Todd McKinnon is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Okta. He is responsible for creating, communicating and implementing the overall vision and strategy for the company. Under Todd's leadership, Okta has grown into the leading identity solution with thousands of customers.
Todd earned his B.S. in management and information systems from Brigham Young University and his M.S. in computer science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He is as a regular contributor to industry publications, including Forbes, Fast Company, Fortune and the Wall Street Journal Accelerators. Todd also enjoys exercising and spending time with his family.
Covid-19 has brought about unprecedented changes in the way we live, work and play. As movement restrictions remain in place and organizations continue to adapt to the hybrid working model, stronger security strategies are paramount in ensuring the workforce and corporate data stay safe during this period.
Digital Identity Forum Asia 2021 will be a virtual event, exploring nascent trends and end-user requirements in digital identity management in Singapore and the region. We will explore the role identity plays in helping companies take advantage of new business opportunities and negotiate challenges created by Covid-19, as well as the ways key sectors can harness digital identity to transform and scale their businesses.
The event will include keynote speeches by Cyber Security Agency of Singapore Deputy Chief Executive Gaurav Keerthi and Todd McKinnon, CEO of Okta, and a panel discussion involving highly respected IT and cybersecurity industry experts and end-users in the region. We hope you can join us.
Okta CEO and co-founder Todd McKinnon spoke to leading business news show CNBC Squawk Box Asia about expansion into Asia, the evolving role of cloud and identity technology, government partnerships, digital identity and tech adoption in Asia and the issue of data privacy and transparency. To hear his industry insights, watch the TV interview here.
By Ivan Ng, Dr. Ong Chen Hui, Ong Whee Teck, Bryce Boland, Scott Monro and Grace Chng.
Digital identity opportunities created by the pandemic – a sectoral discussion.
Explore how Covid-19 changed the way businesses in the various industries work with their employees, engage with customers, and secure corporate data.
Improving Employee Experience with Zero Trust
As remote working became mainstream because of COVID-19, many organizations have been forced to come up with new ways to provide flexible access to empower their employees and keep the work experience intact or even better than before.
A good employee experience hinges on a few core elements: Speed, Ease and Trust. But achieving and providing trust often means complex and time-consuming user authentication processes, which result in a poor user experience. The consequences can be poorer security, lower productivity and sluggish innovation.
In this session, we will examine how a Zero Trust framework combined with the right authentication methods can unite the need for Speed, Trust and User Experience.
Todd McKinnon is the CEO and co-founder of Okta, the leading provider of enterprise identity, which he co-founded in 2009 with Frederic Kerrest. Under Todd’s leadership, Okta has transformed the way millions of people access technology and put identity at the forefront of security.
Todd’s experience as a leader and technology visionary spans more than 25 years, with deep roots in enterprise software and cloud transformation. Prior to Okta, he led engineering at Salesforce, where he grew the team from 15 people to more than 250, and the service from two million daily transactions to more than 150 million. Todd started his career at PeopleSoft, where he held several engineering and leadership roles throughout his eight-year tenure.
Todd earned his bachelor’s degree in management and information systems from Brigham Young University and his master’s in computer science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. A Bay Area native, Todd is an advisor to Family House and an advocate for equality and inclusion. He is a husband and father, an exercise addict, and a mountain bike enthusiast.
Brigadier General Gaurav Keerthi is the Deputy Chief Executive of Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, covering the capability and ecosystem development portfolios. He is passionate about transforming cybersecurity, to enable rapid digitalisation in a more secure manner.
He was a helicopter pilot in the Republic of Singapore Air Force. He held a range of roles where he drove transformation across SAF in the domain of digital defence, held operational responsibilities for networked operations and cyber defence in the RSAF, and was their first Chief Innovation Officer. He completed his undergraduate studies at Stanford University and his masters at Harvard Kennedy School, both under full scholarships.
