Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.)
Keynote Speaker: Cybersecurity Expert, Retired USAF Major General, COO at IronNet
-
Travels From:
-
Speaking Fee:
-
Categories:
Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) Biography
Major General Brett T. Williams, USAF (Ret.), is a co-founder and the Chief Operating Officer at IronNet Cybersecurity. IronNet is renowned for its collective cybersecurity approach, defending companies, sectors, and nations with advanced detection solutions that utilize behavioral analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. As COO, Williams enhances strategic planning, business performance management, leader development, and thought leadership to support marketing and sales initiatives.
During his distinguished 33-year career in the U.S. Air Force, Williams held several senior executive roles, including Director of Operations (J3) at U.S. Cyber Command. There, he oversaw a staff of 400, managing global operations and defense of all Department of Defense networks, along with planning and executing authorized offensive operations. His leadership extended to being the Director of Operations (A3O) at the U.S. Air Force, where he spearheaded the largest directorate and managed a significant portion of the Air Force's $120B annual budget. His operational expertise was further demonstrated as the 18th Wing Commander in Okinawa, Japan, where he led the Air Force's largest combat wing, overseeing a broad range of mission areas and maintaining vital international relations.
Williams is not only a combat-proven F-15C fighter pilot with over 100 combat missions but also a visionary in cybersecurity. He played a pivotal role in taking IronNet Cybersecurity public in 2021, demonstrating his acumen in both military and corporate sectors. Williams is a recognized thought leader who translates complex cyber threats into strategic business decisions, enhancing organizational cyber resilience. He is adept at integrating cybersecurity solutions, emphasizing the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to combat cyber threats effectively.
A highly respected keynote speaker and leadership coach, Williams frequently addresses audiences on critical issues like cybersecurity, strategic planning, and leadership development. His insights enable organizations to elevate their cyber IQ, particularly in sales and technical teams, ensuring they are well-prepared to articulate and manage cyber-related challenges. His academic contributions include serving as a faculty member with the National Association of Corporate Directors Board Advisory Services and guest lecturing at Duke University, from which he holds a BS in Computer Science and three graduate degrees in management and national security studies.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) and other top speakers and celebrities.
Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) Speaking Topics
I had just completed the first 28 years of my Air Force career and achieved a modicum of success as a fighter pilot, culminating with my fourth and largest command, the 18th Wing on Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. That’s when I got the call: “Williams, you are going to be the Director of Communications at U.S. Pacific Command.” And just like that, I went from a job where I had extremely deep experience and credibility to one where I could barely speak the language and my subordinates greeted me with great skepticism as well as preconceived notions about what to expect from a “fly-boy” coming into their IT world. As it turned out, everything I knew about leading and managing crossed over directly to my new job but it took a lot of work to become an accepted and valued member of my new team. As cyber security moves steadily from being a stovepipe function of the IT department to a key element of the overall business organization, it is becoming increasingly common to see managers with little technical, much less cyber background, being put into positions of responsibility for cyber risk. This presentation is geared toward leaders and managers at all levels and focuses on Major General (Ret) Brett Williams’s lessons learned from leading a variety of large, diverse organizations
You have freedom of maneuver in cyberspace if you can operate in cyberspace at a known and accepted level of risk. Most companies don’t understand their current level of risk, so they cannot determine if it is acceptable. The current approach usually involves a variety of network security measures following guidelines such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity and the SANS 20 Critical Security Controls. While these actions are necessary, they are not sufficient to handle the advanced persistent threat that is becoming more prevalent every day. In this presentation, Brett Williams provides a detailed operating concept he has adapted for the private sector from his work at the DoD as the director of operations for U.S Cyber Command. He discusses a process for ensuring that the right decisions regarding cyber security are made at the right level in an organization. Williams explains how training and wargaming are critical components of cyber defense and offers tips for getting the best training from your red team. This presentation is focused on senior executives to mid-level managers who already have a good understanding of cyber defense and are looking for ways to become an adaptive cyber-defense organization.
The answer is all three. Companies today must look at cybersecurity in a very holistic manner; it is not just an IT issue. Cybersecurity is a cost to be controlled and in this speech, Brett offers a model for thinking about how much “cyber stuff” is enough and how to avoid spending money without increasing capability. Cybersecurity also represents a risk that must be managed, and it must be managed within the company’s overall risk framework. Brett discusses cyber risk in relation to overall business success. Finally, cybersecurity must be considered an asset. Increasingly customers are going to evaluate product and service providers along the lines of cybersecurity. Sound cybersecurity practices provide a competitive advantage and therefore generate revenue in today’s market. A major challenge for today’s senior executive is understanding enough about the technical nature of cyber to make appropriate strategic level decisions. In this presentation, Brett offers a plain language overview of cyberspace—what it is and how to put it in context with the rest of your enterprise.
Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) Videos
How do I book Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.), or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) or any other speaker of your choice.
How much does it cost to book Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) for a speaking engagement?
Speaking fees for Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.), or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) are $10,000 - $20,000 for live events and $10,000 - $20,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.), click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
What topics does Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) speak about?
Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Business Growth, Change Management, Communication, Corporate Culture, Creativity, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Peak Performance, Teamwork & Teambuilding, Military and Leadership.
Where does Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) travel from?
Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) generally travels from Raleigh, NC, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.
Who is the agent for Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.)?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) for your next private or corporate function.
What is a full-service speaker booking agency?
AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?
If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Business Growth, Change Management and Communication. The estimated speaking fee range to book Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) for live events is $10,000 - $20,000, and for virtual events $10,000 - $20,000. Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) generally travels from Raleigh, NC, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Rachel Wilson, Jones Loflin and Scott Augenbaum. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) for an upcoming event.
SPEAKING TOPICS
Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) Speaking Topics
-
Fighter Pilot to Cyber Guy: Leading with Credibility Outside Your Area of Expertise
I had just completed the first 28 years of my Air Force career and achieved a modicum of success as a fighter pilot, culminating with my fourth and largest command, the 18th Wing on Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. That’s when I got the call: “Williams, you are going to be the Director of Communications at U.S. Pacific Command.” And just like that, I went from a job where I had extremely deep experience and credibility to one where I could barely speak the language and my subordinates greeted me with great skepticism as well as preconceived notions about what to expect from a “fly-boy” coming into their IT world. As it turned out, everything I knew about leading and managing crossed over directly to my new job but it took a lot of work to become an accepted and valued member of my new team. As cyber security moves steadily from being a stovepipe function of the IT department to a key element of the overall business organization, it is becoming increasingly common to see managers with little technical, much less cyber background, being put into positions of responsibility for cyber risk. This presentation is geared toward leaders and managers at all levels and focuses on Major General (Ret) Brett Williams’s lessons learned from leading a variety of large, diverse organizations
-
Freedom of Maneuver in Cyberspace
You have freedom of maneuver in cyberspace if you can operate in cyberspace at a known and accepted level of risk. Most companies don’t understand their current level of risk, so they cannot determine if it is acceptable. The current approach usually involves a variety of network security measures following guidelines such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity and the SANS 20 Critical Security Controls. While these actions are necessary, they are not sufficient to handle the advanced persistent threat that is becoming more prevalent every day. In this presentation, Brett Williams provides a detailed operating concept he has adapted for the private sector from his work at the DoD as the director of operations for U.S Cyber Command. He discusses a process for ensuring that the right decisions regarding cyber security are made at the right level in an organization. Williams explains how training and wargaming are critical components of cyber defense and offers tips for getting the best training from your red team. This presentation is focused on senior executives to mid-level managers who already have a good understanding of cyber defense and are looking for ways to become an adaptive cyber-defense organization.
-
Cybersecurity – Cost, Risk or Asset?
The answer is all three. Companies today must look at cybersecurity in a very holistic manner; it is not just an IT issue. Cybersecurity is a cost to be controlled and in this speech, Brett offers a model for thinking about how much “cyber stuff” is enough and how to avoid spending money without increasing capability. Cybersecurity also represents a risk that must be managed, and it must be managed within the company’s overall risk framework. Brett discusses cyber risk in relation to overall business success. Finally, cybersecurity must be considered an asset. Increasingly customers are going to evaluate product and service providers along the lines of cybersecurity. Sound cybersecurity practices provide a competitive advantage and therefore generate revenue in today’s market. A major challenge for today’s senior executive is understanding enough about the technical nature of cyber to make appropriate strategic level decisions. In this presentation, Brett offers a plain language overview of cyberspace—what it is and how to put it in context with the rest of your enterprise.
VIDEO
Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) Videos
FAQS
-
How do I book Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.), or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) or any other speaker of your choice. -
How much does it cost to book Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) for a speaking engagement?
Speaking fees for Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.), or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) are $10,000 - $20,000 for live events and $10,000 - $20,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.), click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent. -
What topics does Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) speak about?
Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Business Growth, Change Management, Communication, Corporate Culture, Creativity, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Peak Performance, Teamwork & Teambuilding, Military and Leadership. -
Where does Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) travel from?
Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) generally travels from Raleigh, NC, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. -
Who is the agent for Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.)?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) for your next private or corporate function. -
What is a full-service speaker booking agency?
AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us. -
Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?
If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
BOOK BRETT T. WILLIAMS, MAJOR GENERAL USAF (RET.)
We are happy to assist you with your interest in booking a speaker or celebrity for your event, your organization, and the type of talent you would like to secure, and an agent will be in touch shortly.
Fill out the form below to or call us at 1-800-698-2536 if need immediate assistance.
We respond to most inquiries within 4 hours. Under special circumstances, it may take up to 24 hours.
We are happy to help! Call us to speak with a booking agent about your event or specific speaker request.
Gauge Interest and check availability for appearances, speaking engagements, or corporate events.
Provide you with speaking fee to book Brett T. Williams, Major General USAF (Ret.) or other celebrity appearance fees
Give you personal recommendations for the best keynote speakers or celebrities
Assist you with any questions you have throughout the talent booking process
This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.
All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.
