Siemens Energy VP Leo Simonovich to join Global Resilience Federation board
Global Resilience Federation (GRF) has announced Siemens Energy’s Leo Simonovich will join its board of directors. Simonovich currently serves as Siemens Energy’s vice president and global head of industrial cyber and digital security, leading the company’s industrial cybersecurity line of work. Simonovich brings skills in cybersecurity of operating technologies (OT) to GRF at a time when many sectors are investing heavily in digitising physical production processes with information technology (IT) systems, an approach often called an industrial Internet of Things (IoT).
Simonovich’s addition to the board is one of several steps that GRF is taking to address the increasing exposure to cyberattacks that accompanies the efficiencies gained through industrial IoT. Managing threats against systems that rely on industrial IoT like precision manufacturing, electric vehicles, and smart city infrastructure will be a key challenge for the future of the global economy and the transition to climate-friendly technologies.
“We are delighted to welcome Leo to the board,” says GRF CEO Mark Orsi. “He has long been a thought leader on cybersecurity resilience, a respected voice in the energy sector, and a driver of innovation for OT security. We are looking forward to his insight as we continue to build and support multi-sector collective defense communities.”
Simonovich joins other board members, leaders in their fields, representing operational technology, utilities, legal services, retail banking, oil and natural gas, healthcare, retail, professional services, and downstream natural gas. Under Simonovich’s leadership, Siemens Energy has launched the Eos.ii platform for industrial cybersecurity monitoring and detection, and the managed detection and response service aimed at enabling a broader cross-section of companies to access and deploy cybersecurity for OT environments.
Beyond his instrumental role at Siemens, Simonovich has actively promoted global collaboration on cybersecurity maturity, most notably as chair of the World Economic Forum’s Oil and Gas Community cybersecurity working group.
“In my work I see, over and over, the value of mature cybersecurity by collaborating across industry and across sectors,” says Leo Simonovich. “GRF has been working to answer more frequent, more sophisticated cyber threats with information-sharing efforts. I want to thank GRF for this opportunity to contribute to building resilient cross-sector communities.”
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