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In this first episode of People of Tech, a brand new podcast, our host Charles Commins speaks to the Data Protection and Security Information Officer at John Lewis & Partners, Steve Wright.

 

Steve Wright has worked in the field of information security for 25 years. He has worked for some of the biggest brand names in the world including Siemens, Unilever and Deloitte. He has worked for John Lewis and Partners since April 2016 and is a prominent name in his field, often sharing his insights as a guest speaker at conferences held throughout Europe.

 

Steve discusses the digital transformation he has witnessed in his current role at John Lewis and gives his opinion on the state of the cyber security industry after a turbulent year that has included the hacking of British Airways.

 

Inside this episode:

 

1:18 Steve sets the scene for us and provides more details on John Lewis that show why it is so much more than just a department store.

 

5:46 Steve discusses the digital transformation he has witnessed in his time at John Lewis

 

6:41 Steve tells us how long the role of Data Protection and Security Information Officer has been a part of the John Lewis structure.

 

10:11 John Lewis unveiled new branding in early 2018. How much pressure did this put on Steve?

 

12:28 How the implementation of GDPR changed the game for John Lewis & Partners as a business

 

14:30 Steve gives his thoughts on the cyber security industry, as a whole, in 2018.

 

18:39 Thoughts on how Steve and his peers are congratulated away from the media spotlight

 

22:55 Do things going publically wrong, like the hacking of British Airways, actually help CISO’s to do their job better by gaining increased budgets?