AKA Identity

Strategic Leadership: Spearheading the development and execution of comprehensive marketing strategies in line with corporate objectives.
Team Development: Building, mentoring, and leading a dynamic marketing team, promoting a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.
Brand Management: Elevating brand presence globally, ensuring consistent messaging and identity across all marketing channels.
Market Analysis: Conducting thorough market research to inform data-driven decisions and identify new growth opportunities.
Collaboration: Working closely with sales, product development, and other departments to align marketing strategies with business goals.
Innovation: Staying abreast of the latest marketing trends and technologies to keep the brand at the cutting edge.
Performance Measurement: Establishing key performance metrics to evaluate and refine marketing effectiveness.

VP and Head of Marketing

Creating the Data & Intelligence Layer for IAM. AKA replaces manual and inefficient identity and access management decisions with visibility, intelligence and action.

Marketing Advisor

SANS Institute

Senior Advisor - Artificial Intelligence and SecOps | Co-Chair of the Emerging Threats Summit

The Podcast Academy

Member of the Board of Governors

The Anthem Awards

Presented by IADAS, the Anthem Awards recognizes the breadth of purpose & mission-driven work around the globe by honoring the organizations, brands and people creating substantive impact to make the world a better place. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, we’re defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their own communities.

Responsible Technology Award Judge

International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences

IADAS describes its members as "Leading industry experts, evangelists and visionaries working to advance the electronic medium" and divides its members into four types - Associate, Executive, Europe and Anthem.

Executive Committee Member

National Security Institute (NSI)

Visiting Fellow

Hacker Valley Media

Advisor

Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer

Hacker Valley Media is a creative agency that is dedicated to sharing the diverse and inspirational stories within the cybersecurity and technology industry. Through the creation and production of podcasts and video shows, we aim to empower, educate, and entertain the cybersecurity community. At Hacker Valley Media, we believe in using the power of storytelling to amplify the best cybersecurity brands, and our team is lead by cybersecurity leaders who are committed to building a company that serves the needs of practitioners.

Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer

Huntress

Advisory CISO

Chief Evangelist/ Senior Director of Marketing

Axonius

I lead the media content strategy with the goal of sharing the power of Axonius with the world and to empower and inspire technology professionals to be the best version of themselves.

Creative Marketing Director

Marqeta, Inc

Director of Engineering - Security Operations

Chris Cochran is a dynamic cybersecurity industry leader known for his unique blend of technical expertise and creative storytelling. With roots in the US Marine Corps and a distinguished tenure at organizations like the National Security Agency, US Cyber Command, Mandiant, and Netflix, Chris has been at the forefront of threat intelligence, Incident Response, and security operations. In 2019, Chris co-founded and led Hacker Valley Media as CEO until passing the reins to Ron Eddings in 2023. Chris created several award-winning media properties during this time, including Technically Divided and Webby-nominated Hacker Valley Studio. His roles as Creative Director at Axonius and Chief Evangelist at Huntress underscore his ability to intersect cybersecurity with impactful marketing. Chris is also a co-creator of the award show for the SANS Institute's Difference Makers Awards. Currently, as Vice President and Head of Marketing at AKA Identity, Chris inspires and leads in the dynamic world of cybersecurity and technology.

Chris Cochran

Big news. I’m joining the SANS Institute as Field CISO and Vice President of AI Security and Safety.

For the past year, I poured myself into building Commandant AI. I believed deeply in the idea of an intelligent partner for incident response, and I still do. But the truth is this: the technology is moving faster than any one team can keep up with, and the world needs scaled readiness more than it needs another startup fighting alone.

So I made a hard call. I set Commandant aside to focus on something bigger than myself.

I’ve been connected to SANS for more than a decade, and stepping into this role feels like coming home. Because here is what I know with absolute clarity from living this work every day:

AI is going to change the world. It already is.
But the same tools that empower us empower our adversaries.

We are living in the calm before the storm. Autonomous attacks are already emerging. The next wave will be faster, more creative, and far more relentless. I have seen this pattern in every domain from the Marine Corps to NSA to Netflix. The advantage always goes to whoever adapts first.

So how do we get ready?

