Building the Modern CISO
Cybersecurity pioneer, technology and governance expert, speaker and author.
Meet Paul Connelly
Paul is a career cybersecurity, technology governance, and business leader.
He built the first cybersecurity programs at two of the world’s highest risk organizations - the White House and HCA Healthcare, as well as a regional cybersecurity audit/consulting practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Paul’s career includes more than twenty years of experience as a C-level executive at a Fortune 100 company, six years as a partner at a Big Four public accounting firm, and seven years as the senior civilian at a federal agency at the White House and a Communications Officer for three U.S. presidents.
He has partnered with business and IT leaders to drive digital transformation, compliance, resilience, and risk management. His roles have also included oversight of data privacy, governance, and physical security; international work; and leadership in ethics & compliance, employee engagement, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.
Paul has always been a developer of talent, with thirty-six team members selected as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at organizations across multiple industries in the U.S. and U.K.
Sign up for Paul’s Newsletter
Get insights aimed at helping cybersecurity and business leaders raise the bar for their organizations’ program, based on Paul’s thirty-nine years as a pioneer in the field. You can expect different perspectives and topics that share new ideas and coach others.
Key Skills
Cybersecurity leadership and operations
Technology and data strategy and resiliency
Enterprise risk management
Governance and compliance
Crisis management
Leadership, talent, and culture development
IT audit
Industry Experience
Healthcare
Professional Services
Federal Government
Academia
International
Education
Master of Resource Development, Food & Resource Economics, University of Florida
Bachelor of Science, Food & Resource Economics, University of Florida
U.S. Naval War College, National Security Studies Program
Board Certifications
National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Directorship Certified
NACD Director Proficiency: Financial Oversight certification
The Wharton School Certificate in ESG for Senior Leaders
Let’s work together
Featured Course:
STRATEGIC CYBERSECURITY OVERSIGHT
Become a visionary in risk management, safeguarding your company's future. This comprehensive course empowers CEOs, CFOs and COOs to reduce cyber threats by adopting risk mitigation strategies and strategic management.
Paul designed and created this course for executives on behalf of Belmont University. The course covers the foundations of cybersecurity and explains why it is a key business issue. It also explores the roles and responsibilities of business leaders in cybersecurity and outlines the best practices for working with your Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to address the risks.
Connelly 2: The Shakedown
While at HCA Healthcare, Paul became somewhat of a workplace celebrity when he signed on to star in a series of videos as the no-nonsense cyber security action hero known to all as simply “Connelly.” Watch and learn why this video is a critics’ pick two thumbs up must see!
Some nice words
-
![]()
“Paul was the Information Security Officer for the White House Comm Agency and he knew his job inside out. He was the "go to guy" when it came to security matters but he was not one to put himself in the spotlight. Although you may not see him a lot, you knew he had come in and did what was needed and left. His actions spoke louder than any amount of dialogue or written matter and I wish I had gotten the chance to work more closely with Paul during my time at WHCA. I believe his competence, queit demeanor, and positive outlook, infected those around him and made the working environment all the more pleasant. Paul is a trainer's trainer who provides constructive feedback in an way that leaves you feeling glad that you were around him.”
Michelle Liulama, Ph.D.
-
![]()
“Paul Connelly set a great example for the consultants in his information security practice at PwC. He was committed to helping us achieve our own professional goals, in addition to ensuring the success of his corporate objectives. He allowed us to be creative by providing the funding for us to become experts in the cybersecurity technology that we wanted to be proficient in. Paul put us on engagements with Fortune 500 clients and large federal agencies so we could travel the world and learn different ways of solving problems. He provided us with world class training where we learned from security thought leaders to stay ahead of the game. I have fond memories of Paul keeping us motivated with well placed team building events and also telling us stories that would make us laugh. He is a leader that kept to his word. If you want to work for a great executive, then submit your resume to Paul Connelly.”
Reginald Esteban
-
![]()
“Paul has established one of the premier security programs in the nation for healthcare. His experience has been invaluable to HCA in making sure patients data is secure. The program includes all aspects of a solid framework of protection from perimeter protection, OS patching and monitoring, vendor management, employee education, and a strong program of audit and compliance to make sure the program is being applied evenly accross the enterprise. He is always insightful and thoughtful in his approach to the rapidly changing landscape of Information Security. Paul supports and environment of team unity and employee professional development. Several of our team members have gone on to become Chief Information Security Officers of other large companies which demonstrates the investment he has made to his people over the years.”
Robb Wells, Tech Solution Architect Manager at Accenture, MCT, MBA, CTA
