On the 29th episode of Enterprise AI Defenders, host Mike Britton, Chief Information Security Officer at Abnormal AI, talks with Vaughn Hazen, Chief Information Security Officer at ​​the Canadian National Railway Company. CN is Canada’s largest rail operator and the only one that spans the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts, running over 20,000 miles across North America. In this conversation, Vaughn shares what it takes to defend one of North America’s largest freight railroads in an era of deepfakes, automated phishing, and machine-speed threats. He discusses why secure processes (not just smart tools) are critical to cyber resilience, how AI is changing the threat landscape and workforce dynamics, and why treating email as a notification system is a foundational shift. Vaughn’s approach blends military discipline, telecom roots, and a strong belief in long-term readiness over reactive fixes.

Quick hits from Vaughn:

On the fragility of process in an AI-driven threat landscape: “Email should be a notification, not necessarily the process... there's just gotta be a robust process that makes it very, very difficult where you're gonna have to be able to compromise a slew of people in order to really breach that”.

On the slow burn of real security preparation: “You can’t plant the seeds and expect to harvest in the same day… a lot of the stuff that we do to prepare for a potential event is stuff that we've got to be doing in advance”.

On AI’s false promise of autonomy: “It’s not something that just works on its own... You've got to have people that are knowledgeable... to say, first of all, does this make sense? Are we seeing a hallucination?”.

Recent Book Recommendation: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

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Enterprise AI Defenders is a show where top security executives share how moves to the cloud have created an evolved threat landscape that requires new tools to protect against cybercrime. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog.

Enterprise Software Defenders is produced by Josh Meer

On the 28th episode of Enterprise AI Defenders, hosts Evan Reiser and Mike Britton, both executives at Abnormal AI, talk with Rob Nolan, Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Expeditors. Expeditors is a Fortune 500 freight and logistics company, powering over 25% of all U.S. customs clearance. They enable global trade and supply chain resilience for many of the world's most recognizable brands. In this conversation, Rob shares how AI is changing the attack surface and the defensive playbook, why behavior and identity have become the new cybersecurity perimeter, and how AI helps enterprise defenders flip the script and regain their advantage.

Quick hits from Rob:

On the role of AI in defense: "The reality is that if I think about a solution that helps us defend against AI attacks, it's more AI."

On defenders flipping the script with AI: "The next frontier is knowing what 'normal' looks like for our business—and letting AI call out what's not."

On culture, training, and enablement: "We're much better off having an AI-intelligent workforce than one we've sheltered away from AI."

Book Recommendation: The Great Mental Models by Rhiannon Beaubien and Shane Parrish

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Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Enterprise AI Defenders is a show where top security executives share how moves to the cloud have created an evolved threat landscape that requires new tools to protect against cybercrime. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog/.

Enterprise AI Defenders is produced by Josh Meer.

On the 27th episode of Enterprise AI Defenders, hosts Evan Reiser and Mike Britton, both executives at Abnormal AI, talk with Gareth Packham, Chief Information Security Officer at Save the Children International. Save the Children is one of the world's largest nonprofit organizations focused on protecting the rights and well-being of children. Operating in over 100 countries, it delivers healthcare, education, and emergency response programs—often in high-risk, conflict-affected areas. In this conversation, Gareth shares insights on the life-or-death stakes of cybersecurity in humanitarian work, the rising danger of AI-powered impersonation and fraud, and why driving behavioral change—not just awareness—is the next frontier in protecting global organizations.

Quick hits from Gareth:

On the real-world consequences of cybersecurity failures at Save the Children: “Without sounding glib or flippant—it really isn't. It can be a matter of life and death. We have information on children and families… in the wrong hands, that could put them at risk of physical harm.”

On the threat of AI-generated impersonation: “A few years ago, we were seeing business email compromise attempts asking to approve invoices. Now, it’s shifted to things like deepfake video. When someone says, ‘Let’s jump on a call,’ and you see a video of someone that looks and sounds like your CEO, you really need to challenge that.”

On the limits of awareness training: “The challenge with a lot of awareness programs is that they’re static. People might remember the right answer on a quiz, but it doesn't mean they’ll act the right way under pressure. We need to stop checking boxes and start measuring actual behavior change.”

Book Recommendation: Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

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Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Enterprise AI Defenders is a show where top security executives share how moves to the cloud have created an evolved threat landscape that requires new tools to protect against cybercrime. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog/

Enterprise AI Defenders is produced by Josh Meer.