Eric Ashdown

Strengths: Risk Management; Security Strategy; Banking

Eric Ashdown is Microsoft’s Asia Chief Security Advisor (CSA). He brings over 25 years international business experience to his new role based in Singapore. As Microsoft’s senior most security professional in the region, his job is to work particularly with public sector customers in understanding the strategic components of Microsoft’s security capabilities, technology and operational depth throughout Asia. This includes developing and enhancing our partner outreach across the region. The area of Cloud Computing risk is a key focal point for Eric in the work he is currently doing. In his previous roles at Microsoft, Eric was the Senior Director for BPOS (Office365) Risk Management and was the first CSA for Greater China in Beijing.

Prior to Microsoft, Eric has held roles as a Partner for Accenture’s global Security Strategy & Risk Management practice and as National Partner for Ernst & Young’s security practice for Greater China. In this last role he performed the first two ethical hacking assessments by a foreign firm for PRC China Banks in Beijing and Shanghai and worked with the Central Bank developing security assessment methodologies. He has been involved with several start-ups in the security technology and cryptographic applications arenas in both Silicon Valley and Asia. His clients have included several major banks, auto firms, service providers and Governments in the area of PKI applications. Eric has participated in a variety of Standards initiatives including Cloud Security Alliance, ANSI X9.F3 and TRUSTe during his career. Eric spent the first 11 years of his career as a structured finance banker.

Eric holds an MBA in International Business from the George Washington University and a BA in International Studies/East Asia from the University of the Pacific. As part of his undergraduate program, he spent a year at both Taiwan National University and Taiwan Normal University studying Chinese Culture and Mandarin.