A hobbyist software developer, Gaurav has founded numerous non-profit digital start-ups, and leads better.sg, which is the national “TechForGood” non-profit volunteer-run organisation.
Bryce is Head of Security, ASEAN for AWS and is responsible for helping customers build secure, reliable solutions in the cloud. Bryce is passionate about and has spent the last 25 years helping organizations build sustainable security capabilities and reduce the harmful impacts of cybercrime.
Prior to joining AWS, Bryce held security leadership roles in the financial services and cyber security industries. Most recently he headed the security architecture, consulting and engineering functions at Standard Chartered Bank as they underwent a multi-year security and cloud transformation. Prior to this, he was the APJ CTO for cyber security firm FireEye, where he counselled governments, militaries, companies, and corporate boards in their approach to cyber security. Bryce also spent 10 years building security and technology risk capabilities at UBS Group, including four years as the Group Security CTO, responsible for incorporating security into the enterprise architecture.
Grace Chng is a seasoned technology writer and author. Prior to being a freelance contributor at Techgoondu, Grace co-founded The Straits Times’ Digital Life – A staple in Singapore’s tech news scene for close to two decades, and the most well-read technology publication locally. She has interviewed tech personalities ranging from Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Carly Fiorina and Eric Schmidt to Sim Wong Hoo, Lionel Lim, Tan Yen Yen and Tan Tong Hai.
In addition, Grace leads Singapore Computer Society’s Women in Technology chapter, which aims to connect professional women in Technology and learn through topical discussions, showcases, and sharing of knowledge and experiences in technology and leadership.
As a seasoned facilitator for various panel discussions, Grace has extensive knowledge of the global technology industry.
Ivan Ng is the Vice-President at Singapore’s IT Management Association (ITMA). Together with the other executive council members, Ivan promotes industry initiatives that help businesses maximise value from their IT investments and nurtures the next generation of technology leaders.
Ivan is also currently the Chief Technology Officer for City Developments. With over 25 years of leading both businesses and technology teams, Ivan brings unique insights into using innovative technologies to create business value. As a business leader, he has successfully grown the regional business units for multinationals such as HP, Dell and ServiceNow to deliver business transformation solutions for customers. Having worked in countries such as China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, he has also gained a deep appreciation of the Asia Pacific and Japan markets. He founded his first company in his twenties and remains passionate about building great teams to solve real-world issues.
Ivan has been ranked amongst the top 10 technology leaders in ASEAN by IDG and was conferred the Outstanding Alumni Award by the National University of Singapore in 2018. He is currently serving on the boards of technology companies and the advisory boards for the National University of Singapore and Singapore Gardens by the Bay.
Dr Ong Chen Hui is the Cluster Director of the Business-Technology Group at Infocomm and Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA), where she strategize and spurs the research and adoption of 5G, AI, Trustworthy AI and other new technologies in the industry. She has over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity and technology innovation, leading both local and global teams towards impactful outcomes in deep tech. Her previous roles include being APJ CTO at Trustwave, where she grew a team to cover emerging cybersecurity technologies including cyber analytics, OT security and automotive security.
Dr Ong is the chair of SG Women in Tech, where she works with like-minded industry leaders to encourage a diverse workforce in technology. She is also a member of the Cybersecurity Agency of Singapore's OT Cybersecurity Experts Panel (OTCEP) and a mentor in AiSP's Ladies in Cyber programme.
As an Executive Council Member and Honorary Treasurer of the Singapore Computer Society (SCS), Ong Whee Teck plays a leading role in SCS’s efforts to grow Singapore’s infocomm and digital media industry. Besides contributing to the industry’s vibrancy, he helps develop the careers of infocomm and digital media professionals.
Concurrently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Trusted Services, Whee Teck has over 25 years of global IT experience in various roles including being a consultant for bank mergers and core banking transformations. He has also served as Group Head for Wholesale IT in a regional bank.
