Safeguarding Family Enterprises and Family Offices: Navigating the Cyberthreat Landscape

According to RSM’s latest family office report, 83% of single-family offices view cyberattacks as their biggest operational risk. Family enterprises and family offices, regardless of size, are prime targets for cyber threats, given their extensive financial dealings and often limited security measures. This vulnerability extends to their operating companies as well, which may lack the robust cybersecurity infrastructure necessary to protect against sophisticated cyber threats.

This webcast will address:

• Understanding the Threat Landscape: Gain insights into the specific cyberthreats targeting ultra-high-net-worth individuals and family offices.
• Identifying Vulnerabilities: Learn about the common vulnerabilities in family offices, including human factors and low cyber preparedness.
• Enhancing Cyber Preparedness: Discover practical steps and strategies to bolster the cybersecurity posture of family offices.
• Case Studies and Best Practices: Explore real-world examples and best practices to protect sensitive data and personal information.
• Actionable Strategies: Receive expert recommendations on implementing robust cyber defenses tailored to the unique needs of family offices.

Please join RSM family office and cybersecurity leaders Chris Dickson and Rob West, and Family Business Magazine Publishing Director David Shaw for an informative discussion on the importance of proactive security measures, ensuring that your family office is well-prepared to defend against evolving threats. These experts will share actionable strategies to protect your sensitive data and strengthen your operational resilience.

Date and Time

Wednesday, October 16, 2024
2 PM ET | 11 AM PT
60 minutes

Chris Dickson

Senior Manager, Family Office, RSM US LLP

Chris works in RSM’s family office practice and has over 12 years of experience working directly with family offices, spanning both advisory and assurance perspectives. His primary area of responsibility includes the assessment and design of family offices, with a deep focus on people, process, technology, data, and governance. His advisory experience includes: family office strategy and design, family office risk assessment, family office technology search and selection and family office governance advisory.

Prior to joining RSM, he held the role of senior manager within a leading professional services firm, specializing in guiding ultra-high-net-worth individuals and their family offices in areas such as business and operational risk management, process engineering, and technology selection/integration. He was instrumental in designing and leading the firm’s family office risk management practice.

Rob West

Managing Director, Risk Consulting, RSM US LLP

Rob focuses on helping clients identify, assess, remediate, transfer and manage cybersecurity and privacy risk. He has a broad range of experience in information systems auditing, third-party attestation engagements, cybersecurity governance and compliance requirements, and technical security.

Rob’s background is extensive, providing compliance services to public and private companies in the Southwest region and throughout the United States. His clients have included several large Fortune 500 companies in a wide range of industries, including financial services institutions, technology, media and entertainment, retail and manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.

Rob’s experience includes performing technical security assessments for clients utilizing a combination of customized off-the shelf technologies and custom developed technologies, assisting clients with the implementation and management of security programs to reduce their security risk exposure while balancing staffing and resource limitations and serving as a vCISO to organizations by providing executive-level reporting and oversight of the security program. Rob’s experience also includes leading complex delivery teams for multi-workstream projects across multiple IT and security functions, including operations, engineering, development and compliance for Fortune 500 companies, performing Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance reviews for a variety of public companies serving the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, technology and financial institution industries, performing application controls reviews for clients using proprietary web applications and performing HIPAA/Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) readiness reviews and compliance assessments for a variety of organizations and health care companies, including covered entities and business associates

In addition, Rob previously served as the director of client services for the RSM Delivery Center in Gurgaon, India. In this role, he worked collaboratively with teams in the United States and India with a focus on growing and expanding the center’s service capabilities and managing relationships across the firm.

David Shaw

Publishing Director, Family Business Magazine

David Shaw is the publishing director for MLR Media. He also co-founded and serves as conference director of the Transitions conferences, the Private Company Governance Summit and Family Business Legacy. David writes frequently on governance issues for public and private companies, and develops and maintains close relationships with multi-generational family-owned businesses. He is married, with two grown children.