The CISO of Gulf Bank is on a cybersecurity consolidation journey with CrowdStrike. Here’s why.

The Middle East’s financial sector, particularly in Kuwait, faced a surge of sophisticated cyberattacks starting in 2018. For Gulf Bank, a leading financial institution in Kuwait, this wave of attacks was a wakeup call that spurred a pivotal shift in its cybersecurity strategy.

Enter Ross McNaughton. Hired by Gulf Bank as CISO in 2019, McNaughton is known within the banking industry as a change agent for cybersecurity programs. With a mandate to build resilience against emerging threats, his first priority was to assess the bank’s existing defenses and set a course to ensure long-term protection in an increasingly active threat environment.

“When I came in, the mantra was no breaches,” McNaughton recalled. “There was an appetite for risk aversion, and the need to achieve a high level of cybersecurity maturity quickly was paramount.” That’s when Gulf Bank turned to CrowdStrike.