Durgesh Kalya

Speaking

I speak on industrial cybersecurity, incident management for critical infrastructure, and building careers in security, bringing the perspective of someone who has worked in the control room, the IT department, and the boardroom.

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Durgesh Kalya speaking at OTsec

What I speak about

  • Incident Management for Industrial Control Systems

    Applying FEMA's Incident Command System to cyber incidents in OT environments, based on my book and the ICS4ICS framework.

  • Building Cyber Resilience for Process Control Systems

    Practical lessons from hardening real-world DCS, SCADA, and safety system environments.

  • IT and OT Convergence

    Building trust, shared accountability, and joint response between IT, operations, and engineering teams.

  • Tabletop Exercises and Incident Drills

    Designing and facilitating exercises that bring emergency response, IT, OT, and leadership together.

  • Maritime Cybersecurity and the CySO Role

    What the U.S. Coast Guard cyber rule means for MTSA-regulated facilities.

  • Careers in Cybersecurity

    Breaking into security, changing careers, and growing through mentorship and community.

Read my articles on these topics at learn.icsbook.com

Formats

  • Keynotes
  • Panel discussions
  • Workshops and tabletop exercises
  • University guest lectures
  • Podcasts and interviews

On stage

A few moments from talks, exercises, and industry events.

  • Durgesh Kalya speaking at OTsec

    Durgesh Kalya speaking at OTsec

  • Durgesh Kalya at OTsec holding his book with a colleague

    Durgesh Kalya at OTsec holding his book with a colleague

  • Durgesh Kalya speaking at the CS4CA USA summit

    Durgesh Kalya speaking at the CS4CA USA summit

  • Durgesh Kalya at the CS4CA USA podium

    Durgesh Kalya at the CS4CA USA podium

  • Durgesh Kalya presenting on IoT and maritime transportation

    Durgesh Kalya presenting on IoT and maritime transportation

Past engagements

Interviews

Speaker kit

Everything an event organizer needs. Bios may be used as written or shortened.

Short bio

Durgesh Kalya, CISSP, CISM, is Site Cybersecurity Officer for Covestro's Baytown, Texas site and author of Incident Management for Industrial Control Systems (Packt). With 20 years across instrumentation engineering, IT, and OT security, he helps critical infrastructure organizations prepare for, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents.

Full bio

Durgesh Kalya, CISSP, CISM, is an industrial cybersecurity leader with 20 years of experience across instrumentation engineering, industrial automation, IT, and OT security. As Site Cybersecurity Officer for Covestro's Baytown, Texas site, he leads OT/ICS security strategy for safety-critical chemical manufacturing operations.

He is the author of Incident Management for Industrial Control Systems (Packt), a practitioner's guide that bridges IT, OT, emergency operations, and the Incident Command System. He was a named panel author on BSI's 2025 Technical Guide: Integrating Functional Safety and Cyber Security, and has served as Chair of the International Society of Automation's Safety and Cybersecurity Technical Advisory Committee and Director of ISA's Safety & Security Division.

Durgesh is a long-time contributor to ICS4ICS, the ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance's incident command framework for industrial control systems, and holds ICS4ICS credentials as Incident Commander, Logistics Section Chief, and Operations Section Chief (Type 4). He co-founded the IoT Security Foundation's Houston Chapter and mentors people entering or returning to cybersecurity careers. He holds an M.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and a B.E. in Instrumentation Technology from Visvesvaraya Technological University.

Downloads

Speaker bio (PDF, 53 KB)

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