CISOs Hate Your Marketing. Here’s How to Fix It. (with special guest Den Jones, Founder of 909Cyber)

Chocolate Pill: Practical Marketing Strategies for Every Stage of Business

This week on Chocolate Pill, we welcome Den Jones, a recognized leader in Zero Trust security with 35+ years of IT and cybersecurity experience across tech, finance, and manufacturing. From running enterprise security at Adobe and Cisco to serving as Chief Security Officer at SonicWall and Banyan Security, Den has built and scaled some of the industry’s most forward-thinking security programs.

Now the founder of 909Cyber and host of the 909Exec podcast, Den shares how leaders can build pragmatic, scalable security strategies without slowing innovation. With his trademark mix of Scottish humor and real-world execution, he brings clarity to the challenges executives face in today’s evolving digital landscape.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why Zero Trust is more than a buzzword—and how to make it work in practice
• Lessons from leading security at Adobe, Cisco, and beyond
• How to balance innovation with resilience in high-stakes environments
• The role of executive leadership in driving secure, scalable growth

Den’s insights extend beyond cybersecurity into leadership, culture, and creativity (did we mention he’s also a music producer and football (soccer) fan?). Whether you’re an executive, founder, or tech leader, this conversation will leave you with fresh perspectives and practical strategies you can apply today.

Key quote:

"If everything is perfect and polished, there’s no trust there." —Den Jones