The AES Corporation owns and operates global sustainable energy and thermal and renewable facilities, expanding over four continents and 14 countries with more than 9,000 employees worldwide. As director of the Global Cybersecurity Program, Melody Balcet reports to the AES's Global Chief Information Security Officer to provide oversight of the company's global cybersecurity program.
At AES, she faces different challenges on a daily basis. She enjoys the blurred lines of reporting structure, responsibility and domain shared across her team and space. Traditionally, AES Corporation has in some ways operated much like a holding company, with responsibility shared across the globe; however, the company is undergoing some changes due to new technologies being introduced and renewable energy becoming the lowest cost energy source. As a result, Balcet's team is learning how to operate in a more centralized or federated model, especially in the IT and cybersecurity departments that have recently combined as one digital organization. Balcet is responsible for aligning the right people to ensure advantageous decisions are made to protect AES and its global operations when it comes to cybersecurity.