1. Knowledge is power.
In the Marines, training is your lifeline. Cyber is no different. Learn fast. Train hard. Become exceptional at your craft.

2. Execute on the fundamentals.
Great defense still starts with the simple things done with discipline. You cannot skip the basics. It's what makes us hard targets.

3. Fight fire with fire.
Adversaries are moving with AI at full speed. We do not get to be reckless, but we do have to be intentional, secure, and twice as relentless. They can vibe code and deploy instantly. We cannot. That means our margin for error is thin.

This is why I joined SANS. My mission is to help shape the frameworks, training, and defensive strategies that will prepare millions of practitioners for the era of autonomous adversaries.

I’m ready to strap in.
We have miles to go before we sleep.
And the work starts now.

Let’s get to it.

Huge thanks to the folks who helped make this happen, including but not limited to Rob T. Lee, James Lyne, Steve Healy, Steve Harvey, and other SANS colleagues.

Field CISO & VP, AI Safety and Security @ SANS | Bridging Cyber Defense and Frontier AI Risk | Ex-NSA, Netflix, Mandiant | US Marine Veteran

I’m honored to share that I have been nominated and accepted as a Distinguished Member at American Society for AI. So incredibly grateful.

Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corps.

Service has always meant something deep to me. It’s one of the best things we can do as human beings, to give a piece of ourselves for the benefit of others. My first real contribution to society began in the Marine Corps, and it shaped the person I became.

The Marines taught me how to be mission-focused and community-minded. They taught me that discipline and compassion can coexist, and that true strength often shows up in quiet perseverance.

That experience is the foundation for everything I’ve done since. It’s why I went into cybersecurity. It’s why I care so much about AI, especially when it comes to safety and security. The same principles that guided me then still guide me now.

My time in the Corps remains one of the proudest chapters of my life. I carry those lessons every day.

To my fellow Marines, happy birthday. And to those still serving, stay safe and stay true to the mission.

Semper Fidelis.

Senior Advisor for AI @ SANS Institute | Distinguished Member of the American Society for AI | US Marine Veteran

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I had the chance to participate in one of the most meaningful hackathons I’ve ever been part of the DEF ACC Hackathon with Apart Research and BlueDot Impact. I was a member of an incredible team of people onsite in London.

I was remote unfortunately, but my team on-site absolutely crushed it. These were some of the most hardworking and brilliant folks I’ve ever had the privilege to collaborate with.

Working in AI security and safety, I spend a lot of time thinking about defensive acceleration, emerging threats, and the future we are trying to create. We need people who are passionate, creative, and to be honest, gritty to get to where we want to go in AI. This was THAT team.

Although we didn’t take home the win, we were told we were a top contender, and honestly, that felt like a victory in itself.

We built something we’re genuinely proud of: a canary-style early-warning honeynet for autonomous AI agents. The goal is simple but powerful, collect TTPs and behavioral fingerprints from agents so we can give defenders a head start in understanding what’s coming. The work is still early, but the idea is promising.

Repo if you want to poke around is in the comments.

Huge thank you to my team. You all set the bar. It was an honor.

Thanks Jacob Davies, for recruiting me for the team. 💪🏽

And if you’re wondering, “Chris… did you really use AI to superimpose yourself into the team photo?”

Uh, yes…

Yes I did. 🤣

New Article Drop: World Models Are the Future of AI, Especially in Cybersecurity

Every once in a while, an idea hits with enough force that it changes the entire direction of the field. For me, world models are that idea.

This started because Sounil Yu pulled me aside and said, “Look deeper.”
And if you know Sounil, when he says that… you listen.

After years in cybersecurity, intelligence, and now AI safety, I’ve seen the limits of language-only systems up close. I love LLMs, they’ve transformed what a single person can do. But here’s the truth:

LLMs alone won’t get us to where we need to go.

Not in cyber.
Not in science or medicine.
Not for AGI or ASI.

That’s why Fei-Fei Li’s “From Words to Worlds: Spatial Intelligence” hit me so hard. She captures the shift we’re all going to have to make.

World models bring something LLMs can’t. This isn't Mary in the black-and-white room.

In other words, they reason inside the world, not just about it.

And if there’s any field that needs this shift, it’s cybersecurity.

I dropped the original article link from Fei-Fei  in my write-up and down below.

