Professor · Researcher · Advisor
Öykü
Işık
Professor of Digital Strategy
& Cybersecurity
Professor · Researcher · Advisor
Professor of Digital Strategy
& Cybersecurity
About
Öykü Işık is an expert in digital strategy, cybersecurity, and digital risk. A computer scientist by training, she holds a PhD in Information Systems from the University of North Texas and focuses on the intersection of technology management and organizational resilience.
Most recently a Professor of Digital Strategy and Cybersecurity at IMD Business School, she led flagship programs in AI for Business and Cyber Risk Management. Öykü currently serves as a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Cybersecurity, contributing to international initiatives on bridging the cyber skills gap.
She currently advises organizations on digital resilience and delivers executive education mandates on the strategic implications of emerging technologies. Having lived and worked in Belgium, the United States, and Turkey before moving to Switzerland, she brings a genuinely global perspective to critical digital infrastructure.
PhD in Information Systems, University of North Texas. Computer Science foundation with focus on technology management.
Recognized among the most influential management thinkers to watch globally.
Multi-year recognition as one of Switzerland's most influential figures in the digital landscape.
Research and insights in Information & Management, Harvard Business Review, and MIT Sloan Management Review.
Advises boards and senior leadership teams on digital resilience strategy and emerging technology risk.
Research
Examining how organizations build and sustain resilience against cyber threats, with a focus on governance structures, board-level risk oversight, and the human dimensions of security culture.
Investigating how firms strategically adopt artificial intelligence, the organizational capabilities required, and the governance frameworks needed to manage AI-related risks and opportunities.
Developing frameworks for identifying, measuring, and managing digital risks across complex organizational environments, including supply chain vulnerabilities and third-party exposure.
Addressing the global cybersecurity talent shortage through research on skill development pathways, diversity in the cyber workforce, and cross-sector collaboration models.
Exploring how organizations manage the adoption and integration of emerging technologies, balancing innovation imperatives with risk management and strategic alignment.
Analysing the security and governance challenges facing critical digital infrastructure at national and international levels, including policy implications and regulatory responses.
Teaching
Advisory
Serving as an Independent Member of PwC's Public Interest Committee, providing independent oversight and expert input on matters where PwC's work intersects with the broader public interest — including digital risk, cybersecurity governance, and the responsible use of technology.
Executive Committee Member of the Center for Cyber Economics, contributing to research and policy initiatives at the intersection of cybersecurity and economic analysis, including the quantification of cyber risk and the economics of digital resilience.
Global Engagements
Member of the Global Future Council on Cybersecurity, contributing expert knowledge to international initiatives on bridging the global cyber skills gap, strengthening collective digital resilience, and shaping multilateral approaches to cybersecurity governance.
Contributing expertise to a collaborative initiative between the International Telecommunication Union and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, focused on digital infrastructure resilience, cybersecurity capacity building, and the role of technology governance in disaster risk management.
Publications
Information & Management · Co-authors if any
Contact
Whether you are interested in research collaboration, executive education, advisory work, speaking engagements, or media enquiries — I welcome the conversation.