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

My biggest achievement to date is making the transition from the British Army , bringing in a different and broader risk-management perspective to the provision of cybersecurity consultancy . I estimate that 70 % of people giving advice on cybersecurity are technical specialists . Having expertise in risk-management is what I bring to the consultancy side of the industry .

As an officer in the Royal Engineers , I was constantly assessing threats and risks . My career included leadership of a team in bomb disposal which is certainly a field that teaches you about risk-management , incident-management and operating under extreme pressure when the stakes are very high .

That experience has been hugely valuable and gave me a skillset that directly relates to cybersecurity . In consultancy and managed services provision , you must be cool and objective when a client has experienced a breach , but trust and credibility under pressure are also vital .

What first made you think of a career in cybersecurity ?

After 15 years in the army , I knew I had a combination of skills , education and experience that was right for the industry . In both cases , you are in highly adversarial and constantly-evolving threat environments .

There is a similar thinking that applies in , for example , threat intelligence and threat-integration .

I also learned that security needs to be allencompassing . In cybersecurity , there is a whole wrapper of skills that goes around the right technology , involving people , processes too , training , compliance and of course , incident management .

In addition , I have significant strategic and project management expertise , having both worked at NATO headquarters and delivered an £ 80m procurement project for the British Army . I also have a degree in Internet computing , and another in leadership and security .

I knew I could use all these skills , insights and experience to protect the small and medium-sized firms that account for about 90 % of all businesses in the UK . Collectively these are critical organisations , vital to the quality of life in the country .

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

There are certain core tenets of military leadership I apply that include understanding the people in my team and then deploying their strengths in a very collaborative way that solves problems and provides solutions . I combine the team ’ s technical expertise with my own experience – remaining calm , coming up with a plan quickly and communicating it effectively .

Much of my approach has been learned hands-on . As in my military career , I am now leading a team

My career included leadership of a team in bomb disposal which is certainly a field that teaches you about riskmanagement .

WWW . INTELLIGENTCISO . COM 67