Richard Watson

EY Global and Asia-Pacific Cybersecurity Consulting Leader @EYnews. Helping clients understand and protect themselves from the risk of cyber incidents.

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

We automated tasks for a decade but never fixed how information moves. AI agents do that. But agents with their own identities and access rights need governing as rigorously as any human. Foundational, not optional.

https://t.co/hQFdPjY3h8

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

Agentic AI will only scale if trust, governance and data are built into the operating model from the start. This EY case study shows how enterprise AI is moving from experimentation to integrated, agent-enabled work.

https://t.co/m9cC7ogSKd

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

Boards have a lot coming at them: AI, geopolitics, cyber, regulation and talent.

Cyber shows the challenge clearly. It now sits inside almost every major business decision.

Boards need better questions, clearer signals and more time looking ahead.

https://t.co/5FGbQd7wlz

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

AI adoption is moving faster than trust. EY research found 74% of UK consumers have used AI in the past six months, while 73% are concerned about AI systems being hacked or breached. Security, governance & accountability will shape AI confidence at scale.
https://t.co/bqjXxtOW3X

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

Regulation is changing quickly, and cyber programmes need to keep pace.

This EY webcast shares useful perspectives on strengthening resilience as governance, risk and compliance expectations shift.

Available on demand: https://t.co/P1q1bksqYE #EYcyber

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

Traditional cyber models were built for a slower environment.

The Cyber Risk Operations Center shifts cyber from reactive defence to continuous, risk-driven decision-making. AI can orchestrate the response, but risk intelligence must set the direction.

https://t.co/cqRogFgPNG

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

The new EY Cybersecurity Roadmap Study reinforces an important point: AI is becoming indispensable to modern cyber defence, but trust will not come from automation alone. It needs clear governance, skilled oversight and disciplined investment.
https://t.co/jN9BG4mVvJ

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

In healthcare, third-party risk is increasingly a cyber resilience issue. This EY case study shows how connected workflows, stronger data and practical AI can improve visibility and support faster risk decisions.
#EY #RiskManagement https://t.co/EYpnD8W4ek

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

Attackers are using AI to move faster and at greater scale. Many organisations are adopting agentic AI without yet closing the trust gap around governance, explainability and accountability.

That is where cyber has to lead. https://t.co/BEA7HqeAkE

#EYcyber

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

RSAC 2026 may be over, but this point still stands: AI in cyber is moving fast. The harder challenge is building trust and governance in from the start, not adding it later.

A strong interview from my EY colleagues Kapish Vanvaria and Dan Mellen: https://t.co/7VRk0BjInR

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

A recent #EYcyber engagement helped a leading institution strengthen cyber governance and monitoring, improving protection for 67,000+ students and employees. #CyberResilience is part of protecting the future of higher ed for universities: https://t.co/wuZtZoM9Bt

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

Identity is no longer a checkpoint; it’s continuous.

Static logins can’t keep up with AI, wearables, and ambient computing. Trust now requires behavioural signals, context-aware access, and real-time verification.

#Cybersecurity #ZeroTrust

https://t.co/sOjZWqGHg8

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

Agentic AI demands a new governance approach in cybersecurity. As organisations adapt, prioritising oversight and accountability is essential to risk management and resilience. #EYcyber #AI https://t.co/h2Be0mm1Yh @CyberSecDive

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

The Cyber Resilience Act raises the bar for every digital product sold in the EU. Security must be built in, maintained across the lifecycle and treated as a core product attribute, not an afterthought. Early action will matter. #Cybersecurity #EYcyber

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

Autonomous AI is accelerating, but oversight is not keeping pace. EY’s latest poll found 52% of AI initiatives operate without formal approval, while 45% report a confirmed or suspected sensitive data leak linked to unauthorised GenAI use. Governance matters. #EYcyber #Cyber

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

If cyber GRC feels slow and compliance-heavy, it will stay sidelined. Leaders treat it as the intelligence and orchestration layer linking cyber risk to business outcomes in near real time. #EYCyber https://t.co/80C11mqnQH

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

Coordination determines who stays online during ecosystem-wide cyber incidents. Build trusted vendor relationships now, set up secure multi-party channels, and rehearse how you will operate in an impaired state before the next disruption. #CyberRisk https://t.co/ubyiiuSeYW

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

Honoured to be profiled by @FWWMagazine in Power Players: Experts – Cyber Security 2026. Grateful to the EY teams I work with and to clients for their trust. Cyber risk evolves—so do we, with clarity, simplification & innovation. #Cybersecurity #DigitalTrust #EYCyber

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

Cyber is the litmus test for trust in government. As services go digital, citizens don’t want “trust us” — they want trust built into every interaction. #EYCyber
https://t.co/98YCrr4qrU

[Richard Watson @WatsonCyber]

CEO Outlook 2026: CEOs are balancing geopolitical uncertainty and cost pressure while scaling AI from pilots to enterprise integration. In my view, the winners will pair speed with digital resilience and trust as transformation and M&A accelerate. #EY
https://t.co/y1IU99qRBa