Professional Role and Experience
Dawn-Marie Hutchinson currently serves as the Group Chief Information Security Officer (Group CISO) at British American Tobacco (BAT), a role she has held while leveraging over 20 years of enterprise information technology experience. She has a demonstrated track record in managing cybersecurity operations on a global scale within a complex multinational organization.
Her tenure at BAT includes a pivotal leadership role as Executive Director in the Office of the CISO, where she has been responsible for overseeing data privacy, information risk management, IT governance, and strengthening internal controls throughout the company’s digital infrastructure. Hutchinson’s strategic vision focuses on driving digital transformation initiatives across BAT’s multinational operations, positioning cybersecurity as a business enabler rather than merely a technical function.
Achievements and Recognition
Dawn-Marie Hutchinson is widely recognized as a top global CISO, having been named among the Top Global CISOs and featured as one of the Top 100 Global CISOs. She also ranked 3rd on the CSO Top 30 UK Awards list, evidencing her high standing in the cybersecurity leadership community. Notably, she is the only CISO from the tobacco industry included in key diversity and leadership award lists, such as the Women of Influence Awards for accomplishments in Information Security, Risk Management, and Privacy.
Her expertise and innovative leadership have also been publicly acknowledged through award nominations and recognitions like the Global CISO 100 Awards, hosted in partnership with Thales and Cyber Defence magazine, which highlights the most innovative and impactful CISOs worldwide.
Additional Executive Roles
Besides her primary position at BAT, Dawn-Marie Hutchinson was appointed in April 2024 as a Non-Executive Director at Xalient, a cybersecurity firm specializing in zero-trust solutions. This role enhances Xalient’s cybersecurity and zero-trust offerings by leveraging Hutchinson’s extensive industry insight and executive technology leadership.
She is NACD Directorship Certified, affirming advanced governance capabilities crucial for board-level responsibilities and oversight.
Thought Leadership and Public Engagements
Dawn-Marie Hutchinson is a recognized industry thought leader and frequent keynote speaker, having participated in over 40 global conferences, including RSA Conference, Gartner Security Summit, Black Hat, IAPP, and Evanta CIO & CISO Summits. Her speaking engagements predominantly address topics such as cybersecurity innovation, digital transformation, identity-centric security, risk management, and governance.
She is also a published author, having contributed to professional discourse on topics including cybersecurity as a business enabler and effective leadership in security roles. Her approach to incident response follows a rigorous "play like you practice" philosophy, emphasizing real-world preparedness and operational resilience.
Hutchinson holds an MBA and is noted for strong communication and presentation skills, including membership in Toastmasters, further supporting her effectiveness in executive and board-level environments.
Strategic Focus and Industry Impact
Within British American Tobacco, Hutchinson has driven a collaborative, stakeholder-inclusive cybersecurity strategy, aligning security objectives with broader organizational goals, including BAT’s commitment to digital innovation and transformation. She underscores the importance of integrating cybersecurity with business strategy to support emerging products, including BAT’s alternatives to traditional cigarettes, aimed at encouraging smokers to transition to less harmful options.
Her leadership in cybersecurity spans operational governance enhancements, risk mitigation frameworks, and fostering diversity and inclusion within the sector, aligning with BAT’s corporate responsibility initiatives as highlighted in the Diversity and Inclusion Report 2022.
Summary: Dawn-Marie Hutchinson is an accomplished executive with deep expertise in cybersecurity, information risk, and IT governance within a global multinational context. Her recognized leadership, board-level governance certification, and expanded role at Xalient reinforce her strategic influence both inside and outside British American Tobacco. Her public recognition and speaker engagements position her as a key influencer shaping cybersecurity practices in regulated industries.
