National headlines trumpeted the criminal escapades of Kevin Mitnick in the early 1990s. Hacking into corporate and government computer systems landed the renegade computer programmer on the FBI’s most wanted list, yet he eluded capture for two-and-a-half years before being arrested in February 1995. As a high school student, Billy O’Brien, ’01, recalled being fascinated by Mitnick’s story and wondering how he could get into the nascent cybersecurity field.
Eighteen years later, cybersecurity is big business, and O’Brien is a central player. As chief information security officer for News Corp, he oversees the cybersecurity of Rupert Murdoch’s global media conglomerate. The company comprises digital real estate services; subscription video services; news and information services, including the New York Post, Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, and Dow Jones Newswires; and book publisher HarperCollins.
“This is the career I’ve always wanted,” he said. “My objectives are to maintain trust with our customers and team members, manage technology risk, and protect our digital assets against attack or manipulation. This includes protecting our journalists, some would say the lifeblood of the company, so they can do their job without fear of intimidation or retribution.”
O’Brien does this by managing the company’s cybersecurity teams, which operate out of hub offices in New York City, Sydney, Bangalore, Barcelona, and London, as well as from many smaller offices. Having offices spread across the globe ensures round-the-clock coverage.
“The most important part of my job is leadership, especially forming and optimizing a team that is best positioned, prepared, and equipped for success,” said the alumnus of the University of Richmond’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies. “I strive to create a positive culture that promotes radical candor, individual thought, meritocracy, and a commitment to doing what’s best for the company above the individual. Cybersecurity is a team sport—we win or lose as a team, and we have to win.”