Robert Burns is the Chief Security Officer at Thales. He has more than two decades of experience in designing, developing and delivering high-assurance security products, combining a formal computer science education with extensive cryptography expertise while working with IBM and the U.S. Department of Defense. Over his tenure at Thales, he has led a diverse team of cloud security, product security, security compliance, and certification specialists as they build the next generation of products and technologies for enterprises. Robert also works across the Thales group to drive the quantum/post-quantum strategies, developing Thales’ product portfolio to address the growing cybersecurity threat landscape. Following Thales’ acquisition of Imperva in 2024, he stepped into his current role, continuing to lead with strategic vision and technical acumen. Robert holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Delaware and a Master of Science in Computer Science from the George Washington University.