Profile in Excellence
From Lifeguard to CISO: A Lifetime of Security Leadership
Devin Rudnicki, CISO at Fitch Group, has over a decade of cybersecurity and risk management experience.
Some could argue that Devin Rudnicki’s security career began at the pool. As manager, Rudnicki’s role included organizing the lifeguards on staff and ensuring everything met safety requirements. Rudnicki also led swimming lessons, teaching individuals of all ages how to keep themselves safe in or around a body of water.
From here, Rudnicki began her career in IT and risk management. During her three years at OCC, Rudnicki was responsible for remediating information security findings for access management, data loss prevention, business continuity, and more. Rudnicki would closely monitor SEC findings and announcements to keep her teams compliant. In addition, Rudnicki worked to ensure application security through penetration testing and vulnerability analysis.
At OCC, Rudnicki rose through a number of critical positions including risk management intern, security operations intern, security governance analyst, security governance manager, and senior engineering (application security) manager. Each of these roles strengthened her security skills while providing essential security support to her team.
Currently, Devin Rudnicki serves as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of Fitch Group, a financial services organization. Rudnicki began at the company in 2021 while working towards application security, continuing to build on the work she’d completed in previous roles. Rudnicki became the CISO for Fitch Group in 2024. In this role Rudnicki leads a large team in providing operational security for all of the organization’s business units.
As CISO, Rudnicki acts as the “incident commander” for any cybersecurity incident that may occur.
The nature of Rudnicki’s work means that she’s dealing with highly-sensitive information, making security a top priority every step of the way. Rudnicki hasn’t shied away from the use of artificial intelligence (AI), though she’s worked hard to ensure all usage remains compliant with preexisting security standards. As CISO, Rudnicki acts as the “incident commander” for any cybersecurity incident that may occur. This includes coordinating response efforts across each department, all of whom play an important role in minimizing any potential damage.
Outside of work, Rudnicki is part of a variety of cybersecurity organizations. She currently serves as Awards Chair on the ChicagoCISO Advisory Board, helping lead a professional community of Chicago-area CISOs and contributing to its annual awards program. Rudnicki also volunteers with iMentor, mentoring high school students, and mentors individuals who are beginning careers in cybersecurity.
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