Cybersecurity for Executives: A Practical Guide

10.0BOARDROOM INTERACTIONS

Scene: Dr. Charles Clark, chairman of the board of Kilcawley Chemical Corporation, has convened a special meeting of the corporate board of directors in order to address the topic of cybersecurity. Kilcawley Chemical, a publicly owned company traded on the NASDAQ exchange, manufactures specialty chemicals, principally polymers and surfactants. It has plants in Eltopia, WA, and Middleburgh, NY. Corporate headquarters is in Cobleskill, NY. Its annual revenues have averaged about US $3.5 billion over the past three years. The board members are:

Dr. Charles Clark—

emeritus professor of chemical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an early investor in the company

Mark Austin

—CEO of Kilcawley Chemical

Mary Francis

—senior vice president of the Makamuny Investment Fund

Hortense Jefferson

—vice president and director of public relations, the Basil Jaskowski Foundation

Harry Artur McGarry

—CEO of the Fermoy Health System

Robert Shay

—retired chairman of WTCX Corporation (an international manufacturer of water treatment chemicals)

Harold Sockem

—managing partner, Roccim & Sockem, LLP (a law firm specializing in innovative technology matters)

Also attending the meeting at the chairman’s request is Keith Willis, Kilcawley Chemical’s CFO.

Charles:

The reason I convened this special meeting is to address what Mark and I believe to be a crucial issue that could have tremendous impact upon our company. That issue is cybersecurity. About ...