30 Best CEOs of the Year 2020 30 Best CEOs of the Year 2020 | Page 75

Kirsten Bay – The Visionary Behind Cysurance’s Innovative Approach
Kirsten Bay, Co-founder, serves as the Chief Executive Officer
of Cysurance. She created Cysurance to change how small businesses
think about and militate against cyber threats. She has more than 25
years of experience in the field of risk intelligence, information, and policy
expertise across a variety of sectors.
She has developed recommendations for the White House energy policy
in partnership with the Center for North American Studies (CNAS) and
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and collaborated
on information studies for MIT-Harvard and several federal agencies.
She has gone before a parliamentary subcommittee on recreating trust
in the global economy and presented national security and critical
infrastructure concepts at conferences such as Black Hat, Secured
Americas, Enterprise Architecture Institute, and many more.
most difficult phases of a
company’s lifecycle. Success
or failure in this period is often
determined by the ability to
adjust accordingly while
remaining true to the
original concept of the
venture.
What was your journey like
to get where you are?
The idea of bundling cyber
insurance with third-parties’ risk
services is an innovative approach
in the market-one that took a bit
of time for potential investors
to understand. Despite the early
challenges, staying true to our
vision and approach was essential
because our partners’ market
is evolving in such a way that
our product fits seamlessly into
their offerings while providing a
competitive advantage.
What would you say are the
top three skills needed to be
a successful CEO?
Patience and curiosity are the most
vital attributes. Patience helps
one remain focused on the most
important tasks to move a company
forward. Curiosity is the fuel of
an entrepreneur, as it represents
the desire to understand the
complexities of the world and make
them simpler.
What other CEOs do you look
up to?
I admire CEOs who have the
vision to see when a market is
shifting and capitalize on it. I
particularly admire those who run
established organizations with
a renewed vision and evolving
strategies that propel their
continued growth alongside their
younger competitors.
What are your biggest
accomplishments?
Stepping out on my own to start
Cysurance was a big moment in my
career, as it was a great leap of faith
to start a venture from a blank
sheet of paper.
My philanthropic work in
supporting disadvantaged children
Kirsten Bay
CEO & Co-founder
has also been an accomplishment
and a privilege, as I have been part
of programs where children’s lives
truly have been changed.
If you had one piece of advice
to someone just starting out,
what would it be?
First, be very clear on what it means
to be an entrepreneur. While it can
be both personally and financially
rewarding, it requires an incredible
amount of sacrifice, hard work,
resilience, and leadership in times
of scarcity before prosperity
becomes a reality (if ever). And
most importantly, stay in front of
customers and prospects as much
as possible and listen to their
feedback. The biggest mistake I see
entrepreneurs make is thinking
they know better than the customer,
which results in failure.
What do you enjoy doing in
your free leisure time?
Golf is a great passion of mine and
I enjoy the process of honing my
skills as I try to reach to a level
achieved by only a very few.
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