Deepa Seshadri
“Just like doctors responding to medical emergencies, when adverse events occur, cybersecurity professionals move quickly to contain damage, protect broader networks and systems, and implement real-time vulnerability fixes.”
Deepa Seshadri is a cyber Partner at Deloitte India, with more than 28 years of experience in cybersecurity, technology advisory, and cyber transformation. She advises major global clients as a trusted relationship partner, and leads initiatives around emerging tech and cyber strategy.
Deepa mentors rising professionals, and was named one of the Top 10 Women Leaders by Rewa University, India.
Her leadership style is defined by courage, resilience, and empathy.
What is one skill, interest or talent of yours that makes you great at your job?
Leading with empathy and the ability to listen to others’ points of view. I enjoy challenges. I am passionate about leading and working with teams with diverse skill sets.
What is the best piece of unconventional career advice you’ve gotten?
Take risks, it’s okay to fail.
What is your proudest moment working in the cybersecurity industry?
When I was recognized as one of the Top 10 women leaders for my contribution to the field of cybersecurity.
When did you become interested in pursuing a career in cyber and what prompted it?
I completed my post graduate in finance and systems. I had the opportunity as a fresher at Deloitte in the Information Security team. From there, my career in cyber started.
What are the top 3 things you would tell people hoping to enter the cybersecurity industry?
- Technical mastery, along with business context, has to be developed.
- Upskilling is important.
- Cybersecurity is about trust and safety, and not just security.
What are some misconceptions people might have about the cybersecurity industry and what can we do to change these misconceptions?
There is often a negative connotation to cybersecurity. It is about incidents and securing organizations against incidents. But to me, a cybersecurity professional more closely resembles a preventive healthcare doctor. They provide guidance on maintaining healthy cyber habits, help organizations avoid harmful practices, warn against unverified or too-good-to-be-true claims, and yes, they sometimes face questions about their fees. And just like doctors responding to medical emergencies, when adverse events occur, cybersecurity professionals move quickly to contain damage, protect broader networks and systems, and implement real-time vulnerability fixes.
Do you feel like you’re contributing to helping keep our world secure and can you share why that matters to you?
Yes, definitely. Apart from the regular work we do for enterprise, cyber social responsibility is one important aspect that I am passionate about. Protecting citizens, children, and the elderly is very important. The training sessions on cyber that we provide is one small aspect that can help the nation be more secure.
What positive change do you think will take place as we bring the next generation into the cybersecurity industry?
Cyber will be embedded in all the technology initiatives by default. Agentic AI will replace some of the routine work within cybersecurity. More positive outlooks to cyber, rather than being negative, is a change that we need to see.
Who is your role model in the cybersecurity industry and why?
Emily Mossburg, Deloitte’s Global Cyber Leader, is my role model. Her visionary leadership has transformed Deloitte’s cyber practice, and her ability to bring a global perspective to every challenge is nothing short of inspiring.
