Rachel Wilson
- Director of Cybersecurity, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
- Former NSA Senior Executive
In Person-Fee 🛈
Fee Range
$15,000 - $20,000
Virtual Fee:
$7,500 - $10,000
Travels From
New York
Rachel Wilson Speaker Biography
Rachel Wilson spent the first 15 years of her career at the National Security Agency (NSA). Over the course of her NSA career, she held several key senior executive-level leadership positions. Between 2008 and 2010, she ran NSA’s counterterrorism operations and led a global enterprise in detecting and disrupting terrorist plotting against the United States and its allies. Between 2010 and 2012, Rachel served as NSA’s Chief of Operations in the UK working out of the US Embassy in London. In this role, she worked with UK intelligence services to counter terrorist and cyber threats to the 2012 Olympics. Returning to the US in 2012, Rachel spent nearly five years leading NSA’s cyber exploitation operations within NSA’s Tailored Access Operations. In this capacity, she led the planning and execution of thousands of cyber exploitation operations against a wide array of foreign intelligence, military, and cyber targets and served as the committing official for many of NSA’s highest risk and most important intelligence-gathering activities.
In April of 2017, Rachel became the first Head of Cybersecurity for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and Investment Technology. She is responsible for protecting the cybersecurity of Wealth Management and Investment Management systems and the integrity and confidentiality of Firm and client data. She advises on cybersecurity issues ranging from secure code development standards, secure network architecture, vendor relationships, Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) detection, and mobile security. Rachel leads Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Field and Client education and communication on cyber risk, threats, and mitigations. She and her team drive innovation for new cybersecurity and authentication technology.
In her private capacity, Rachel advises individuals, corporations and institutions on cybersecurity best practices and strategies and she is a leading thinker on protecting children and teenagers from cyber threats. Rachel is a sought after speaker for technology and financial sector forums and has recently presented at the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) 401k Annual Summit, the Portfolio Management Institute (PMI) Annual Conference, the Association of Professional Investment Consultants (APIC) Annual Conference, the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals Annual Conference, and the Barron’s Top Women Advisors Summit. Rachel holds a BA from Wellesley College and an MA from the University of Chicago. Rachel and her husband live in New York City with their two children.
Cyber Threats in 2024: How They Impact You and Your Business and How to Be Prepared
Rachel Wilson spent 15 years at the National Security Agency (NSA) where she ran counterterrorism operations, worked against cybersecurity threats at the 2012 summer Olympics in London, and spent five years leading NSA’s cyber exploitation operations mission. As the senior committing official for NSA’s hacking mission, she oversaw the planning and execution of thousands of cyber operations against America’s adversaries. In the spring of 2017, Rachel became the first Head of Cybersecurity for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. In this role, she leverages her experience in attacking and defending high-consequence systems to protect Morgan Stanley and its clients from cyber actors.
In her riveting keynote, Rachel will describe for BICSI members the many current cybersecurity threats facing companies and institutions from nation-states like North Korea and Iran, from cyber organized crime syndicates, and from individual hackers looking to make money or create mayhem. With advanced hacking tools now widely available, Rachel will show how cyber actors target companies, institutions, and individuals in an opportunistic way and then work to monetize their access. Drawing from her experience at the NSA and in the financial sector, she will discuss what everyone can do to be prepared for and respond to the risks in the current cyber risk environment.
From the Dark Web to Wall Street: A Career Journey
Rachel discusses her career at the NSA where she became the youngest
person in NSA history to be elevated to the Senior Executive ranks all while raising a young family at home. She describes her decision to leave the government and pursue a career on Wall Street as Morgan Stanley's first-ever Head of Cybersecurity.
In this talk, Rachel balances humor and candid stories with career advice and tales of caution and the challenges she faced on her journey.