In addition, Whee Teck was an Adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore's School of Computing, where he taught IT Leadership and Software and Enterprise Architecture. In 2012, Whee Teck took time off to learn how to draw and paint as an adult learner and has since held three exhibitions and sold a number of his works. Out of this experience, he published a book describing his process of continuous adult learning titled "Adult Learning Architecture".
Scott Monro is the Regional Director of Asia for Okta. With over two decades of experience in the IT industry, Scott oversees Okta’s overall business operations in the region and is responsible for growing the provider’s customer base and market share in Asia.
Prior to Okta, Scott has held senior sales leadership roles in prominent technology companies like Dell, McAfee and Altium.
A proven business leader with a deep understanding of IT business dynamics, Scott will work with governments and partners in Asia to drive Okta’s mission to become the voice of digital identity in the region.
Graham Sowden is General Manager, APAC at Okta. He joined the company in July 2018, taking up the role with over 20 years of experience in enterprise software. Prior to Okta, Graham held senior leadership roles at Acquia, Informatica, Mercury Interactive and Progress Software.
Graham has deep experience building teams with thriving culture and leading companies through accelerated growth across the Asia Pacific region. He is passionate about helping companies embrace cloud technologies, uplift security and user experience, and increase trust in online interactions. At Okta, Graham is committed to building the importance of identity and access management as a foundation for cybersecurity.
Harry Wang is a Risk Advisory Director and the Digital Identity Leader for Deloitte China.
He has over 15 years of experience serving clients across US, Hong Kong, and China on cybersecurity with a focus in Identity. His clients come from a diverse set of industries including insurance, banking, manufacturing, logistics, energy, hospitality, food and beverage, federal military, law enforcement, and national intelligence agencies.
Prior to his arrival in Hong Kong, he led a multi-year workforce identity program focused on insider threat risk mitigation for a national law enforcement and intelligence agency.
Mark is the Chief Information Security Officer of Mynt (Globe Fintech Innovations, Inc.), the holding company of the largest and top e-wallet in the Philippines, GCash. In this role, he oversees all Information & Cyber Security and Data Privacy Groups within the company and its subsidiaries. He is responsible for establishing and maintaining the information security vision, strategy, and programs to ensure the organization's assets and data are adequately protected and enable the organization to achieve its business objectives.
Prior to joining Mynt, Mark has been with Citigroup for 8 years and assumed Local, Regional, and Global Information Security roles overseeing Enterprise Infrastructure Operations & Technology Business Unit. In addition, he held different roles as IT Risk Manager, Infrastructure & Data Security Officer, and Senior Security Engineer from JPMorgan & Chase, PSBank, and Trend Micro respectively.
Claus Mortensen has more than 17 years of experience in both strategic and tactical guidance for vendors and service providers in the IT and telecommunications space. Having worked as an analyst and a consultant in both Europe and Asia, Claus has supported clients with local, regional and global briefs to position their offerings and grow their businesses in their target markets. These have included Google, Microsoft, IBM, AT&T, Orange and SingTel.
Claus spent nine years at IDC Asia Pacific, where he climbed the ranks to launch and lead IDC’s Emerging Technology practice. In Asia and Europe, Claus is also a renowned speaker and blogger, who continues to evaluate and forecast how disruptive technologies impact the marketplace and how digitization is transforming business models across all industries.
A veteran in the software industry, Karun has been working on application security and identity access management since 2002 and have worked in a range of capacities from application development to domain consultancy. His previous roles were with ForgeRock as Principal Solutions Architect Wipro and Oracle.
He has covered geographies ranging from Middle East to Australia during his career and has worked in product principal companies and system integration companies in the IDM space. He has spoken and participated in numerous security events and presented identity management to both business audience and technical communities.
His current responsibility at OKTA is to grow the Asia business, as a Senior Sales Engineer to delight the customers with the our Workforce and Customer Identity solutions
Karun lives in Singapore with his wife, and 2 daughters, and he loves traveling and listening to all kind of music from Buddy Guy to AR Rahman to Dr Dre.