Source: BusinessWire

By: Daniel Gregory

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Susan Davis International (SDI) announces noted cyber security expert Frank Cilluffo will lead SDI’s new Cyber Risk Communications Practice. He will be joined by former Goldman Sachs Director of Global Security Rob Dannenberg; former Commander of U.S. Army CyberCommand, General Rhett Hernandez (Ret); cyber expert and Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Risk and Resilience, Kirstjen Nielsen; SDI Chairman Susan Davis and SDI Vice President Tom Davis.

The practice will offer due diligence analysis and management consulting to assist corporate boards and senior management with potential reputational risk, loss of market share and/or customer and shareholder concerns that may arise from cyber security incidents. It will provide boards with an understanding of why they may be targets of cyber malactors as well as what information and systems might be at risk and why. It will also help boards better understand the changing policy and legal landscape around reporting, best practices and liability.

Through consulting and simulation exercises, SDI’s Cyber Risk Communications Practice will offer evaluation of:

• The nature of cyber risks facing the company, including risks posed by state actors and insiders, as well as those associated with third-party vendors, suppliers and service providers

• Roles and responsibilities of the Board, its various committees and management in identifying, evaluating, responding to and recovering from cyber threats and incidents

• Corporate policies, frameworks and governance processes related to cyber security and risk management

• Incident response and crisis communications planning and evaluation to ensure all stakeholder concerns are addressed and aid business recovery

• How various cyber scenarios could impact the business (financial losses, reputation, liability)

SDI also will offer a range of planning assistance as well as real time crisis management support during an incident. For more information, visit http://www.susandavis.com/cyber-risk-communications/.

Background on cyber risk communications team members:

Frank Cilluffo, Managing Director, joins SDI from George Washington University where he leads a number of national security and cyber security policy and research initiatives. Cilluffo was the former Special Assistant to the President for Homeland Security under President George W. Bush immediately following the attacks of 9-11. He has testified on cyber security issues before the U.S. Congress over 25 times and consulted with senior corporate management across a multitude of industries. A frequent cyber and homeland security analyst on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNBC, CNN and Fox News; he has been published extensively in academic, law, business and policy journals, magazines and newspapers.

SDI Vice President Tom E. Davis, recognized for his expertise in crisis management and strategic communication, has developed, managed and evaluated comprehensive crisis simulations for and consulted with major corporations in the U.S., Kuwait, and Japan among others. Davis has worked with industries ranging from energy to infrastructure, telecommunications to defense, and finance to manufacturing.

Rob Dannenberg was Director of International Security Affairs for BP plc before joining Goldman Sachs where he became Director of Global Security. He previously worked for the Central Intelligence Agency for 24 years, where he served in several senior leadership positions, including Chief of Operations for the Counter Terrorism Center, Chief of the Central Eurasia Division and Chief of the CIA’s Information Operations Center.

Susan Ann Davis, Chairman of Susan Davis International, is expert in reputation management, strategic communications, stakeholder outreach and crisis counseling. Representing clients before the U.S. Congress and Executive Branch, she has provided counsel to government and industry leaders on four continents. Over her professional career, Davis has played a key strategic communications and government relations role in high profile cases ranging from product liability litigation to airline crashes, environmental threats and foreign government financial crises.

Lieutenant General Rhett Hernandez (Retired), the first commander of Army Cyber Command, is the West Point Cyber Chair to the Army Cyber Institute. An expert on cyber strategy, threats, capabilities and operations including defense, training, leader development, incident response and risk management, Hernandez has testified before the HASC Emerging Threats and Capabilities subcommittee. He is a highly regarded cyber consultant and speaker and an advisory board member for a wide range of companies.

Kirstjen Nielsen, Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Risk and Resilience, is a global consultant on homeland and national security policy, strategy and assessment expertise with an emphasis on critical infrastructure security and resilience including cyber security preparedness. She is the President of Sunesis Consulting and a former Special Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and served as Senior Director for Prevention, Preparedness and Response on the White House Homeland Security Council.

About SDI:

Susan Davis International (SDI), a global strategic communications and public affairs firm based in Washington, D.C., with 72 agency partners worldwide, is known as one of the top public affairs agencies in the United States. For over 35 years the agency has provided advice and counsel to multinationals, leading institutions, corporate executives, political figures, and U.S. and foreign governments and agencies.