Bengaluru, November 28, 2025 – In response to India facing over 3,200 cyberattacks per week—making it one of the most targeted nations globally—senior leadership from the cybersecurity and data-privacy sectors gathered in Bengaluru today. Media Fusion and heise medien GmbH & Co. KG hosted an exclusive precursor leadership roundtable ahead of the CyberSec India Expo 2026 (scheduled for April 23–24, 2026, in Mumbai).
The closed-door event, themed “Bridging the CISO–DPO Divide: Shared Accountability under the DPDP Act,” highlighted the critical need for deeper collaboration between Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and Data Protection Officers (DPOs). This urgency is driven by India’s escalating digital transformation and the recent operational rollout of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act.
The New Regulatory Landscape and Core Challenges
The DPDP Act fundamentally redefines governance for organizations handling personal data. However, industry insights reveal significant challenges:
- Compliance Uncertainty: Over 60% of Indian enterprises are unsure how to implement DPDP-aligned compliance frameworks.
- Talent Shortage: Nearly 50% cite a lack of skilled personnel as a major roadblock.
This underscores the pressing need for unified execution models between cybersecurity and privacy teams. Participants, including leaders from McAfee, Indian Railways, Carl Zeiss, and Unilever, debated whether the DPDP Act will be a “transformative dealmaker” or a “deal-breaker” if operational roles and processes remain fragmented.
Key Discussion Themes
The roundtable focused on strategic priorities for a secure and compliant digital India:
- Convergence of security and privacy operations.
- Responsible AI Governance frameworks and legal preparedness.
- Protection of sensitive health, biotech, and critical infrastructure data.
- Interoperable security and privacy standards for global compliance.
Raghavendra Deshpande, AGM Global Business Enterprises, Reliance Communications Limited, emphasized the convergence of roles: “AI-driven threats and agentic AI will require CISOs and DPOs to adopt new security frameworks… CISOs are now evolving into Chief Resilience Officers.” He noted that geopolitical tensions and the risk of global revenue fines (up to 10%) are forcing organizations to strengthen governance, with DPOs playing a key role in mapping cross-jurisdictional data flows.
Hariharan R., Head, Global Consumer Services, McAfee, highlighted the DPDP Act’s impact: “The DPDP Act is accelerating the need for stronger data governance and clearer consent management processes.” He stressed that close collaboration between cybersecurity, privacy, and technology teams is vital for managing 2026 challenges like AI hallucinations and governance.
Ramesh Venkatraman, Hon. Director, FDPPI and Portfolio Manager, QMS/ISMS at Carl Zeiss, stated that cybersecurity must become a collective responsibility: “Cybersecurity can no longer be the responsibility of a single team… every employee must think like a CISO or a DPO.” He called platforms like CyberSec India Expo essential for advancing national cyber resilience.
Dr. Anup Dayananda Sadhu, CISO of Indian Railways, shared the government’s commitment: “Organisations like Indian Railways are custodians of vast volumes of personal data… implementing the DPDP Act within the next 18 months will be a major responsibility.” He confirmed the organization’s preparedness and stressed the importance of events like the Expo in raising awareness, especially within government sectors.
Next Steps and The Road to CyberSec India Expo 2026
With India facing a 30–50% talent shortfall in cyber and privacy roles, leaders agreed on the necessity of coordinated workforce development, capability acceleration, and shared accountability models.
This precursor roundtable served as a strategic forum to align priorities and strengthen India’s preparedness. The insights gathered will directly inform the CyberSec India Expo 2026, which will feature a 2-day conference, workshops, policy forums, and technology demonstrations to further India’s compliance and innovation ecosystem
