With decades of experience at the forefront of cyber defense, Allison brings her strategic vision to amplify Sicura’s mission of proactive, infrastructure-first security
Sicura, defining the future of Security Control Management, announced that Marene Allison, former chief information security officer (CISO) at Johnson & Johnson, has joined the company as a strategic advisor. With four decades of experience protecting some of the world’s most sensitive environments, Allison will offer Sicura critical strategic support for product, go-to-market and industry engagement.
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“Marene’s lived experience as a CISO is a powerful compass for where security needs to go next. She’s not just seen the evolution of cybersecurity – she’s helped define it,” said Lisa Umberger, co-founder and CEO of Sicura. “Joining forces with Marene is a milestone for Sicura and, for me, a personal honor. As a woman founder, I deeply value her leadership, and I’m excited to work together to tackle the critical vulnerabilities in IT infrastructure.”
Sicura is establishing Security Control Management as the new standard for government and commercial enterprises to build, provision and remediate secure IT infrastructure, while enabling compliance with Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Secure by Design principles. Sicura’s software solutions for government organizations and private businesses continuously monitor, analyze and integrate security-related data to protect against threats in real-time. The Sicura application suite proactively addresses vulnerabilities across all environments, allowing systems of record to become systems of intelligence.
“Marene Allison is a leading voice in cybersecurity. She is trusted at the highest levels of the public and private sectors to safeguard our most critical technology, and truly understands the importance of transforming systems and teams to strengthen our national resiliency,” said Jen Easterly, former CISA director. “Her industry savvy and foresight will be tremendous assets to Lisa and the Sicura team as they work to make Secure by Design the global standard for IT infrastructure. I can’t wait to see what this amazing combination of talent achieves together. ”
Allison’s belief that infrastructure is one of cybersecurity’s most overlooked attack surfaces aligns with Sicura’s vision. While leading security at Johnson & Johnson, she helped drive the migration of 90% of computing and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated workloads to hybrid cloud environments, weaving security into the foundation from the outset.
“Sicura is a company built on values I believe in: proactive security, practical impact and expanding opportunity,” said Allison. “Too often, infrastructure is treated as invisible – but it’s one of the most critical and vulnerable layers in the enterprise. CISOs need better tools to manage this risk with precision, and that’s exactly what Security Control Management delivers. I’m excited to support Sicura’s mission to bring infrastructure back into focus and redefine how modern enterprises manage cybersecurity.”
Allison’s work has spanned the security landscape, from serving as head of Global Security for Avaya, where she worked on securing the World Cup Network in Korea and Japan in 2002, to the role of chief security officer at Medco Health Solutions and vice president of Loss Prevention and Safety for the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company. Before joining the corporate world, she was a special agent in the FBI.
Allison is an advisor to CISA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on national resiliency, and has served on the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, appointed by the Secretary of Defense; and the Overseas Advisory Committee, appointed by the Secretary of State. She also served on the Health-ISAC (Information Sharing and Analysis Center) Board of Directors.
Allison earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, where she was among the first graduating class of women, and then served in the Army as a military police officer. She is a founding member of West Point Women, currently serving as its president.
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