March marks Women’s History Month, a time to recognize the contributions of women across industries and leadership roles. In retail, female Chief Information Security Officers are helping protect consumer data, payment systems, e-commerce operations, and large distributed enterprise environments that sit at the center of modern commerce.
Retail organizations face a wide range of cybersecurity demands, from securing point-of-sale systems and digital storefronts to managing privacy, fraud, compliance, and operational resilience across global brands. The following leaders represent women helping shape cybersecurity strategy across the retail sector.
Ashley DeVoto — Chief Information Security Officer, Discount Tire
Ashley DeVoto serves as Chief Information Security Officer at Discount Tire, where she leads cybersecurity strategy for one of the best-known consumer retail brands in the automotive services space. Appointed in 2024, she brings a broad mix of enterprise, government, consulting, and financial services security leadership to the role.
DeVoto’s background includes serving as Chief Information Security Officer at Booz Allen Hamilton, President and Chief Information Security Officer at CISO Global, and a senior security leadership role at Bank of America. Earlier in her career, she also held cybersecurity consulting and operations roles at EY, Delta Risk, and the U.S. Air Force. Her experience across both public and private sector cyber operations has made her one of the more recognizable security leaders in the retail and consumer space.
Jennifer Watson — Global Chief Information Security Officer, Ahold Delhaize
Jennifer Watson serves as Global Chief Information Security Officer and Senior Vice President of Information Security at Ahold Delhaize, where she leads cybersecurity strategy across one of the world’s largest food retail groups. Her role spans global information security leadership across a complex multinational retail environment.
Before joining Ahold Delhaize, Watson served as Chief Information Security Officer at Celanese and Raytheon Intelligence & Space. Her earlier career included leadership roles at PepsiCo, Nike, and Mastercard, where she built expertise in vulnerability management, security engineering, perimeter defense, and enterprise security strategy. Her background across retail, financial services, manufacturing, and defense gives her a broad perspective on securing large-scale consumer and enterprise ecosystems.
Rebecca Janutis — Senior Vice President & Chief Information Security Officer, Kohl’s Department Stores
Rebecca Janutis serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Kohl’s Department Stores, where she has led information security strategy for more than a decade. Her long tenure at Kohl’s reflects deep experience in aligning security priorities with retail business objectives and enterprise risk tolerance.
Before becoming CISO, Janutis served as Director of Information Security at Kohl’s and previously held a senior information security leadership role at Discover Financial Services. Her career has focused on building security programs that support large consumer-facing organizations while balancing operational needs and business growth.
Diane Brown — Vice President of IT Risk Management, Ulta Beauty
Diane Brown serves as Vice President of IT Risk Management at Ulta Beauty, where she leads risk and security-related initiatives for one of the most prominent specialty beauty retailers in the United States. Her long career at Ulta reflects deep institutional experience across risk management, security, and enterprise technology governance.
Brown has spent many years building and advancing IT risk capabilities inside the organization, progressing through multiple leadership roles before becoming Vice President. Her background also includes earlier information security management roles at OfficeMax, giving her decades of experience across retail technology and security operations.
Robyn Ready — Chief Information Security Officer & Vice President of Infrastructure, KnitWell Group
Robyn Ready serves as Chief Information Security Officer and Vice President of Infrastructure and Operations at KnitWell Group, where she helps lead security, infrastructure, and technology operations strategy. Her role reflects a broad leadership scope that combines cybersecurity, resilience, and enterprise operational performance.
Ready is known for building and transforming organizations through modernization, cost optimization, and integrated operating models that bring together security, infrastructure, and service delivery. Her leadership emphasizes practical innovation, enterprise resilience, and measurable business value across large-scale retail technology environments.
Sam Fariborz — Chief Information Security Officer, David Jones
Sam Fariborz serves as Chief Information Security Officer at David Jones, where she leads cybersecurity strategy for one of Australia’s best-known department store brands. Her work focuses on helping retail organizations improve cyber maturity across complex IT, operational technology, and cloud environments.
Fariborz is recognized for her ability to simplify cyber risk for executives while guiding organizations through transformation and maturity improvement. She has received industry recognition including CSO30 2024 Top Cybersecurity Leader and AISA Cyber Professional of the Year 2024, reflecting her profile as a respected voice in retail cybersecurity leadership.
Female Cybersecurity Leadership in Retail
Retail depends on strong cybersecurity leadership to protect consumer trust, secure digital and in-store transactions, and support resilient business operations across highly distributed environments. Female CISOs in this sector are helping define how retailers approach risk, privacy, compliance, and secure transformation in an increasingly connected marketplace.
The leaders featured here represent women helping strengthen cybersecurity across the retail industry. Their work supports not only the brands they serve, but also the broader retail ecosystem that consumers interact with every day.
For more profiles of women leading cybersecurity across sectors, visit our Female CISOs to Watch in FinTech feature.