Field CISO & VP, AI Safety and Security @ SANS Institute | Bridging Enterprise Cyber Defense and Frontier AI Risk | US Marine Veteran

Every now and then, an idea hits the field with enough force to change the entire trajectory of where we’re heading. For me, world models are that ide

Open article: World Models: The Future of AI We Need to Start Talking About, Especially in Cybersecurity by Chris Cochran • 3 min read

World Models: The Future of AI We Need to Start Talking About, Especially in Cybersecurity

Hey everybody, we are about a week and a half out from the SANS Institute Difference Makers Awards, and this year we did something special. We created a full album just for the DMAs. Every single category has its own theme song, made by yours truly in collaboration with artificial intelligence.

I’ll be sharing a few of the tracks as we count down to the event.

This first one means a lot to me. I think about all the CISOs out there who carry a heavy load for their organizations. It is a hard job. The burnout is real. I have lived that reality myself.

So this song is dedicated to the folks in the arena every day, making the hard calls and protecting what matters.

Congratulations to all the CISO of the Year finalists below. I hope to see you at the DMAs, either in person or online.

Anne Marie Zettlemoyer
Andres Andreu
Chris Betz
Allan Alford
Kirsten Davies

This is your moment. Let’s celebrate the people who make a difference.

My recent trip to DC for The Hill’s AI in America Summit clarified something I’ve been feeling for a while:

The conversation has officially shifted from understanding AI to securing our lead.

One of the standout sessions featured Senator Mike Rounds and moderator Michal Lev-Ram, where Cybersecurity, National Security, and the AI Race converged. Four realities rose to the top:

1. The Defensive Imperative

Senator Rounds made it crystal clear: national defense now requires AI-enabled capabilities. Our adversaries are already weaponizing these tools.

2. Standards = Global Power

From a national perspective we are competing on models and norms.

Whose standards the world adopts will define the next era of technology and society.

To lead, we must use our strengths in talent and compute while solving the looming energy bottleneck.

3. Regulation Without Paralysis

There’s real tension between state-level action and federal consensus.

The challenge: regulate safety without suffocating innovation. This is tough but one of the most important fights to get right in my opinion.

Rounds was blunt, over-regulation slows our ability to compete, but no regulation at all risks public trust and public safety.

4. Education Is Still the Differentiator

Our long-term advantage will always be our people.

Leadership requires upskilling our workforce and setting the standards for how AI is developed, deployed, and defended through cybersecurity. This is the mission the SANS Institute has taken on its shoulders.

We’re at a pivotal moment, folks. What are your thoughts on AI and National Security?

I also had the chance to catch up with the unstoppable Aaron Poynton, who seems to be building in every industry simultaneously. My head is still spinning. 😂

#TheHillTech

Honored to share that I’ll be moderating a fireside chat with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gharun Lacy at SANS CDI 2025.

We’ll dig into how the State Department is reading today’s cyber threat landscape, how geopolitical tension and hybrid operations are evolving, and how AI and emerging technologies are reshaping national-level defense. It’s a valuable opportunity to hear directly from a leader shaping the government’s approach to these challenges.

SANS CDI is a week of focused training, real labs, and operators sharpening their craft. If you’re tracking where cyber defense and AI are headed, this conversation will be worth your time.

Learn more about CDI, my chat with Deputy Assistant Secretary Lacy, and the Difference Makers Awards in the link in the comments.

#Cybersecurity #CDI2025 U.S. Department of State SANS Institute

AI agents are here, and everyone’s trying to figure out how to actually use them.

Join me, Rob T. Lee, and our guests, Daniel Miessler 🛡️ and Jonathan Sander live as we unpack the real-world do’s and don’ts of deploying agents across the enterprise:

What agents are genuinely good at (and where they outperform humans)
What to keep them far away from the things you should avoid with a 10-foot pole
The mindset, governance, and infrastructure needed to make agents a force multiplier instead of a liability

Whether you’re an exec evaluating ROI, a security leader worried about control, or a builder experimenting with LLM workflows, this session will help you separate hype from reality.

