026 Lake Geneva)
Derek Milroy
Security Architect
Mindfluence is always time well spent. The format leads to real data exchange. (2024 Lake Geneva) You always get items to immediately put to use upon your return to work from every Mindfluence event. Actionable knowledge, every time. (2024 Rosemont) Mindfluence is always time well spent and you will always come away with items you can put to use the minute you get back to work. (2026 Lake Geneva)
Erik Hart
CISO
Great job (2026 Lake Geneva)
Glenn Hintz
Illumio
I would do it again. (2026 Lake Geneva)
Jamie Knobles
Immersive Labs
Amazing as always. Thank you! (2026 Lake Geneva)
Jennifer Steffen
CISO
Mindfluence is a great way to connect with CISO peers (2025 Lake Geneva) Mindfluence is a great conference to connect with peers in our field and to strategize on ways to handle similar problems in our industry. (2026 Lake Geneva)
Jim Rutt
CIO/CISO
Overall excellent event! (2026 Lake Geneva)
Joel Heric
Director of Network & Security
Thank you again for a wonderful event! Hands down one of the best security conferences I've been to. And I have been to a lot over the years. Great content, great speakers. Kudos! (2025 Lake Geneva) My favorite event of the year! Well-organized with quality content, strong networking opportunities, and relevant discussions. Looking forward to next year. (2026 Lake Geneva)
Katerina Alenicheva
Sr. Lead Security Architecture
Very well-organized event, great sessions/topics. (2026 Lake Geneva)
Leon Olszewski
Senior Information Security Analyst
Great job, Gina, Todd and others! (2026 Lake Geneva)
Mark Goulding
Cato Networks
Great intimate event offering a terrific forum for learning and relationship building (2026 Lake Geneva)
Michael Boucher
VP, CISO
This conference returns a great value from the information it provides, the conversations I have with my peers, and the relationships I develop. (2026 Lake Geneva)
Mike Smith
Personal Data Rights and Privacy Compliance
As a data privacy and compliance professional, I was honored to get to step into the CISO world for a couple of days. The level of knowledge was outstanding, and the sense of camaraderie between individuals from such wildly different industries showed how much we all have in common and how important it is we support each other in combatting threats. A first-class experience and organization. Thank you, Mindfluence. (2026 Lake Geneva)
Richard Staynings
Chief Security Strategist
Great format, fantastic location and amazing company to networks with so many peers. (2026 Lake Geneva)
Ryan Lange
CISO
Gina continually finds innovative speakers that make you think about security from angles you may not have thought about. (2026 Lake Geneva)
Sam Monasteri
CISO
My first time attending the Mindfluence Cybersecurity Forum, it was definitely a great experience. I plan to attend many more. (2024 Lake Geneva) Great knowledge sharing, Great group of people, Great time. (2026 Lake Geneva)
Sankarasubramaniam Chockalingam
Principal CyberSecurity Architect
Felt overall good as the content and context and event attendees count also just right to make some valuable convos and connections (2026 Lake Geneva)
Shawn Wagner
Fortinet
Great event - thank you! (2026 Lake Geneva)