Volker Wagner, Chief Information Security Officer at BASF, joins Ann on this week's episode of Afternoon Cyber Tea to talk shop on what it really takes to defend one of the world’s largest chemical companies. From his early days in auditing to leading global cyber for high-stakes industrial and research environments, Volker shares battle-tested insights on resilience, Zero Trust, and the fundamentals that never go out of style. He dives into the hard lessons learned from ransomware, the realities of third-party risk, and how AI is reshaping everything from incident response to supply chain security. Most importantly, he makes the case for why trust, communication, and culture aren’t soft skills—they’re survival skills for modern CISOs.

Resources:

View Volker Wagner on LinkedIn

View Ann Johnson on LinkedIn

Related Microsoft Podcasts:

• Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast

• The BlueHat Podcast

• Uncovering Hidden Risks

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.