Chris Zell

VP, Head, Information Security, The Wendy's Company

Chris Zell is the vice president and head of information security for The Wendy’s Company. In this role, he is responsible for establishing, operating, and maintaining a security program covering over 6700 company and franchisee-owned digital and e-commerce platforms, ensuring the protection of Wendy’s information assets and customer data. Zell is a member of several Wendy’s leadership committees and councils and serves as the Chair for the Wendy’s Military Support Network.

Prior to Wendy’s, Zell worked for Lowe’s Home Improvement in several security leadership roles managing Lowe’s cyber security operations, risk management, information security teams and programs, compliance, and threat and vulnerability management. Prior to Lowe’s, he worked for several large Department of Defense contractors supporting military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, the military healthcare system, and served as lead for cyber policy and research for U.S. Air Forces Central Command, supporting Air Force interests in Southwest Asia. Zell is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force where he spent his career building, securing, and protecting DoD networks from the most advanced threat actors in the world

Zell is a founding board member of a local chapter of an international non-profit (ICMCP), an advisory board member for the State of Ohio “CyberOhio” initiative, and on the board of directors for the Retail and Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RH-ISAC). He received his Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from Western Governor’s University and has attained over a dozen industry certifications, including the Certified Ethical Hacker, SANS Security Leadership Certification, and the CISSP. Zell is working on his Master of Science degree in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance, graduation expected in 2020.