EMBRACING THE CONCEPT OF FEMALE CYBERSECURITY LEADERS STARTS AT THE TOP AS A COMPANY MISSION

Tell us more about your role, and how you came to work in cybersecurity.

My work primarily focuses on building a team that serves as a force multiplier to our cybersecurity vision with concentrated attention to enterprise needs within specific focus areas (like the public sector). Within Sophos, I lead the global field CTO team, a highly experienced group of executive-level cybersecurity experts, who are also accomplished researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and spokespeople within their domains. For my role, I am the “field CTO for the public sector,” so I focus on most of my work on government and education.

What do you love about your job?

I am very excited about my position as head of Sophos’ new field CTO team. Sophos is a $1 billion+ global cybersecurity leader, so when developing this type of group, you are met with challenges and constraints you simply cannot solve through “web searches” or reading a “leadership” book. Furthermore, my work requires that I exercise varied professional skills, ranging from highly technical engineering conversations to other disciplines, such as marketing, sales strategy, and public speaking. All these factors combined are motivating and interesting to tackle every day and to also improve upon as we develop the group over time.

Why is it important to have a diverse workforce in this field? How does it benefit cybersecurity?

In cybersecurity, information sharing is critical to problem-solving and providing the best protection to defend against cybercriminals. By having diversity in skill, gender, background, and much more, we have a more holistic way of developing the best possible outcomes for solving a problem, whether it’s in cybersecurity or other team development efforts.

How can organizations pave the way for a future of female cybersecurity leaders?

Embracing the concept of female cybersecurity leaders starts at the top as a company mission. This also includes ensuring that performance reviews and the hiring process is structured and consistent to support all individuals objectively.

What would be your advice for someone who wants to start a career in cybersecurity?

To start a career in cybersecurity, review the different aspects of the field to get an overview. There are a lot of different niches, so it’s good to learn a little bit about a lot, first, and when you find an area that is interesting, go all in.

Please share something unforgettable from your career – an experience, words of encouragement, or working with someone inspiring.

One experience that comes to mind is when I briefly worked as a consultant for Bridgewater Associates where Ray Dalio initially shared his book, Principles, which contained a quote that I think about often, “What is true? What do you want? And what are you going to do about it?”

What unique challenges and opportunities do you face in today's world, and how have you navigated these challenges to achieve your professional goals?

Recently, I’ve been appointed as the leader of Sophos’ inaugural global Field CTO team. I’m excited about the opportunity to make an impact on our mission of improving security outcomes. Within this function, I think about large-scale challenges such as increasing economic constraints or even the growing impact of ransomware on critical infrastructure organizations.