In digital identity, a space dominated by acronyms, architecture, and a whole lot of confident men (let’s be honest), Eve Maler shows up differently.
A technologist by experience and a truth-teller by nature, Maler is many things: co-author of the SAML standard, former Forrester analyst, executive, coach, and founder of advisory firm Venn Factory. But perhaps most notably, she leads by listening, connects across silos, and leans into hard conversations with rare empathy. She’s been reshaping what technical leadership can look like when it’s grounded in clarity, curiosity, and a little bit of rock ’n’ roll.
Defining identity standards
Eve’s fingerprints are all over some of identity’s most foundational frameworks. In the early 2000s, she co-authored SAML, the standard that still underpins many single sign-on systems today. At the time, the rooms were mostly male, mostly technical, and often skeptical. But Eve didn’t shy away.
“It takes courage to start one of those efforts,” she says. “It’s like a startup – you never know if it's going to be a hit or a miss.” She has seen firsthand how innovation begins – not with code or policy – but with shared language and painstaking consensus-building. “It brings together people who have similar roles, and they all compete, but they often have more in common with each other.”
Identity as a Product (and a Venn Diagram)
Eve’s latest venture, Venn Factory – known for its mantra Develop Irresistible Identity Strategies – is built on a simple but powerful shift in thinking: what if identity weren’t seen as just an IT function, but as a product serving a market? It’s a question she unpacks in her keynote at the 2025 European Identity & Cloud Conference, where she also introduces what she calls the “Four Ps” of modern identity.
“Identity has many jobs,” she says, referring to Jobs-To-Be-Done theory. “You might have a vision of improving security and privacy, but if you don't get all the other stakeholders who have competing goals on board, it's really hard to live up to that vision.” Her framework maps it out[EM2] .
- Protection (management of risks)
- Personalization (tailored experiences)
- Payment (harmonious value exchange)
- People (benefits humans actually want)
“Until you answer the jobs-to-be-done question, identity could be moved around a lot in the org chart. The Four Ps help organizations avoid confusion and gain visibility."
Identity as a Lever for Growth and Differentiation
“The conversation about the Chief Identity Officer was stunted from the start because we don't have clarity. Identity owners’ goals are often at odds, for example, with those of marketing,” she explains. “In growing from a small tight-knit industry, we need to recognize where problems are ours to solve and where we haven't risen to the challenge yet.”
Disjointed identity decisions are leading to fragmentation, confusion, and missed opportunities. Eve argues that empowering identity leaders with this clarity could bring coherence and align identity strategy with wider business goals.
“You need a translator,” she says. “And someone willing to ask the uncomfortable questions.”
Eve’s take on AI’s role in identity
As AI changes what identity even means, Eve—like so many in her field—is right in the thick of it.
“We used to ask: Are we talking about cloud for identity or identity for cloud?” she says. “Now we have to ask: Is it AI against identity? AI for identity? Identity for AI?”
Her take: we need to heed all of the ‘prepositions’.
“I see interesting applications of AI in treating long-standing challenges around workforce identity and roles, since it’s a big data problem. You can use that data to train a model to help you.”
“And I see AI innovation giving us better visibility and decision-making capabilities about identity-based vulnerabilities in our environments – for which I'm grateful, because it's embarrassing for identity attacks to be so frequent!”
Ever heard of the ZZ Auth and the Love Tokens?
Despite her vast impact—and how seriously she takes her work—Eve herself is grounded, playful, and generous. While working on identity innovation at ForgeRock, she found time for a side hustle unlike any other: fronting a rock ’n’ roll identity band.
Yes, you heard that right.
Eve was one of the leaders of ZZ Auth and the Love Tokens—an actual identity-themed band that performed SSO-inspired parodies at industry conferences.
"We did a parody of Pretty Woman called ID Woman. The band was very ecumenical, with people from Ping, Microsoft, and Optiv. In identity, you need to do that, right? The importance of identity standards is to make everything interoperable."
It’s the perfect example of a leader who’s not afraid to blend rigor with a sense of fun—and who reminds the industry that identity doesn’t have to be dry.
Advice for the Next Generation of Female Leaders
When asked what advice she’d give to women entering the field, her response is immediate:
“You don’t have to be intimidated by whoever else you see around you at the table. The good news is that our industry has a lot of support to offer. If you're looking to break in, number one is IDPro. It's a community of peers who represent options all the way up and down the career maturity ladder.”
She also advocates practicing public speaking. “I know so many people who get really nervous about speaking – there’s fear of death, fear of snakes, and fear of public speaking.”
“Try giving a lightning talk. I delivered one at a ‘Nerd Nite’ in Seattle once. Find a place, even just amongst friends, and talk for five minutes without notes on something you're passionate about.”
And maybe that’s the female shape of identity leadership: showing up, telling the truth, and bringing others with you. Not louder. Not tougher. Just clearer.