Kent Wilson
Vice President of Global Public Sector, Bugcrowd
2024 was a year of many firsts, both for Kent Wilson personally and for his public sector team at Bugcrowd.
They launched the U.S. government’s first combined continuous bug bounty and rapid response program for the Defense Department, supported the rollout of the first AI bias bounty and saw unprecedented engagement from over 1,700 ethical hackers in Bugcrowd’s programs with CISA and federal civilian executive branch agencies.
However, his greatest achievement was building an extraordinary team of public sector security experts making a tangible impact on the nation’s security, he said.
Why Watch
In 2025, Wilson and his team will continue driving innovation by helping the government navigate the security challenges posed by emerging technologies like AI. As these technologies influence critical decision-making processes, Wilson and his team will harness the ingenuity of the global crowd to address evolving requirements and support groundbreaking government firsts. His focus is on ensuring the safety and security of these shifts while enabling greater resilience and innovation.
“Innovation is essential in the public sector, but security must evolve just as quickly as the capabilities we are creating,” Wilson said. “By embracing the ingenuity of the crowd, we’re redefining how government addresses the most complex and emerging cybersecurity challenges.”
Fun fact: Wilson is a former scuba instructor, a role that taught him to stay calm under pressure, adapt to changing conditions and guide others through uncharted waters — skills he now applies to cybersecurity challenges.