In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Vivien Bilquez of Zurich Insurance sits down with SquareX Founder Office’s Aleksandra Melnikova to discuss whether AI can replace cybersecurity leaders, how CISOs should communicate risk to boards, and what skills will matter most in the future. Vivien shares why AI delivers universal answers but lacks human judgment, why CISOs must master storytelling and financial language, and how to secure executive buy-in through cyber risk quantification. From champion rock-and-roll dancer to CISO at one of the world’s largest insurers, he explains why nearly 50% of companies are uninsurable and how Zurich reduced 500 security questions to just 10 key controls that mitigate 70% of cyber attacks.

00:00 Vivien's start as an acrobatic rock-and-roll dancer, and how the CISO role is mixed with politics
7:42 Cybersecurity is human-centric
12:27 How 10 controls can mitigate 70% of cyber attacks
16:42 Quantifying cyber risk in financial terms
25:58 Cyber Insurance vs Cyber Resilience
29:39 The different people you deal with during a cyber crisis
37:24 Speaking to boards in business language, not cyber
45:10 Why AI cannot replace the CISO and human experience

🔔 Follow Vivien and Aleksandra on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivienbilquez/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleksandra-melnikova-1012/

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In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, StickmanCyber’s Founder Ajay Unni sits down with SquareX Field CISO John Carse to discuss the personal side of building a global cybersecurity brand. Ajay reveals how a failure in his 12th-grade exams in India became the catalyst for his first software company. He explains his leadership philosophy, which integrates meditation and ethical business growth, proving that you don't have to be greedy to succeed in the high-stakes world of tech. They also touch upon why the web browser has become the primary attack surface for modern hackers and despite heavy investments in EDR tools and network security, many organizations remain blind to data exfiltration happening inside the browser.

00:00 Starting a company without experience
9:51 Ajay's move to cybersecurity
17:41 Cybersecurity-as-a-service and integrating AI for compliance
31:19 Shadow SaaS and browser blind spots
45:41 The fine balance between productivity and AI data leakage risk
50:12 Meditation and ethical business growth as cornerstones of leadership

🔔 Follow Ajay and John on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajayunni/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncarse/

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In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Gautam "Gotham" Sharma, Executive Director, Cybersecurity Education and Training at AccessCyber, sits down with SquareX Field CISO John Carse to discuss why cybersecurity education and hiring are broken. The conversation explores nontraditional cyber career paths, why certifications alone don’t get candidates hired, and how hands-on projects prepare people for real-world security roles. Gautam breaks down browser security, SaaS sprawl, zero trust, and why defending the browser is essential for modern enterprises. He debunks viral AI ransomware statistics and explains why the industry needs better skepticism and even satire.

00:00 Founding of AccessCyber, what you learn in school vs. what enterprises are doing
9:35 Finding the right fit in cybersecurity
16:55 Hacking vs academia
32:26 How comedy helps Gautam be better in cybersecurity
40:00 CISO insights and browser security
51:39 Fighting misinformation in tech

🔔 Follow Gautam and John on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gothamjsharma/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncarse/

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Deployed as a lightweight extension, SquareX turns any browser, on any device, into a secure enterprise browser. Find out more about SquareX at https://hubs.la/Q03rPcbf0