Marene Allison, former vice president and CISO of Johnson & Johnson, joins Balbix Advisory Board

Jan. 12, 2023
The veteran cybersecurity executive brings knowledge and expertise that will help the company’s next growth phase.

Balbix announced that Marene Allison, former vice president and CISO of Johnson & Johnson, has joined its strategic advisory board. As a seasoned cybersecurity expert and board member, Ms. Allison brings with her deep knowledge of cybersecurity needs in the industry and the expertise to help Balbix in its next growth stage. 

“The folks on Balbix’s advisory board play a crucial role in helping us grow Balbix and we are thrilled to have Marene with her fantastic experience join us,” said Gaurav Banga, Founder and CEO of Balbix. "Marene has successfully played many leadership roles and seen so much as cybersecurity and IT have evolved over the last three decades. I am looking forward to working with Marene as we grow our business."

As Vice President and CISO for Johnson & Johnson, Marene had responsibility for protecting J&J’s IT systems and business data worldwide. This included ensuring that the J&J cybersecurity posture supported the business’s growth objectives, protecting trust in the J&J brand, while meeting legal and regulatory compliance requirements.

She was a member of the J&J’s Regulatory Compliance Council and reported regularly on cyber risk to the Johnson & Johnson Board of Directors. Before joining the corporate world, Allison served as a Special Agent in the FBI working on undercover drug operations in Newark, New Jersey and terrorist bombings in San Diego. Marene received her Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and was part of the first class to include women.

Due to her exceptional skills and industry contributions, Marene has received numerous awards, including being inducted into the CSO Hall of Fame in 2022. She was a founding board member of H-ISAC (Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center) and ASIS International. Marene was also part of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services as well as on the Overseas Security Advisory Committee. 

Balbix’s advisory board consists of a distinguished group of cybersecurity leaders who help Balbix define its next generation of product offerings to solve cybersecurity problems.

“For my next adventure I would like to give back by advising a few startup companies that have critical missions," said Marene Allison. "By creating full visibility to vulnerabilities and how they measure against control frameworks in a way that executives and regulators understand, Balbix helps the CISO in translating cyber/IT risk to business risk. This capability is key to the future of all cybersecurity programs, and I am very happy to be helping the company.”