Bobby O'Brien
Details
2022 : Present
Apple
International Lead - Apple Information Security
International Relations and China Studies. Writing my dissertation - Chinese Nonintervention and International Order - and engaging with the academic community. Non-Stipendiary Affiliation.
2017 :
University of Washington, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies
Affiliate Assistant Professor
2019 : 2022
Apple
International Compliance Lead - Apple Information Security
My work cuts across Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program and Digital Peace Program. Within the Defending Democracy Program I lead our program management efforts as well as our ‘disinformation defense’ portfolio. Within the Digital Peace Program I focus on international cybersecurity governance.
Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program works with democratic stakeholders globally to enhance election integrity, protect campaigns from hacking, and defend against disinformation campaigns. Created in April 2018, the Defending Democracy Program engaged in 50 percent of the world’s democracies across five continents during its first year. As the program management lead, I am responsible for the business operations of the Program, inclusive of rhythm of business, budget, and communications. My substantive focus within the program is disinformation defense, which entails coordination of cross-company efforts to defend against disinformation campaigns targeting democratic processes and the establishment of partnerships with key communities and organizations outside of Microsoft with a similar mission.
2018 : 2019
Microsoft
Senior Cybersecurity Strategist - Digital Diplomacy Team
Cybersecurity policy analysis and strategy with a particular focus on China. Led cross-company China Cybersecurity Law analysis and compliance readiness efforts.
Program management for bilateral and multilateral research projects, forums, dialogues, etc. aimed at improving mutual trust and enabling cooperation on international cybersecurity issues. Coordinated a two-year effort across an international multistakeholder community focused on supply chain security, ultimately leading to significant alignment between China's national-level information security standard on cyber supply chain risk management (G/BT 36637-2018 信息安全技术 ICT供应链安全风险管理指南) and the United States' NIST SP 800-161 (Supply Chain Risk Management Practices).
Strategic outreach with government and industry stakeholders, including public and private speeches (English and Chinese), presentations, and written briefs related to cybersecurity policy.
2015 : 2018
Microsoft
Cybersecurity Strategist - Global Security Strategy & Diplomacy (TwC)
About
I am currently a cybersecurity strategist at Apple, working within the company’s Information Security division (AIS).
Through September 2019 I was a Senior Cybersecurity Strategist at Microsoft, where I was a member of the Digital Diplomacy Team within the company’s Customer Security and Trust Organization. My work cut across Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program and Digital Peace Program. Within the Defending Democracy Program I led program management efforts as well as the ‘disinformation defense’ portfolio. Within the Digital Peace Program I focused on international cybersecurity governance. Previously, I worked within Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing division with a focus on Chinese cybersecurity strategy and policy (2015-2018) and within Microsoft Cloud Marketing as the international business planning lead for Azure (2013-2015).
Work and school have taken me many places since I left my hometown of Merrimack, NH in 2004. In Washington, DC I received a B.A. in International Relations and Chinese Language and Literature from George Washington University (2004-2008) and served as a think tank analyst in the John L. Thornton China Center at The Brookings Institution (2009-2011), where my work on cybersecurity policy began. In Beijing I spent time studying at Tsinghua University and was a Fulbright Scholar (2007 and 2008-2009, respectively). In Oxford, U.K. I received an M.Sc. in Global Governance and Diplomacy and contributed political risk analyses on international politics and economics to Oxford Analytica (2011-2013). I am currently ABD from Oxford’s Ph.D. program in International Relations. My dissertation, titled Chinese Nonintervention and International Order, focuses on how the language and actions of Chinese leaders shape the meaning of the country's principle of nonintervention in other states' internal affairs. Seattle, where I live with my wife and three children, has been home since 2013.
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