GO PHISH
If you could go back and change one career decision , what would it be ?
I would honestly say that there is nothing I would change about my career . Time travel films , such as Back to the Future , have shown how your entire life can be altered from just one minor change in the past ! That ’ s not to say I haven ’ t made mistakes , but I ’ ve learned from them and applied those learnings to make improvements next time .
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in the cybersecurity industry ?
For too long , there ’ s been too much of a spotlight shone on the tools to help professionals in the industry , but I personally believe this is wrong . I think there needs to be a shift towards focusing on people . Throwing more tools at the problem isn ’ t going to help improve cyberpractices if the upskilling of the people using them isn ’ t prioritised . We need to ask them about what they need to be able to build secure systems .
Are there any differences in the way cybersecurity challenges need to be tackled in the different regions ?
I would say that regardless of region , cybersecurity challenges need to be tackled in the same way , which is fundamentally building secure systems from the ground up . If we don ’ t start with the foundations of a cybersecurity strategy , then it ’ s never going to work and ultimately provide any value – a consistent mindset and approach needs to be taken in every location .
What changes to your job role have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the next 12 months ?
As is usually the case with a startup organisation , I initially spent a lot of time with customers to identify
Cybersecurity challenges need to be tackled in the same way , which is fundamentally building secure systems from the ground up .
their problems and devise solutions , followed by a period of internal focus to ensure that our solutions effectively met those requirements . Following the completion of that phase , the last 12 months have involved me moving to a more external focus to communicate with customers and the wider industry , and I expect this to continue over the next year .
What advice would you offer somebody aspiring to obtain a C-level position in the security industry ?
My one piece of advice is to help others to succeed . Something I see quite often is that people often focus on themselves when it comes to their career development , but the professionals that I ’ ve witnessed as making the most progress are those with a plan on how to assist others . It ’ s not a silver bullet to immediate promotion to a C-level function , but I firmly believe that it hugely assists those who want to make it there . u
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