THE NONLINEAR ROAD TO CISO

by Jenna Whitman , CISO at Callaghan Innovation

As a 29-year old female CISO with Callaghan Innovation, I have seen firsthand the challenges that come with being a woman in the cybersecurity industry, and a professional. Thankfully, I have also seen and experienced the positive impact embracing equity can have.

Becoming the youngest CISO in the NZ public sector (I am accepting challenges on this!) has been nothing short of an interesting, yet unintentional, social experiment in how people respond to a young woman in charge. To me, demystifying the barriers to progressing into security leadership is essential to improving opportunity and achieving equity in a sector known for its antiquated model of what a leader looks and feels like (hint: not us).

To do this, I believe it is valuable to practice authenticity with my newfound platform, which includes sharing the self-doubt I had moving into this role. I was so doubting of my abilities that I tried to talk my own leaders out of offering me the opportunity (something I have only ever seen or heard women do). Thankfully, my leaders did not buy what I was selling at that moment. My doubts were likely fuelled by what I had seen and heard when other women were given opportunities. I hid my new appointment from nearly everyone in my personal and former professional circles for more than six months.

I did not want to become the subject of criticism. Today, I am glad I took the leap and pushed through a barrier that many do not realise is there.

Rooted in Callaghan’s culture is a belief that people should experiment, ‘dive into the unknown’ and, reading between the lines, not be afraid to fail. The opportunity to experiment and create a rotational CISO position allowed me, and my counterpart at the time, to grow, learn and experience the C-suite as a safe space. That experience evolved into a full-time appointment.

I am human, and therefore very much afraid of failure: I am guaranteed to have failures ahead of me. And whilst I have industry-specific education and experience, my behaviour, mindset and aptitude are what carry the most weight and are most valued by my leaders, and now my industry peers.

This brings me to what I believe to be the most important aspects of success, equity and fulfilment: allies.

My allies are more than mere mentors. They have reached out to me, offered their wisdom, their tricks of the trade, openly discussed salaries, made introductions and given me their time and energy. This is what equity can look like.

When I reflect on my path to date, the allies in my professional life who helped me build momentum were themselves breakaways from the leadership stereotype I mentioned earlier. These powerhouse humans were women, they were rainbow community members, they were migrants, they were people with disabilities, and people who came from inequitable backgrounds.

As someone who relates to many of those identifiers and who has often felt under-estimated because of them, this is not only about women helping other women break the glass ceiling. This is about demanding change in favour of openness and diversity in thought, lived experiences and values that align with the mission of a security professional.

Finally, I will share something more personal. From my early to mid 20s, I regularly met with a counsellor because I was struggling to navigate my path through life. I had lived in several countries and cities, tried various types of jobs and studied many different things. I was in my ‘workshop’ era. My counsellor made a brief statement that has stuck with me ever since. “Jenna, your path won’t be linear.” At the time, I was gutted by the fact that my paths through work and life looked random, but now I can see all the dabbling, variety and constant change I pursued have given me the depth, breadth and pace demanded of any CISO.

So, I am here to raise the flag and pass this message to others: a non-linear path is something you can be proud of, and I encourage everyone to see value in it. Equity and diversity go hand-in-hand; become an ally to others and make it a priority to have an ally in your corner. Go well.

About Jenna Whitman

Jenna Whitman (she/her) is the Chief Information Security Officer for New Zealand’s Innovation Agency, Callaghan Innovation. She has a Master of Strategic Studies from Victoria University, a Diploma of Intelligence from the Royal New Zealand Police College and is a qualified investigator. She also serves as a sitting member for the GovTech Security Community of Practice body. She is a keynote speaker who champions diversity, inclusion and authenticity in the security community. She lives in Wellington. www.linkedin.com/in/jennawhitman