Andrew Rose appointed as Chief Security Officer at leading security awareness vendor SoSafe

Cologne, February 7th, 2024: SoSafe, Europe’s leading vendor for security awareness, behaviour, and culture change, today announced the appointment of Andrew Rose as its new Chief Security Officer (CSO). With a wealth of experience in the industry, Rose is a highly accomplished cyber security executive with a strong focus on the people-centric aspects of cyber security.

In his role as CSO, Rose will focus on driving SoSafe’s vision to strengthen digital selfdefence worldwide and help customers transform their security culture. He’ll also bring hands-on experience, knowledge, and perspective in managing risk and improving cyber security posture across complex enterprises.

Recognized for his outstanding contributions to the field, Rose was awarded the prestigious title of ‘European CISO of the Year 2018’ at the SC Awards, and has been a part of the CSO30 every year since its inception in 2020. Across his career, Rose has transformed security management for multiple major organisations in the legal, aviation, technology, and finance sectors.

Notably, Rose held the position as Resident CISO at Proofpoint Inc., where he helped customers enhance their security practices, cultivated a community of CISOs and represented the brand externally. Prior to that, he oversaw the cyber security of UK airspace traffic at NATS and managed the secure processing of trillions of pounds in transfers at Vocalink, a Mastercard company. He also worked at Forrester Research, where he was Principal Analyst covering the awareness and culture change space and developed influential models for the security awareness industry. In 2015, when Rose implemented the models he had designed at Forrester, he was awarded ‘UK Awareness Campaign of the Year’ at the UK Cyber Security Awards. Rose also has an established record in the legal sector with over a decade as CISO at ‘magic circle’ firms Clifford Chance LLP and Allen & Overy LLP.

Niklas Hellemann, Psychologist and CEO of SoSafe, remarked: “Andrew’s expertise is a perfect match for our mission at SoSafe. In an era where AI-powered cyber threats are escalating, Andrew’s extensive industry experience is invaluable in leading our efforts to be the global industry leader in fortifying the human aspect of cyber security.”

Rose’s decision to join SoSafe was driven by the company’s unwavering focus on addressing the critical problem of the underestimated human factor in cyber security. “There is a huge imbalance in focus as the biggest part of security budgets are dedicated to security technology while according to the World Economic Forum, 95% of cyber threats have a human element involved. SoSafe’s commitment to strengthening the human factor, coupled with their innovative use of behavioural science and technology, aligns perfectly with my vision.”

“SoSafe’s approach to security awareness is unique in the industry: Having a CEO with a background in psychology means that the human-centric perspective is deeply rooted in their DNA. They focus on behavioural science to tackle the problem and then use technology to enable the solution”, Rose stated.

By joining SoSafe, Andrew Rose will further strengthen the company’s position as a leader in the industry. With his track record of success and commitment to driving secure behaviour in organisations, Andrew Rose is poised to make a significant contribution to the company’s ongoing mission of strengthening digital self-defence.