Jeff Apolis

Jeff Apolis is an accomplished cyber security leader and strategist whose work bridges the technical, organisational, and strategic dimensions of modern security. Over his career, he has advanced national security and industry resilience through one core belief: security must enable business innovation, not obstruct it. His approach unites secure engineering and governance, ensuring that security strengthens performance, trust, and business value.

Jeff leads initiatives at the intersection of AI risk management, cyber security strategy, and secure software engineering, with work spanning the full technology lifecycle, from early design through operational assurance, and helping organisations transform compliance-driven programs into risk-informed enablers of trust and efficiency.

He has designed and led large-scale programs that elevate cyber assurance across complex organisations, creating frameworks that integrate secure design principles and supply chain assurance into scalable, sustainable practices. His philosophy centers on measurable impact: build security in early, prove its value continuously, and communicate its relevance to both engineers and executives.

In the realm of artificial intelligence, Jeff led a team developing a security-focused AI Acquisition Evaluation Framework that provides structured, evidence-based methods to evaluate model performance, bias, transparency, and business value, and aligns with emerging global standards such as the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, ISO/IEC 42001, and the OWASP Top 10 for LLMs, bridging the gap between AI innovation and accountable AI risk governance.

He champions an engineering-centric approach that reduces security friction, increases productivity, and embeds resilience throughout the software supply chain. Whether working with engineers, executives, or policymakers, Jeff's goal is to make security practical, measurable, and value-driven.

As a speaker and thought leader, Jeff is known for making complex technical concepts accessible and relevant, with talks that combine analytical depth with relatable, real-world examples that resonate across audiences, from developers and engineers to boards and policy leaders.

Jeff's guiding principle is simple but powerful: security succeeds when it enables people to do their work better and more confidently. He believes the future of cyber security lies in reframing security from a constraint into a competitive advantage - one rooted in trust, transparency, and adaptability.