WHO TELLS US ABOUT LIFE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICE .

What would you describe as your most memorable achievement in the cybersecurity industry ?

This would definitely be being part of the founding team at Crossword . It ’ s been such a hugely memorable experience growing the business from a blank sheet of paper to more than 65 employees , across four countries and working with some big global clients . I do think a lot of people underestimate just how hard that is and the challenges that you face in achieving that .

What first made you think of a career in cybersecurity ?

I had always wanted to do something entrepreneurial after I left the army , and after a few years working at KPMG , I began to look for opportunities within industries that had a lot of high growth potential . I met Tom Ilube back in 2015 when he had just started Crossword as a technology transfer company – he really sold me on his vision around commercialising university research in cybersecurity . Since then , we ’ ve obviously grown and evolved across the business , but it was that initial vision from Tom that made me want to join the industry .

What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?

I try to let my teams be as autonomous as possible . I set the overall strategy and give people the support and resources they need to execute that strategy , but my teams have decision making capabilities and the autonomy to set and complete to work around the strategy . I also work collaboratively with my teams , as I do think it ’ s easy as a leader to forget that it ’ s ok to not know all the answers , so it ’ s important to ask for opinions from your colleagues while mulling over tricky problems . Seeking out those opinions from others is also a good way to get overall strategic buy-in and can help avoid making stupid mistakes .

What do you think is the current hot cybersecurity talking point ?

This will not come as a surprise to anyone , but Artificial Intelligence , in particular the pace at which large companies are implementing Generative AI and LLMs . We have heard the phrase ‘ this is the fastest adoption of new technology we have seen ’ from a few CISOs and they are worried that their companies are not taking into account some of the cybersecurity risks associated with the adoption of GenAI and LLMs .

How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office ?

Reading and sport mainly , but also walking the dog and seeing friends . I try to be quite disciplined and to switch off after work , and at the weekends , but that is not always easy . I used to play rugby , run and swim a lot , and I also took up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in my 30s , but my body is now telling me that it needs to do something less attritive . So , after not playing

I also work collaboratively with my teams , as I do think it ’ s easy as a leader to forget that it ’ s ok to not know all the answers .

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