Lior Kolnik, Behnaz Karimi and 103 other attendees

Deploying AI Agents in the Enterprise: Do’s, Don’ts, and Dangerous Zones

I’m happy to share that I’ve obtained a new certification: Technical AI Safety Course from BlueDot Impact!

Will you join us in making sure AI advancement goes well? I signed the AI Red Lines initiative because after a couple decades in cybersecurity, national security, and AI risk, one thing is clear. Power without boundaries eventually breaks something.

This is about making sure the systems we build stay under meaningful human control and serve human goals.

If you care about responsible AI and feel a duty to help shape the future, take a look at the Red Lines proposal and consider adding your name. The more voices focused on safety, the better the future we all get.

Link in the comments.

I just wrapped up the technical AI safety course with BlueDot Impact and it was an incredible experience. Pablo Bernabeu Perez, my facilitator, is one of those rare minds who sees both the present and the horizon with clarity. Working with him sharpened my thinking and helped solidify the direction I have been moving toward for a while. The fusion of AI safety and AI security is where I feel called to operate, and this course confirmed that I can do a lot of good there.

What made this even more meaningful is that I have been facilitating the AI Safety Ethics and Society course with the Center for AI Safety at the same time. Learning and teaching in parallel has been powerful. The concepts hit deeper, they stick longer, and I can feel them becoming part of how I reason about the future of the field. Not to mention the folks I got to meet thoughtout the course were incredible and brilliant people.

Robyn Kozierok
Michael Schaeffer
Hugo Tierrablanca
Jacob Davies
María Victoria Carro
Lamis Mukta
to name a few.
 

This experience is going to fuel a lot of the work I am doing with the organizations I support. I think folks are going to see some strong projects coming from me very soon. If you are looking to enter this space or deepen your understanding, this course is worth every second. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to help build a safer, more resilient future.

Check out BlueDot in the comments! Well worth it!

What is the difference between Safety and Security?

Most people use the terms interchangeably… but they’re not exactly the same. Especially in AI. 

Security protects systems from AI-driven threats or the systems themselves form threats.

Safety ensures AI systems don’t cause harmful or unintended outcomes.

Two missions. Two skill sets.
And they’re about to collide in a big way.

AI Safety is heating up...

...and I believe cybersecurity pros are the heroes this moment needs.

So I ask:

Are you a cybersecurity practitioner/ leader who would want to know more about AI Safety and how it relates to cyber?

VP Brand + Creative

SolarWinds

SolarWinds (NYSE: SWI) is a publicly held, worldwide leader in IT management software, providing IT solutions to more than 300,000 customers in 190 countries, including 498 of the Fortune 500®. Surpassed $800 million in annual revenue during this time period.

• Rebranded the global organization in 2016 and 2019, which included the redesign of responsive websites, microsites, landing pages and portals, mobile-first email, social, internal and external marketing campaigns, events and all print collateral. Delivered 24% increase in website conversion, increase of +24% clicks +32% revenue in email redesign, 300% increase in social and referral traffic and 20% increase in qualified leads from revised event strategy, on average YOY. The 2019 redesign won 2 Communicator Awards: Award of Distinction for Branded Content – Branding for Online Video and the Award of Excellence for Online Advertising & Marketing – Campaign B-to-B.
•  Identified efficiencies to improve cross-functional strategy, executing seamless marketing campaigns across web, social, email, paid search and public relations, leading the creative team as an effective change agent in marketing strategy. Delivered 20%+ YOY growth in marketing qualified leads on 28% less spend with these improvements.
• Spearheaded the creative direction and execution of the business IPO, going public on the New York Stock Exchange for the second time. Directed all confidential initiatives to animate multiple digital displays up to seven stories tall on each of 5 buildings in New York City’s Times Square, all digital marketing at the NYSE offices and trading floor, as well as ads and billboards throughout New York City.
• Grew the creative team by 60%, developing a team of 28 that included visual designers, UX designers, video producers and editors, programming, copywriters, operations, and brand and events specialists. Maintained a 95% retention rate YOY, one of the highest rates in the organization.

Senior Brand & Creative Director

RetailMeNot, Inc.

RetailMeNot, Inc. (Formerly NASDAQ: SALE) is the world’s largest marketplace for digital offers. With over 730 million visits to its websites within a year and an average of 18.4 million mobile unique visitors per month, RetailMeNot surpassed $260 million in annual revenue during this time period. 

