ISACA CEO Hails Europe as a Lighthouse of Capability

ISACA, a global association of information systems auditors and control professionals, is rapidly growing in Europe, and at a faster rate than in North America, thanks to the strong demand and capability in the region.

The Association is also setting out an “aggressive growth strategy” to grow membership and capabilities.

“We have an extensive network of chapters throughout Europe in every country. Demand here is phenomenal and the capability here is also phenomenal,” said Erik Prusch, CEO of ISACA, during the organization’s Digital Trust World Conference in Dublin.

“We are trying to develop Europe into not only a lighthouse of capability but also a lighthouse in terms of standard bearing and influence,” he said.

The Association also recently opened its first European office in Dublin, Ireland, which is used as a European hub and compliments its chapter work.

“We are rapidly growing in Europe, at a faster rate than we are growing in the US. The fact of the matter is there we’re doing a great job in terms of the leadership in Europe relative to other associations,” Prusch added.

ISACA currently has 170,000 members and 225 chapters across the globe. Of the membership, 48% is in North America and 20% in Europe.

As part of ISACA’s mission in Europe, it aims to support agreements with the EU and European governments and provide advocacy opportunities and academic relations. 

Focus on Emerging Economies

ISACA has a more modest presence in regions like Latin America (3%), Africa (3%) and Oceania (3%), but Prusch said the organization has already identified areas of opportunity in those continents, especially in Latin America and Africa.

These regions have “pull-in” factors and ISACA is working closely with governments in these emerging economies to ensure they have the capabilities needed to match technological advancement,

“They know that to be part of the global economy they need to catch up in order to stay relevant,” Prusch said.

ISACA already has chapters and volunteers based in Latin America and Africa.

Turning to Asia, which holds 20% of ISACA’s global membership, there is acknowledgement that over the next 10 to 20 years a lot of capabilities are going to come from this region, particularly India.

“China’s a little bit more difficult, particularly in this day and age, and we have a very conscious effort to protect our IP, but we are present in China, just on a much smaller scale,” Prusch said.

Aggressive Growth Strategy

Prusch was appointed CEO of ISACA in June 2023 and speaking to Infosecurity, he said that the first part of his job was getting the “lay of the land to understand our challenges and opportunities.”

He said that the Association is now setting out an “aggressive growth strategy,” not only to grow membership, but also to grow capabilities in support of that membership.

“My mission is very simple, which is to grow this organization very rapidly and elevate our capability,” Prusch told Infosecurity.

ISACA has issued 300,000 certifications to date, supports over 10,000 enterprises and has more than 2800 global chapter volunteers globally.