Todd Fitzgerald

Judge
DISC Type : Dc

Adjunct Professor, Cybersecurity Leadership, IT Risk Management at McCormick School of Engineering

United States

Overview

Todd Fitzgerald is a Fortune 500 CISO, Adjunct Professor at Northwestern, and a #1 best-selling author with over 25 years of experience aligning cybersecurity with business goals. People who have worked with him describe him as an intelligent, patient, and inspirational leader. He holds an MBA from Oklahoma State University.

Outside of his corporate roles, Todd is deeply passionate about advancing the cybersecurity profession. He dedicates his time to writing and speaking on leadership issues, mentoring emerging CISOs, and teaching graduate-level courses on IT Risk Management and Cybersecurity Leadership.

Unique fact: His book, "CISO Compass, " has been a #1 best-seller for six consecutive years, and he is a Canon Cybersecurity Hall of Fame inductee.

Personality Overview

Objective Thinker

Quality Focused

Fast But Wary

They take a lot of pride in personal achievements.  More than the product, they care about the impact of the product. They are not always relationship oriented.

Topics They Care About

Cybersecurity Leadership
Authored the #1 best-selling book "CISO Compass" and teaches cybersecurity leadership at the McCormick School of Engineering, focusing on navigating leadership challenges.
CISO Career Path
Frequently speaks on the CISO role, including topics like organizational reporting structures, stress, and burnout, as seen in his planned sessions for RSAC 2026.
Mentoring Leaders
Contributes to advancing the cybersecurity profession by mentoring emerging CISOs, a core part of his professional identity and the focus of his advisory work.

Media Appearances

Lessons in Cybersecurity Leadership. Featured in McCormick School of Engineering (Northwestern University)

See Now

Work History

1-2020
Adjunct Professor, Cybersecurity Leadership, IT Risk Management at McCormick School of Engineering
11-2019 - 12-2024
Vice President, Cybersecurity Strategy at CyberRisk Collaborative
1-2018
CISO Leadership Author/Advisor, Keynote Speaker at CISO SPOTLIGHT, LLC
2-2017 - 11-2017
Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Information Security and Technology Risk at Northern Trust Corporation
7-2013 - 2-2017
Global Director Information Security (CISO) at Grant Thornton International Ltd

Education

Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Oklahoma State University
BS from University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 41 Location : United States Job Level : N/A Designation : Adjunct Professor, Cybersecurity Leadership, IT Risk Management at McCormick School of Engineering
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Insights For Selling To Todd

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Help them weigh the risks by sharing objective proof points without becoming too analytical
  • Get to the point quickly instead of spending time doing small talk
  • Hold your ground without indulging in one-upmanship

DONT's

  • Do not spend too much time focusing on product tech or features
  • Avoid being a storyteller and don’t try to oversell
  • Do not hesitate from asking counter questions, just avoid challenging their authority

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Todd is

  • Confidence in impact is paramount to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Todd

  • If they are not convinced, they will have no hesitation in telling you the same.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Todd move?

  • They can reach decisions fairly quickly if they are convinced.
  • Can Todd take some risk or not?

  • They don’t mind risks but can be quite binary about them.

You And Todd

Personality Compatibility


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