Renana Friedlich

Renana Friedlich is the Executive Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer of LPL Financial, appointed in December 2024.

Career path

Friedlich spent seven years in military service, in an elite intelligence unit of the Israeli Defense Forces, before moving into the private sector.

She then spent close to eight years at Ernst & Young, holding a senior manager role, working on breach investigations, privacy and M&A and assisting Fortune 500 companies with breach preparedness and response.

Friedlich next joined PayPal, where she worked for over four years, becoming Deputy CISO and Senior Director of Cyber Threat Management and leading a global team of 120 security professionals.

LPL Financial, the largest independent broker-dealer in the United States, announced her hire as EVP and CISO on December 2, 2024.
In the role she reports to Greg Gates, managing director and chief technology and information officer, and is based at LPL's San Diego headquarters. She spearheads LPL's cybersecurity strategy and oversees protection of the firm's IT infrastructure, networks and data.

On joining LPL, Friedlich said, "LPL understands that robust cybersecurity is non-negotiable."

Remit and public engagement

As of June 2025, Friedlich — identified in that interview as Renana Friedlich-Barsky — discussed with Help Net Security how threat actors target high-net-worth clients and exploit digital touchpoints in wealth management platforms. She said criminals use fake emails, phone calls or texts to trick clients or advisors into giving up sensitive data or approving fraudulent transactions, and cautioned that details shared on social media about wealth or travel plans can be used to tailor scams.

Friedlich holds certifications including CISSP, CISM, TCISO, GCIH and GCFA, and is regularly invited to keynote security conferences. She also serves on advisory boards at universities, tech companies and startups.