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Santeri Siltala, Siili Solutions’ new Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), describes himself as “a person who truly gets excited about people and ideas”. Or, as he’d put it to a curious fifteen-year-old: a digital bodyguard.
Before becoming CISO, Santeri worked as a Java Developer and then a Project Manager. Then a Product Manager, a Business Development Manager, and a Business Director.
Before jumping into civil sector Santeri has been working as software developer and in various management roles in Defence and Security industry. This has provided a good understanding of the requirements of software development in a demanding environment, which provides a good insight into producing secure solutions in the artificial intelligence era.
Santeri’s other hat in Siili’s organisation includes Kuopio Site Lead and Team Lead responsibility. Now he’s stepping into entirely new boots.
Stepping into new boots
The move to CISO wasn’t a sudden career pivot. It was more like a homecoming.
“Defence and security has always had a place in my heart,” Santeri says. “During my time at Siili, I’ve worked indirectly with these topics. When the possibility opened to combine this ambition with developing security in the AI era, I was immediately sold.”
Santeri arrived at Siili through an M&A acquisition. Over three years he led teams, ran a site, and built trust across the organisation. When the CISO role opened up, he was the one chosen for it.
He succeeds in this role Siili’s former CISO Seppo Takanen, who built Siili’s security foundation before his retirement. Santeri is grateful for that work, and it’s clear what comes next: “Seppo built a great foundation, which enables security to match the technological steps in a rapidly evolving landscape. Security can’t be the brakeman with AI.”
The CISO role has traditionally been defined by controls and approvals — necessary work, but often experienced as a bottleneck. Santeri wants to shift the emphasis: build security in from the start, so that teams never have to choose between moving fast and staying safe.
Making trusted AI real
Siili is positioning itself as an AI-powered company — not just a company that uses AI. For Santeri, that raises the stakes.
“Siili is a trailblazer in AI-powered development,” he says. “But now we also need to be a light bearer — to make trustworty AI real.”
Santeri emphasizes the importance of individual responsibility: “Individual responsibility will take a huge leap in the AI era. Agentic AI will remove some guardrails, which means the responsibility of each person is bigger than ever. It is up to humans to decide what information and data AI tools can use. That makes awareness work crucial. Organizations need to help everyone understand their responsibility around data and privacy, and then use this understanding to make sound decisions.”
That’s why Santeri’s first priority as CISO isn’t a new tool or a framework. It’s about further strengthening awareness and culture.
A companion who never sleeps
Santeri calls his working style “building through experiments”. In practice this means trying things, learning, adjusting, and building. His background helps here: in the defence sector, you learn to see complex systems as networks of actors, not just tools. Santeri applies the same thinking to AI. Instead of treating it as software you switch on, he sees AI as an active participant that interacts with people, data, and other AI systems.
So what does AI-native security mean in plain words? “It’s a friend who helps you and at the same time ensures the security. It’s a companion who never sleeps, who you can trust, and who keeps everyone looking at the same picture.”
A company for the adventurous
Santeri doesn’t sugarcoat what working at Siili and with innovative AI solutions is like.
“With Siili’s strategy and the ongoing AI transformation you need to tolerate uncertainty. We’re exploring unknown regions,” he says. “If you’re looking for a predictable, traditional, process-oriented way of working, Siili may not be the best fit. But if you’re curious and adaptable, this is the place.”
Something that makes Siili a special place it that the culture is real. “It actually applies to daily life instead of being just words. People help each other proactively, without being asked. That happens every day here. People and our expert community are the best part of Siili.”
Beyond the CISO role, Santeri stays involved in the day-to-day work done at Siili. “It keeps me connected. Close to the teams and the business. That helps being CISO who serves the business.”
Be brave and curious
Santeri thinks the organizations broadly gets it wrong what AI and security mean when combined. In many organizations security is partially stuck in old playbooks. AI might be misunderstood at the leadership level, and talent pipelines are built to reward certifications instead of curiosity.
Santeri’s advice for anyone in the industry is clear. “Be more brave and curious. Don’t just do things the way they’ve always been done.”
Carburettors and curiosity
Outside Siili, Santeri is on a road bike, in the gym doing Olympic weightlifting, or in the garage fixing cars and small machinery. He wants to understand how things work, whether it’s a security framework or an engine.
His current curiosity has nothing to do with security. “I’m fascinated by how AI can support kids learning new physical skills, especially keeping their focus on exercises instead of getting frustrated.”
Not that far from his day job, really.
“Things are moving very fast,” Santeri says. “AI brings great responsibility to each of us, especially as we enter the agentic era, where AI systems don’t just assist but act. Find your way to make the change comfortable.”
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