Future Secured - Shaping a Future-Proof Digital Society
Future Secured brings you in-depth conversations with Australian and global cyber security leaders, founders, CEOs, and co-founders.
Hosted by Jason Murell and Tom Finnigan, each episode delves into the personal journeys of these experts as they navigate the challenges of building and scaling successful cyber security businesses.
From critical industry issues to hard-learned lessons, the podcast explores the competitive global market and offers valuable insights on how to start, grow, and succeed in the cyber security space.
Join us as we uncover the stories behind the industry's brightest minds and build a knowledge base to help aspiring cyber security entrepreneurs thrive.
Future Secured - Shaping a Future-Proof Digital Society
Cyber Mining With Lego - Future Secured Ep 40
In this episode, Vannessa Van Beek, Global CISO at Fortescue, joins Tom Finnigan and Jason Murrell to unpack what it takes to lead cyber security at the intersection of AI, mining, and innovation at scale.
She shares her unconventional journey to becoming CISO, her early adoption of AI inside security operations, and how Fortescue is using emerging tech to drive both resilience and cost-efficiency across its global footprint.
Vannessa opens up about leadership in high-pressure environments, the importance of psychological safety, and how tools like LEGO Serious Play help her team think more clearly, connect more deeply, and solve more complex problems, faster.
🔑 Key Takeaways
AI is already cutting incident response time, but trust and governance are still catching up.
The CISO role is evolving fast, especially in industrial environments like mining.
LEGO Serious Play helps break down silos and unlock team creativity.
Psychological safety is the foundation for innovation.
Great leadership often means asking better questions, not having all the answers.
The future of work is fluid: “Work doesn’t always happen at work.”
Creativity looks like frustration, but it’s where the breakthroughs are born.
AI isn’t a silver bullet—but it’s becoming as essential as electricity.
Insider threats and deepfakes are rising, but the real risk is misalignment with people.
đź—Ł Soundbites
“I stumbled across LEGO series play. It democratised the meeting.”
“Work doesn’t always happen at work.”
“AI is like electricity.”
“Creativity looks like frustration.”
“Psychological safety lets people speak their truth.”
“AI probably won’t replace your role, but someone using AI might.”
⏱ Chapters
00:00 – Intro: Mining, AI and Cyber security at Scale
02:55 – Vannessa’s Journey to CISO
06:04 – Using AI to Accelerate Incident Response
09:02 – Fortescue’s AI Strategy
12:04 – What AI Means for Cyber Leadership
14:54 – Redefining the CISO Role in 2025
18:03 – Psychology, Team Dynamics and Safety
20:56 – LEGO Serious Play in Cyber security Teams
24:04 – Creativity, Frustration and Flow State
27:03 – AI, Risk and Real-World Challenges
30:01 – The Future of Work and Human-AI Partnership
34:19 – Insider Risk, Deepfakes and Data Governance
40:00 – Final Reflections: Resilience and Adaptation