Kathy Wang

Biography

Kathy Wang is a seasoned security executive, operating advisor, and internationally recognized cybersecurity expert with over 20 years of experience across government, commercial, and tech startup environments. She has built strategic security roadmaps as Chief Information Security Officer at multiple pre- and post-IPO stages, including B2B, B2C and fintech companies like Discord, Very Good Security and GitLab (NASDAQ: GTLB).

As GitLab’s first CISO, Kathy scaled the security team from one to over 45 members while the company grew from 200 to 1200+ employees. She architected GitLab’s Zero Trust security model, established a global 24/7 remote security operations team, and strengthened security across Engineering, Incident Response, Product Security, and GRC.

She continued this success at Discord and Very Good Security, where she built scalable, high-impact security programs tailored to fast-growing fintech, B2B, and B2C companies. Known for her ability to bridge technical and non-technical teams, Kathy is respected across the CISO community for her collaborative, pragmatic approach.

Since 2019, Kathy has advised and invested in early-stage cybersecurity startups, and is a member of Silicon Valley CISO Investments (SVCI), where she regularly leads her CISO peers in conducting due diligence rounds for potential investments.

Kathy holds BS and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she was active in the Society of Women Engineers and mentored aspiring engineers. Today, she continues to mentor emerging leaders in cybersecurity.