Who We Are

About IT Security Group

A global non-profit association dedicated to advancing the cybersecurity profession and the professionals who defend it.

Our Mission

Empower every defender

To strengthen the global cybersecurity community by providing accessible education, rigorous certification support, credible research, and meaningful professional connection — regardless of where a member is in their career or the world.

Our Vision

A safer digital world

A world where every organization, community, and individual is defended by well-trained, well-connected, and ethical security professionals working together across borders.

Our Journey

History & milestones

2008 — Founded by a group of 40 security practitioners in Las Vegas as a peer support network.
2011 — Launched the first CISSP peer study group and reached 500 members.
2014 — Opened the Europe chapter in Oxford; introduced the annual SecureSummit conference.
2017 — Established the Research Committee and published our first threat landscape report.
2019 — Opened the Asia-Pacific chapter in Singapore; surpassed 2,500 members.
2022 — Launched the online training academy and member job board.
2024 — Crossed 5,000 members across 40+ countries and 5 regional chapters.
Leadership

Our board of directors

Volunteer leaders guiding the association's strategy and standards.

EC
Dr. Elena CastilloPresident & Chair — North America

Former Fortune 100 CISO with 25 years in enterprise security leadership.

RK
Rajesh KrishnanVice Chair — Asia-Pacific

Cloud security architect and author focused on zero-trust adoption.

SM
Sophie MüllerTreasurer — Europe

GRC specialist advising on EU cyber regulation and privacy.

DA
David AchiengSecretary — Middle East & Africa

Incident response veteran leading regional capacity building.

LS
Lucas SantosDirector of Education — Latin America

Cybersecurity educator building pathways for new practitioners.

KW
Kenji WatanabeDirector of Research — Asia-Pacific

Threat researcher and data scientist chairing the research committee.

Global Presence

Regional chapters

Local communities delivering events, mentorship, and networking on every continent.

North America

Las Vegas, New York, Toronto, San Francisco & Mexico City hubs.

Europe

Oxford, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam & Stockholm communities.

Asia-Pacific

Singapore, Tokyo, Bangalore, Seoul & Sydney networks.

Latin America

São Paulo, Buenos Aires & Mexico City member groups.

Middle East & Africa

Dubai, Nairobi, Lagos, Cairo & Johannesburg hubs.

UK & Ireland

Oxford-anchored community serving the British Isles.

Nordics

Stockholm-led group across Sweden, Norway, Denmark & Finland.

South Asia

Bangalore & Karachi communities across the subcontinent.