• Responsible for the identification and management of the brand for B2B and B2C strategies, impacting the growth of multi-billion dollar brands across the RetailMeNot portfolio. 
• Launched new corporate logo, unifying the appearance and usage of brand assets across geographies. Increased mobile readability of brand by 65%.
• Redesigned email templates for personalization and improved the user experience, increasing engagement by +47% clicks +64% revenue in the first month.
• Managed user interface design standards across mobile and desktop, increasing consistency across formats and decreasing engineering production times by 20%.
• Led development and career paths of 15 visual designers, UX designers and copywriters.

Vice President, Creative

ULTA

ULTA Beauty (NASDAQ: ULTA) is the largest beauty retailer in the United States offering more than 20,000 products from over 500 well-established and emerging beauty brands, generating $4 billion in annual sales during this time period. 

• Spearheaded digital brand architecture and re-design across desktop, mobile, tablet and marketing. Aligned cross-functional teams of designers, merchants, marketers, agencies, legal and production teams.
• Redesigned the mobile app, producing nearly 400,000 installations within 12 months. Forbes magazine recognized the app as ‘redefining shopping’ and was ranked #1 for performance and usability on Android devices.
• Conceived and launched responsive website redesign resulting in nearly 75% increase in shipped sales.
• Innovated mobile-first, dynamic email design strategy showing increases of +40% clicks +65% orders +75% revenue.
• Increased banner and paid search initiatives, exceeding revenue growth by 104%, maintaining 7x return.
• Directed digital holiday design strategy, increasing revenue year over year by 150%; Cyber Monday by more than 250%. 
• Developed and executed integrated marketing and digital campaigns that drove brand and sales growth across a range of interactive media, including organic, paid and social channels.
• Designed new technologies for the in-store experience, increasing customer satisfaction.
• Promoted after increasing sales and productivity numbers year over year, growing a team of designers and photographers from 2 to 11 people in 24 months and cultivating their career growth, forming design consistency and creating systems and processes within departments.

Creative Director

Mudlark

Mudlark was a private, luxury gift brand specializing in personal care, fragrance, home decor and stationery products. 

• Increased company sales by 40% in one year through new brand strategy, product design and innovation.
• Created new cross-category brand, developing 25 SKU’s in 6 weeks. Gained $1M in incremental revenue over 12 months by pitching and winning large retail clients such as TJ Maxx, Sears and Costco.
• Facilitated communication with global manufacturers, managing product development process from concept to completion.
• Led trend, pattern design, marketing materials, website development, product development, copywriting, pricing, ROI and packaging. 
• Represented design in presentations and engagement growth with retail buyers, increasing sales opportunities. 
• Presented to NBC Universal and won company’s first licensed product partnership. Led cross-functional teams of designers, merchants, marketers, legal and production teams.
• Communicated opportunities with buyers from Anthropologie, TJ Maxx, Smithsonian and Sears, increasing sales opportunities by 20%.
• Spearheaded relationships with trend forecasters, fragrance experts and textile art houses, which improved offerings and created new opportunities in the market.
• Developed and directed design team and freelance talent.

Senior Creative Director

Optimizing global companies of all types and sizes, I collaborate with leaders and customers to design and grow influential, world-class legacy brands. I advise leaders and influence businesses to generate extreme growth and positive change in people, processes, and on magical days — the world. 

I've led extraordinary results revitalizing the B2B consumer goods market with on-point trend analysis, and revolutionary product design. I have successfully cultivated strategic global partnerships to earn trust and respect for our brands in the industry. 

I've also achieved extraordinary results in B2C retail, leading the digital rebranding of Ulta Beauty; the largest beauty retailer in the United States. Forbes proclaimed the redesign as "redefining shopping." 

In the tech space, I was fortunate enough to lead the brand journey of the world's largest network monitoring company, SolarWinds. This award-winning rebrand helped surge the tech bastion forward to IPO for the second time, and was instrumental in doubling the company's fortune in less than 5 years.

As an intuitive business and creative leader, I create authentic connections, inspire teams, mentor and advise leaders, and present at speaking engagements. I would love to connect and see what inspiration can follow!

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