Here's a breakdown of the key roles of a CEO:

• Setting Vision and Strategy: The CEO is the primary architect of the company's vision, mission, and long-term strategic goals. They determine the overall direction the company will take to achieve growth and profitability in the marketplace.

• Major Decision-Making: CEOs make high-level corporate decisions that impact the entire organization, such as developing new products, acquiring other companies, expanding into new markets, and significant investments.

• Financial Management: While often working closely with a Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the CEO is ultimately responsible for the company's financial health. This includes overseeing budgeting, financial planning, reporting, and ensuring financial sustainability and profitability.

• Leading and Building the Executive Team: The CEO selects, manages, and motivates the senior leadership team (other C-suite executives like the CFO, COO, etc.) and ensures they work effectively together to achieve company objectives.

• Overseeing Operations: While not typically involved in day-to-day granular operations, the CEO oversees the overall operations and business activities to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and alignment with the strategic direction.

• Company Representation and Stakeholder Communication: The CEO serves as the public face of the company, communicating with key stakeholders including investors, shareholders, employees, customers, the media, and the general public.

• Fostering Company Culture: The CEO plays a crucial role in shaping and maintaining the company's culture, values, and work environment, setting the tone for how employees should behave and interact.

• Risk Management and Compliance: They are responsible for identifying and mitigating key risks to the company and ensuring compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements, as well as upholding ethical business practices.

• Reporting to the Board of Directors: The CEO typically reports to the board of directors, providing regular updates on the company's performance, financial health, and strategic initiatives.

In essence, the CEO is the ultimate decision-maker and leader, guiding the company through challenges, seizing opportunities, and driving it towards sustainable growth and success.

Cyber resilience is huge, so how do I eat this elephant?

A Fancy Term for the Feast: “Complexity Partitioning”

Immediate tasks

CEO all staff communication - "IT Security is being implemented and must be followed." Description of importance and impact to company.  Any exceptions must be agreed with CTO who will then look for agreement from CEO.  CEO can asses impact to company performance.

Update all OS software to the latest secure level. (Firewalls/Servers/Desktops/equipment)

Agree a Cyber attack reaction, i.e. which firewalls / servers / desktops etc to shutdown and who is responsible. 24/7/365 staff covered.

Implement any quick email security protocols 

Parallel task

Create and implement comprehensive Cyber attack reaction policy

Review Firewalls / access to external networks

Review network structure. Sensibly partition and isolate where possible.

Implement MFA policies.

Monitoring.  Agree what monitoring to to get. 

• Antivirus scanning output

• Company equipment status

Make to CEO the voice of this task. This message must be clear and decisive!

1. Secure what you can

   1. Make sure hardware is updated and kept up to date.

      1. Firewalls

      2. Desktops

         1. Windows

         2. Linux

         3. IOS

         4. "Black Boxes"

      3. Servers

         1. Windows

         2. Linux

         3. IOS

         4. "Black Boxes"

   2. Change all passwords for complex passwords and implement rotation policy