Edna M. Conway

  • VP, Chief Security & Risk Officer, Azure, Microsoft Corporation

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Microsoft Corporation

Edna Conway currently serves as VP, Chief Security & Risk Officer, Azure at Microsoft. She is responsible for the security, resiliency and governance of the cloud infrastructure upon which Microsoft’s Intelligent Cloud business operates. She has built new organizations delivering trust, transparency, cybersecurity, compliance, risk management, sustainability and value chain transformation. 

Prior to joining Microsoft, Conway served as Cisco’s Chief Security Officer, Global Value Chain, driving a comprehensive security architecture across Cisco’s third-party ecosystem.

She is recognized domestically (U.S. Presidential Commissions) and globally (NATO) as the developer of architectures delivering value chain security, sustainability and resiliency. Conway was appointed to the Executive Committee of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Task Force on ICT Supply Chain Risk Management. Her insight is featured in a range of publications, analyst reports, and case studies, including Forbes, Fortune, Bloomberg, CIO Magazine and the Wall Street Journal.

Recognition of her industry leadership includes membership in the Fortune Most Powerful Women community, and awards including: 2021 Top Cybersecurity Leaders (Security Magazine), Top 50 Women Leaders in SaaS (#5 – The Software Report 2020), Who’s Who in Cybersecurity (Onalytica 2020), Fed 100 Award, Stevie Maverick of the Year Award, CSO of the Year Award at RSA, Machine to Machine and IOT Trailblazer Award (Connected World Magazine), Reboot Leadership Award (SC Media), Columbia University’s Barnard College Distinguished Alumna Award 2019 and New Hampshire TechProfessional of the Year 2018 Award.

Conway is on the Board of Directors of ProcessUnity Holdings, LLC a portfolio company of capital market enterprise Long-Ridge Equity Partners, where she sits on the audit committee. She also serves or has served as an independent advisor on the Executive Advisory Boards of YL Ventures, Openview Partners, Long-Ridge Equity Partners, ADP, LLC (ADP-Nasdaq), SecurityScorecard, Black Duck Software (acquired by SNPS-Nasdaq), Edge Velocity, Axonius, InfoSec Global,  Logik Systems, Inc., Dust Identity, Inc., and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ leading technology industry organization, MassTLC. She also serves on the NYU Tandon School of Engineering Cyber Fellows Advisory Council. 

An influential speaker, her venues span government, academic and industry forums, such as:

Industry

  • Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit 
  • The RSA Conference
  • SCM World 
  • Microsoft Developer Conference
  • International Crypto-Module Conference
  • Boeing’s CIO Summit
  • US Bank Security Conference
  • SC Magazine’s SC Congress
  • TEDx
  • ADP Supplier Summit
  • WEBIT Europe
  • CyberSec Forum Europe
  • Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology - CyberConnect Conference
  • Newsweek’s Structure Security Conference
  • Wall Street Journal Pro – Cybersecurity Forum 
  • Atlantic Council International Conference on Cyber Engagement  

Government

  • NATO
  • US Patent & Trademark Office 
  • Federal Reserve
  • US Dept. of Energy
  • US National Institute of Standards and Technology
  • US Environmental Protection Agency
  • US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
  • US Dept. of Defense
  • US Dept. of Homeland Security
  • US National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee
  • US Dept. of Commerce
  • Global Departments of Defense (Australia, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Sweden, UK, US)

Academia/NGO

  • Harvard University 
  • Stanford University
  • MIT
  • Utilities Technology Council
  • The Brookings Institution 
  • American Electronics Association
  • Security Innovation Network
  • American National Standards Institute
  • Mass Technology Leadership Council 
  • Institute of Supply Management
  • The Open Group
  • Carnegie Mellon University 
  • University of Connecticut
  • University of New Hampshire
  • New York University 
  • University of Florida Institute of Cybersecurity
  • Dartmouth University 

Her work has been featured in a range of publications, analyst reports, and case studies some of which are referenced in her LinkedIn profile. Twitter: @Edna_Conway.

Prior to Microsoft and Cisco, Conway was a partner in an international private legal practice and served as Assistant Attorney General for the State of New Hampshire. She holds an AB from Columbia University, a law degree from the University of Virginia and additional credentials from MIT and Stanford, Carnegie Mellon and New York Universities. 

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