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Future Secured - Shaping a Future-Proof Digital Society
Future Secured brings you in-depth conversations with Australian and global cyber security leaders, founders, CEOs, and co-founders.
Hosted by Jason Murell and Tom Finnigan, each episode delves into the personal journeys of these experts as they navigate the challenges of building and scaling successful cyber security businesses.
From critical industry issues to hard-learned lessons, the podcast explores the competitive global market and offers valuable insights on how to start, grow, and succeed in the cyber security space.
Join us as we uncover the stories behind the industry's brightest minds and build a knowledge base to help aspiring cyber security entrepreneurs thrive.
Future Secured - Shaping a Future-Proof Digital Society
Decisions In Minutes - Consequences For Years - Future Secured Ep 47 With Sam Fariborz, CISO at DJ's
In this episode of Future Secured, Sam Fariborz, Chief Information Security Officer at David Jones, joins Tom Finnigan and Jason Murrell and shares her journey from IT service management to leading cybersecurity for one of Australia’s most trusted retail brands.
Sam shares her view of the evolving role of the modern CISO, balancing protection with performance and security with seamless customer experience. She explains how values-driven leadership and human-centred culture have become the foundation of effective cyber strategy in complex business environments.
We find out how she leads teams through pressure, builds psychological safety and turns compliance into collaboration. Sam also highlights how AI and automation are changing threat landscapes, why mentorship and visibility matter for women in cyber and how returning to fundamentals, identity, access, and awareness, remains the best defence against evolving threats.
Whether you’re a security leader, aspiring CISO, or business executive, this episode packs in stories from Sam that offer practical lessons on resilience, decision-making, and the mindset needed to thrive in the ever-changing world of cybersecurity.
Takeaways
Sam transitioned from IT service management to leading cybersecurity at David Jones.
The CISO role is evolving from enforcement to enablement, aligning security with business outcomes.
Balancing risk, speed and customer experience defines cybersecurity in retail.
AI-driven threats are reshaping incident response, detection and automation.
Mentorship and visibility are vital for empowering women in cybersecurity.
Continuous learning builds both personal and organisational resilience.
Setting healthy boundaries prevents burnout in high-pressure roles.
Building trust and psychological safety drives effective team performance.
Cybersecurity fundamentals, patching, identity and access control, remain critical for resilience.
Values-based leadership turns security from a blocker into a business enabler.
Sound Bites
“You need to make decisions quick, especially when the clock is ticking.”
“It’s always a fine balance between security and business.”
“You have to switch off sometimes, resilience starts with rest.”
“Cybersecurity isn’t just about controls; it’s about culture.”
“If we do the fundamentals right, we’ve already gone a long way.”
Chapters
00:00 — Introduction to Sam Fariborz and her journey into cybersecurity
02:51 — The evolving role of the CISO in modern retail
05:21 — Balancing security and business operations
08:01 — Emerging cyber threats and AI-driven risks
10:52 — Building confidence and visibility for women in cybersecurity
13:30 — Leadership under pressure: managing burnout and boundaries
16:06 — Creating a culture of learning and psychological safety
18:45 — Governance that drives value, not paperwork
23:29 — Building resilience through fundamentals
26:23 — Mentorship, connection, and community in cybersecurity
28:56 — The human side of security: empathy, trust, and behaviour change
33:07 — Leading with values in complex environments
40:37 — Continuous learning and the future of cyber leadership