The Heller Report: Cyber Means Business Featuring Andy Ellis, Former Akamai CSO

In the first of our interview series with security leaders who have turned risk management into a corporate asset, Andy Ellis, the former CSO of Akamai Technologies and current leadership advisor, shares why culture is the hidden variable in every successful security strategy, and how inclusive leadership, user empathy, and smart engagement with business colleagues can unlock resilience, innovation and a collaborative culture.

Boards don’t need to be able to build AI models, but they do need to ask hard questions and guide management with informed oversight. Technology leaders are the ones who can help board members understand the rise of AI, what it means for their organizations and how best to pursue business value, argues Tsvi Gal, CTO and Head of Enterprise Technology Services at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

You have an idea for a new Lego block structure. Will it work? Now an AI model can tell you. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in May unveiled “LegoGPT” to convert your text prompt like “streamlined elongated vessel” or “classic-style car with prominent front grill” into a “physically stable and buildable Lego design,” Arstechnica reports. “The resulting designs are simple, using just a few brick types to create primitive shapes—but they stand up.” Researchers used both robots and people to test the model’s results.

Heller was recently retained to recruit a Director of Technology Strategy and Innovation for PSP Partners, a Chicago-based diversified investment firm that focuses on business and technology services, advanced industrials and real estate. For this role, we identified Rachel Bashkin, who was most recently Head of Technology and Business Solutions for Kovitz. Bashkin earned a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University Bloomington. Best of luck, Rachel!