In this episode of YS Up Governance and Boards Podcast, 3YS Owls Governance Consultants, Ainslie Cunningham and Deb Anderson interview Karissa Breen, Founder and CEO of Karissa Breen Industries (KBI). KBI is a digital marcomms company, servicing the security and emerging tech industry. KBI helps start-ups get established with their presence in the world and help mid-sized and enterprise organisations get their messaging on point, and to the right people through podcasts, written, and video content.
We discuss with Karissa the importance of a robust framework for dealing with a data breach as a result of a cyber-attack including the key members of the data breach response team and the importance of clear and cohesive communications including with management, internal staff, suppliers, customers, external stakeholders, and media.

"Australia is a very trusting nation. So, with household brand names, if this does happen again, it's really, really hard to be able to recover from that. Again, it's probably going to come down to the CEO running this at the coalface around having that level... I don't want to keep going back to it, but yes, having that level of integrity, but again, being very open about what's happened and having a plan in place. Saying nothing or not communicating the facts is the worst thing. And I think that there's no real, "this is the way to do it" because it would depend on each individual scenario. But as I said, not enough people are just being honest about the situation and saying, "We really care about you guys" and having more chains of communication. I think even at the moment, with everything that's going on with Twitter. They've got a dedicated support page so people can get upset, but they are responding to people quickly because people hate to feel that they aren't heard."
- Karissa Breen

Summary of episode
· Communications strategy for managing a data breach
· Crisis communications in a data breach response plan
· Communicating a cyber security breach
· PR crisis management - responding to data breaches
· Brand and reputational damage
· The importance of having one spokesperson to deliver cohesive messaging
· Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) resources
· Media training for executives
· The importance on delivering on promises in terms of timelines for ongoing updates
· Every six months stress test your data breach response plan

About Karissa Breen
Karissa Breen or KB as she's better known is an entrepreneur, and as an ex techie saw issues with the way the cybersecurity industry was engaging with people. Having worked on the front lines of tech, she founded Karissa Breen Industries (KBI) to help global enterprises frame and develop their engagement strategies. Whether marketing, internal communications or PR, KBI is 100% focused on helping tech companies communicate better with their audiences.

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