As Accenture's Global Financial Services Security Lead, Valerie advises C-suite executives on how to manage cyber risk and build resilient business strategies. With more than 25 years of security experience in both the public and private sectors, Valerie has played critical roles spearheading enterprise and sector-wide security and resilience strategies, public-private partnerships, and cybersecurity regulatory oversight strategies.
A recognized authority on cybersecurity, Valerie has testified in front of Congress and is frequently quoted in media on cybersecurity issues. She currently serves as a member of the Monetary Authority of Singapore's Cybersecurity Advisory Panel, an advisor to the Board for the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC), an advisor to Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s FinCyber Project, and a member of the Executive Women's Forum. As a passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity, Valerie conceptualized and serves as the Chair of the Accenture Cybersecurity Forum Women’s Council, helping women rise to the top in the cybersecurity field. She also held prior positions on the White House's Identity Theft Task Force, the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council, the US Chamber of Commerce Homeland Security Committee, and on the Board of Directors for the Internet Security Alliance.
Prior to Accenture, Abend served as the Senior Critical Infrastructure Officer for the US Department of the Treasury's Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. In this role, she conceptualized and led the US Federal banking agencies' cybersecurity and resilience regulatory strategy and policies, including the agencies' interaction with law enforcement and the intelligence community. Valerie was a Managing Director at Bank of New York Mellon and has served at the Federal Reserve Board and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Critical Infrastructure Protection at the Treasury Department. Earlier in her career, Valerie was an Associate Director at KPMG and a writer for two congressional commissions studying internet policy issues.
