Technology can be patched. Processes can be reengineered. People are harder. In this session, Brad Flanagan of Essential Energy shares what five years of building OT security programs in a geographically dispersed, field-heavy organization actually looks like - and why the human layer remains both the greatest vulnerability and the most underutilized control.

Drawing on real examples from depot visits, phishing simulations, cross-team secondments and OT-specific training, the session will cover:

• How to reach and build trust with field staff who don't read emails, don't work corporate hours and don't think of security as their problem;
• Why embedding cyber team members in OT environments - and vice versa - builds the shared language that no awareness campaign can replicate;
• How to structure leadership engagement, board reporting and incident simulations so that OT security is owned by the business, not just the cyber team.