Ms. Valerie Abend

Senior Managing Director, Global Cyber Strategy Lead, Accenture
Valerie Abend is a globally recognized cybersecurity expert with thirty years of experience from the public and private sectors. She has dedicated her professional life to improving critical infrastructure security and expanding diversity in cybersecurity.
As Accenture’s Senior Managing Director for the Global Cyber Strategy Practice, Valerie leads the firm’s security consulting and advisory practice advising CEOs and other C-suite executives, boards, and policymakers on managing and overseeing cyber risk & resilience. She builds diverse teams that support and enable clients to protect the value of their digital transformations.
Valerie spearheaded the creation and serves as sponsor of the Accenture Cybersecurity Forum’s Women’s Council, helping to propel women from around the world to the top of their careers in cybersecurity. She currently serves on the Board of the Cloud Security Alliance, as a member of the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Cyber Security Advisory Panel, as a Sector Advisor to the Board of the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC), and on the Advisory Group of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace FinCyber Strategy Project.
Prior to joining Accenture, Valerie received numerous awards for her government service and is widely known for improving the security and resilience of the financial system during her positions at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. During her government service, she advised Cabinet Secretaries, Board Governors, and other senior officials and conceptualized and spearheaded interagency and public-private partnership programs involving hundreds of senior stakeholders to improve oversight and mitigate cyber risks to the global financial system.
Valerie has testified several times in front of Congress and is frequently quoted in the media on cybersecurity issues, including major news outlets such as CBS news and the Wall Street Journal. She also publishes thought leadership to address gender gaps within cybersecurity, such as “Jumping the Hurdles.”
Valerie has a B.A. in Political Communications and a Master’s in Public Administration, with a focus on International Science, Technology and Competitiveness, both with honors from The George Washington University.