Dr. Francois Mouton is a seasoned cybersecurity leader with a unique blend of academic depth and real-world experience. Currently serving as Director at Gritera Security, he provides CISO-for-hire services, security compliance consulting, and strategic advisory across sectors. His expertise spans social engineering, penetration testing, digital forensics, incident response, and cybersecurity awareness.

Francois earned his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Pretoria in 2018, focusing on countering psychological manipulation in social engineering attacks. His academic background also includes studies in psychology and accounting. He has published extensively on digital forensic readiness and social engineering, holding an h-index and i10-index of 14.

He began his career as an information warfare researcher at South Africa’s national research institute, supporting government and military operations. He then led incident response for a cyber insurance firm, managing investigations across finance, healthcare, and government sectors.

After relocating to Norway, Francois served as an associate professor in cybersecurity before joining PwC as manager of their incident response team. At PwC, he also led cybersecurity due diligence projects for venture capital firms. He continues to contribute to academia as an extraordinary senior lecturer at the University of the Western Cape.

As Chief Information Security Officer at Geomatikk Group, Francois played a pivotal role in transforming the organization’s cybersecurity posture. Operating across five countries, Geomatikk required a cohesive and resilient security culture. Francois led initiatives that embedded secure practices into daily operations, introduced executive-level tabletop exercises, and promoted security awareness at every level of the organization. His leadership ensured cybersecurity became a shared responsibility throughout the group.

Having grown up in South Africa and worked extensively in both African and European contexts, Francois excels at bridging cultural boundaries within organizations. His diverse background has equipped him with the ability to foster collaboration, empathy, and clarity across national and organizational cultures.

Francois is also a regular public speaker, presenting on topics such as regulatory compliance, security culture, and social engineering at industry conferences, professional forums, and internal corporate events.

Outside of his professional work, Francois represented South Africa in electronic sports, earning national colours in 2016.