The world of cybersecurity is evolving at lightning speed, and startups are under increasing pressure to protect their digital assets while scaling rapidly. While not all of these leaders work in startups themselves, they have built security programs, led transformative initiatives, and shaped strategies that emerging companies can learn a lot from. From defending against modern social engineering attacks to building resilient global security organizations, these are the minds shaping cybersecurity leadership in Germany and beyond.
Julius Muth — Co-Founder, revel8
Julius Muth is building up revel8 (previously Company Shield), preparing businesses to defend against deepfake-driven phishing and modern social engineering threats. As co-founder, he focuses on practical, forward-looking security strategies that startups can adapt early to protect their people and systems from increasingly sophisticated attacks.
Itay Livne — Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), SIXT
Itay Livne oversees SIXT’s global information security strategy, bringing over a decade of experience from Israel’s elite 8200 cyber unit. His expertise spans cyber crisis management, incident response, and operational leadership across Fortune 500 companies. Startups can draw lessons from his approach to building resilient security programs and leading teams capable of protecting highly distributed operations.
Michael Schrank — Group CISO, adidas
Michael Schrank specializes in information security and digital transformation across retail, automotive, and banking sectors. With experience managing budgets exceeding €150 million and leading teams of over 500 FTEs, he also advises startups and venture capital firms. His guidance demonstrates how structured security leadership can foster innovation while safeguarding growth.
Stefan Baldus — Chief Information Security Officer, HUGO BOSS
Stefan Baldus brings extensive experience to HUGO BOSS, having served as CISO for nearly two decades. His leadership highlights the importance of long-term vision and integrating security deeply into corporate operations, lessons startups can apply even in early-stage security program development.
Robert Haist — Business Chief Cyber Security Officer, Bosch Home Comfort Group
With over 15 years in cybersecurity leadership, Robert Haist has led initiatives from incident response to threat intelligence in companies ranging from startups to global enterprises. He also serves on advisory boards such as RedMimicry, sharing expertise on embedding security into business strategy, product development, and operations.
Florian Jörgens — Chief Information Security Officer, Vorwerk Group
Florian Jörgens has built his career across IT auditing, corporate security management, and executive leadership. Today, as Vorwerk’s CISO, he combines technical acumen with strategic insight and shares his knowledge as a keynote speaker, lecturer, and author. Startups can look to his emphasis on awareness, culture, and proactive security practices.
Albert Yirenchi Danquah — Chief Information Security Officer, Moniepoint Group
Albert leads security at Moniepoint, a fintech company processing billions in monthly transactions. He focuses on cloud security, incident response, and team development while contributing to global advisory boards. His work exemplifies how startups in financial technology can integrate robust security practices into fast-growing, cloud-first operations.
Simon Baeckerling — Co-CISO, Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE
Simon brings deep expertise in ISMS, enterprise risk management, and regulatory compliance. While his experience is rooted in investment banking, startups can draw from his disciplined approach to risk alignment, audit readiness, and cybersecurity governance.
Linus Plum — Chief Information Security Officer, ALDI DX
Linus Plum has led security programs for critical infrastructure in retail, utilities, and tech, winning recognition such as the OSPA award. His leadership emphasizes governance, resilience, and culture, key lessons for startups balancing growth and risk.
Michael Heußinger — Global Chief Information Security Officer, Rödl & Partner
Michael combines CISO expertise with governance and compliance leadership. His work includes ISO and TISAX standards, global audits, and risk management programs. Startups can learn from his structured, business-aligned approach to security and compliance.
Henning Christiansen — Chief Information Security Officer, Ottobock
Henning oversees security at Ottobock while engaging with Team8’s global CISO community. His career demonstrates the value of collaboration, executive insight, and global best practices, which are crucial for startups seeking guidance in scaling secure operations.
Guido Reismüller — Group CISO, IDnow
Guido has grown security teams and implemented certifiable security management systems at IDnow and Solarisbank. Startups can learn from his approach to integrating security into organizational processes and enabling teams to develop secure products by design.
Stefan Lorenz — Chief Information Security Officer, MONARCH
Stefan leads security at MONARCH while advising startups through Dune Security’s CISO advisory board. His focus on pragmatic security aligned with business objectives provides actionable insights for small and medium-sized ventures aiming to implement robust security practices early.
Learning from Leaders: Applying Big Security Lessons to Startups
These security leaders exemplify strategic thinking, resilience, and innovation in information security. While their day-to-day roles span global corporations, fintechs, and enterprise-scale operations, their approaches offer invaluable lessons for startups: build security into the organization from day one, align technology with business goals, and foster a culture of awareness and accountability. Emerging companies can draw inspiration from these experts to safeguard growth, protect customers, and innovate with confidence.