Real World Risks: AI & Cybersecurity in Crisis Zones with Save the Children International Global CISO Gareth Packham

Enterprise AI Defenders

On the 27th episode of Enterprise AI Defenders, hosts Evan Reiser and Mike Britton, both executives at Abnormal AI, talk with Gareth Packham, Chief Information Security Officer at Save the Children International. Save the Children is one of the world's largest nonprofit organizations focused on protecting the rights and well-being of children. Operating in over 100 countries, it delivers healthcare, education, and emergency response programs—often in high-risk, conflict-affected areas. In this conversation, Gareth shares insights on the life-or-death stakes of cybersecurity in humanitarian work, the rising danger of AI-powered impersonation and fraud, and why driving behavioral change—not just awareness—is the next frontier in protecting global organizations.

Quick hits from Gareth:

On the real-world consequences of cybersecurity failures at Save the Children: “Without sounding glib or flippant—it really isn't. It can be a matter of life and death. We have information on children and families… in the wrong hands, that could put them at risk of physical harm.”

On the threat of AI-generated impersonation: “A few years ago, we were seeing business email compromise attempts asking to approve invoices. Now, it’s shifted to things like deepfake video. When someone says, ‘Let’s jump on a call,’ and you see a video of someone that looks and sounds like your CEO, you really need to challenge that.”
On the limits of awareness training: “The challenge with a lot of awareness programs is that they’re static. People might remember the right answer on a quiz, but it doesn't mean they’ll act the right way under pressure. We need to stop checking boxes and start measuring actual behavior change.”

Book Recommendation: Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

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Enterprise AI Defenders is a show where top security executives share how moves to the cloud have created an evolved threat landscape that requires new tools to protect against cybercrime. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog/

Enterprise AI Defenders is produced by Josh Meer.