How should boards really think about cyber and AI when every organisation feels under siege? 

In this episode of The Boardroom Path, host Ralph Grayson speaks with Danny Lopez, CEO of Glasswall and experienced NED, about why cybersecurity is now the defining risk of our time – and why boards must stop treating it as a narrow IT issue. They explore how to reframe cyber as core to trust, reputation and licence to operate, and why good NEDs do not need to code but do need sharp, strategic questions and real intellectual curiosity. 

Drawing on recent data showing that over 8 in 10 UK businesses plan to increase cyber budgets next year and that AI‑driven threats are a top concern for European security professionals, Danny explains how boards can move beyond tick‑box compliance into meaningful scenario planning, resilience and culture change. From identifying the “crown jewels” in your data estate to avoiding naive uses of open AI tools for board papers, this conversation offers a practical roadmap for NEDs who want to stay ahead of AI‑enabled threats without losing sight of long‑term growth.

• (00:00) - Welcome to The Boardroom Path
• (04:50) - A Non‑Linear Career of Risk and Growth
• (06:04) - Why Cybersecurity Is the Defining Risk of Our Time
• (07:06) - Inside Glasswall and File‑Based Threat Protection
• (08:15) - Breaking into the US Intelligence and Defence Market
• (10:17) - Cyber on the Board Agenda: Curiosity over Fear
• (13:25) - AI, Cyber and Risk: Enabler Not Just Threat
• (15:05) - Crown Jewels, Risk Registers and Better Board Questions
• (17:03) - Resilience, War‑Gaming and Culture Under Stress
• (20:28) - A New Geopolitical Paradigm and Swan‑Stacking Boards
• (24:01) - AI as Burglar and Alarm System in Cybersecurity
• (31:37) - AI, Governance and Avoiding Groupthink in the Boardroom

Danny Lopez: Danny Lopez is the CEO of Glasswall, an award‑winning cybersecurity company that protects organisations against sophisticated file‑based threats using zero‑trust Content Disarm and Reconstruction technology. A former British Consul General in New York and Director‑General for trade and investment across North America, he previously served as the inaugural CEO of London & Partners and held senior international banking roles at Barclays in London, New York, Miami and Mumbai. Danny is a non‑executive director at Innovate Finance and Aquis Stock Exchange and a pro bono adviser to the City of London Corporation, giving him a unique vantage point at the intersection of geopolitics, finance, technology and board‑level risk. 

Ralph Grayson: Ralph Grayson is a Partner in the Board Practice at Sainty Hird & Partners, bringing extensive experience in board-level recruitment, assessment, and advisory services. With a deep understanding of the corporate governance landscape, Ralph specialises in guiding senior executives as they transition into impactful boardroom careers. His thoughtful approach, combined with a passion for developing effective leaders, enables him to facilitate insightful conversations that equip aspiring and newly appointed Non-Executive Directors with the tools they need to succeed. Through The Boardroom Path, Ralph leverages his extensive professional network and expertise to empower listeners on their journey into the boardroom.

Episode Insights:

• Cybersecurity is not a narrow IT issue but a core risk‑management and trust issue that underpins an organisation’s licence to operate.
• Boards do not need deep technical skills but must be intellectually curious, ask incisive questions and insist that cyber information is presented in plain, decision‑ready language.
• Identifying and protecting the “crown jewels” in your digital landscape allows boards to focus spend and oversight where it matters most instead of spreading security budgets thinly across everything.
• Practical scenario planning and war‑gaming around doomsday‑style incidents build real organisational resilience, clarify roles in a crisis and strengthen culture.
• AI has become both burglar and alarm system: it dramatically scales attackers’ capabilities, but, when governed well, also enables faster anomaly detection, pattern recognition and defence.

Action Points:

1. Define your crown jewels: Map the 5–7% of your data and digital estate without which the organisation would be on its knees. Ask management to quantify the impact of losing those assets and to show how cyber spend is weighted towards protecting them, not just evenly distributed across every system.
2. Make scenario planning non‑negotiable: Schedule regular, realistic cyber incident simulations at board level. Treat them as live rehearsals, not compliance exercises, so everyone understands their role, communications pathways and decision thresholds when a major breach or AI‑enabled attack hits.
3. Reframe cyber as culture, not just controls: Challenge management on how cyber, AI and data risk feature in training, incentives and everyday behaviours. Look for evidence that employees feel safe to report mistakes quickly and that near‑misses are treated as learning opportunities rather than reasons for blame.
4. Set guardrails for AI use in governance: Ask security teams to define clear principles for how AI tools can and cannot be used with board and management information. Ensure there is guidance on sensitive data, model choice and auditability so that efficiency never trumps confidentiality and accountability.
5. Invest in your own AI and cyber literacy: Commit to ongoing learning about AI‑enabled threats and defences, using curated case studies, external briefings and trusted resources. The goal is not to become an engineer but to be confident enough to challenge, probe and connect cyber discussions back to strategy, reputation and capital allocation.

The Boardroom Path is the essential podcast for aspiring and newly appointed Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) navigating the journey from executive leadership to the boardroom. Hosted by Ralph Grayson, partner at Sainty Hird & Partners, each episode offers insightful conversations with industry leaders, seasoned board directors, and governance experts. Our guests share practical strategies, valuable perspectives, and actionable advice on how to effectively transition into board roles, maximise your impact, and build a rewarding NED career. 

Subscribe now, and take your first confident step along The Boardroom Path.

Learn more about Sainty Hird & Partners at saintyhird.com.

The Boardroom Path is produced by Story Ninety-Four in Oxford, UK.