Arjun Thusu
2023 Gold Award
in the category:
Cybersecurity Executive of the Year
Arjun Thusu, CIO, has spent the last four years reconstructing Mercury ® Financial’s technology and cyber security programs, a leading fintech singularly focused on serving over 1.5 million Americans with near-prime credit scores. Thusu made several additions to the program, including advancements in technology, building out his team, creating key educational opportunities, and holding employees and vendors accountable for strict cyber hygiene practices that mitigate risk.
As CIO, spearheading the implementation of a Zero Trust Framework at Mercury Financial within an impressive nine months instead of the two to three years it typically takes is one of his major accomplishments.
Arjun believes a robust cybersecurity program is most effective when basics remain at the core, from asset management to vendor risk management to cohesive vulnerability and patching programs.
He also knows a good cyber security program doesn’t live up to its potential without having layers in partnerships that the C-suite, risk team, and board buy into. For Arjun and Mercury Financial, there’s nothing more important than keeping its company, employee, and customer data as safe as possible from cyberattacks as the latter works toward rebuilding their credit after an adverse life event. That’s why Mercury Financial entrusts several vendors, including ZScaler, CrowdStrike, and VerSprite, with safeguarding its data.
Transparency is a core tenant of Mercury’s cyber security program, which is why the company also intentionally works towards and surrounds itself with partners striving toward detecting, containing, and reporting better than the industry norm.
