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About

Darren Argyle

Cybersecurity executive and founder, now writing The Executive Exit

Thirty years running security for banks, airlines and financial data companies. I built two businesses alongside the role before I left in 2024.

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Darren Argyle in a white t-shirt

As Featured In

Forbes World Economic Forum Bloomberg CSO Online SC Magazine ADAPT SANS ISC2 Foundry Cyber OSPAs Global Cyber Conference ET CIO Financial Standard Plurilock Forbes World Economic Forum Bloomberg CSO Online SC Magazine ADAPT SANS ISC2 Foundry Cyber OSPAs Global Cyber Conference ET CIO Financial Standard Plurilock

Darren Argyle spent three decades in senior technology and security roles, most recently as Group Chief Information Security Risk Officer at Standard Chartered Bank, based in Singapore with a global remit. He has led security across banking, aviation, financial data and technology, in organisations where the cost of getting it wrong is measured in grounded aircraft and frozen market feeds rather than help desk tickets.

The businesses came while he was still employed, and he left corporate in 2024 with income already coming in. Leaving with something built, rather than leaving and then working out what comes next, is the difference he now works on with other executives.

He lives on the New South Wales coast near Coffs Harbour, trains most mornings and meditates, and is fairly evangelical about both, having spent a decade proving what happens when you don't.

Timeline

The corporate career, and what was built alongside it

In the role

  1. Early careerIBM and Symantec
  2. LondonChief Information Security Officer, IHS Markit, now part of S&P Global
  3. SydneyGroup Chief Information Security Officer, Qantas Airways
  4. SingaporeGroup Chief Information Security Risk Officer, Standard Chartered Bank, with a global remit

Built alongside it

  1. 2015Co-founded a cybersecurity software company, the first business, started while still in a full-time executive role
  2. 2018Co-founded the Cyber Leadership Institute, a career accelerator for cyber leaders
  3. 2024Left corporate, with income already coming in from what had been built
  4. TodayWorking with senior executives on their own exit, and writing The Executive Exit
How they were built

Evenings and weekends, funded by the salary

I built both businesses in evenings and weekends alongside a demanding executive role, which is the detail most people find hardest to believe and the one that ended up mattering most. The salary paid the bills while they grew, so neither had to earn a living before it was ready to.

The Cyber Leadership Institute was bootstrapped from nothing to more than 5,000 members across 80 countries, and both grew into seven-figure businesses before I left the corporate role.

Lessons

What worked, and what I would do differently

What worked

  • Building while the salary was still paying, so the businesses had time to grow instead of having to replace an income straight away.
  • Using expertise I already had and was already paid for, rather than starting in a field I knew nothing about.
  • Leaving once there was income coming in, so the exit was a decision rather than a leap.

What I would do differently

  • Start earlier, because I did not begin building anything of my own until I was well into my forties.
  • Look after my health sooner, because I spent a decade proving what happens when you do not, and it is now the first thing I ask other executives about.
Recognition

Awards and media

These recognise my work in security leadership. They are not endorsements of the Corporate Exit System or results achieved by the people I work with.

2016
Cover of SC MagazineFeatured on the cover of the global information security title.
2017, 2022
Top 100 CISOs GloballyNamed twice, five years apart, on the global list of leading security officers.
2018
Top 100 Global IT Security InfluencersRecognised for contribution to the wider security conversation.
2022
SANS Innovator of the YearAwarded by the SANS Institute for innovation in security practice.
2022
Outstanding Cyber Security ProfessionalCyber Outstanding Security Performance Awards, December 2022.
2023
CSO30 Leadership AwardInaugural winner, in a third consecutive year on the CSO30 list.

I have written for the World Economic Forum, and been interviewed by Bloomberg, CSO Online and the Economic Times.

Who I work with

Senior executives who are too senior to walk away and too young to wind down

Most of the people I work with are in their forties and fifties, well paid and good at their jobs, with almost nothing built outside the role. The work is practical, and it starts with scoring where you stand before building one asset you own alongside the role, and then the next.

The free Exit Readiness Score is where that starts. If you want the tools after that, the Corporate Exit System is ten build kits for US$49.50, and Exodus is the later step for people who want help putting it in place.

"I've now started two of my own businesses alongside my successful career. Darren inspired me to take the leap and now with his ongoing mentorship everything is possible."

Francesco Chiarini, Founder, Cyber Resilience Academy. Mentoring client

"Darren provided me with actionable tools and strategies to lead with unshakable confidence and strike out on my own to build my own business."

Elcin Biren, Founder, Swiss Cyber Smart. Coaching client

Find out where you stand

The Exit Readiness Score is free and shows which parts of your exit are ready and which are still a gap, so you can see how far you are from making corporate optional.

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