eXecutive Security

Summary:
In this episode, Gene discusses management principles and leadership strategies for senior leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs with Tom Heiser, previously CEO of ClickSoftware, EVP at EMC, and President at RSA the cyber division of EMC. They cover topics such as opening the aperture, balancing strategy and tactics, embracing change, connecting the dots, and more. The conversation emphasizes the importance of lea...

Jim Alkove, CEO and co-founder of Olaria, shares his career journey and insights on cybersecurity training and becoming a board advisor. He emphasizes the importance of starting at the beginning and gaining experience in software engineering during his time at Microsoft. Alkove highlights the need for a more diverse pool of candidates and situational training to meet the workforce demands of the cybersecurity industry. He ...

In this episode, Gene Fay interviews Ed Adams, President and CEO at Security Innovation, about his journey into cybersecurity and his work in advancing software security practices. Ed shares his story of transitioning from quality assurance in software at Rational Software to founding Security Innovation, a company focused on application security and training. Ed also dives into his book, See Yourself in Cybersecurity Care...

In this episode, Gene Fay interviews Sammy Migues, Principal at Imbricate Security, about his journey into cybersecurity and his work on the Building Security in Maturity Model (BSIMM). Sammy shares his experience starting in computer science in the late 1970s and how he became a computer security professional. He explains the motivation behind creating the BSIMM and how it helps organizations measure and improve their sof...

Summary:
In this episode, Gene Fay interviews Jeff Hudesman, CISO at Pinwheel, about his career in cybersecurity. Jeff shares his journey from starting as an intern at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to working at Sony and eventually joining Pinwheel. He discusses the differences between working in large companies like Sony and startups, highlighting the ability to be impactful and the agility of startups. Jeff a...

Cybersecurity recruiter Kyle McIntyre offers unique guidance based on his work as a retained search specialist working with hiring managers (VPs & C-Levels) in the cybersecurity industry in this episode. He and Gene discuss: 

• How to conduct preliminary research on potential employers and career paths
• How to reverse engineer desirable backgrounds to demystify potential career paths
• Tips on crafting effective & thou...

In this episode, Gene Fay interviews Tom Heiser about his journey and shares tenets for managing oneself. The conversation covers topics such as execution, accountability, expressing passion, doing the best job possible, getting outside one's comfort zone, and focusing on what one can control.

Takeaways

Execution is key to success. Just do it.
Accountability is important in personal and professional growth.
Expressing ...

Neil Bahadur, Head of Product in Cybersecurity at Wells Fargo, developed a unique and valuable perspective by switching from security to business development and back to security.

In this episode, he and Gene discuss that transition and what he learned from it. They also discuss cybersecurity trends those new to the industry should be aware of, and more.

Neil Bahadur on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilbahadur/

One of the most important parts of being a cybersecurity professional is knowing how to ask the right questions, says CISO Aaron Katz. 

Aaron started his career as a consultant, and says that's where he honed his question skills. He thinks all aspiring cybersecurity pros should start out with consulting gigs – you learn the business side and what questions to ask, plus get a feel for cybersecurity as a whole, rather tha...

Want to start a career as a pen tester? Phillip Wylie literally wrote the book on the topic. 

Gene and Phillip, co-author of The Pentester Blueprint: Starting a Career as an Ethical Hacker and host of the Phillip Wylie Show, have a wide-ranging and advice-filled conversation on:

• His career journey and his podcast
• Starting a pen testing career
• Collegiate Cyber Defense Competitions
• How to leverage B-Sides
• More

Phillip Wyli...

Why should you work in cybersecurity? Because two things that aren't going away are tech and crime, says BlackBerry VP of Product Security Operations Christine Gadsby. 

Christine and Gene talk about her journey from working in IT out of necessity to cybersecurity VP, how to reskill into cybersecurity, the Leadership Bench Program she developed at BlackBerry, her advice to those discouraged by the job hunt, and more.

Chri...

Diana Kelley feels strongly that community plays a critical role in all careers, but especially cybersecurity. She explains why in this episode.

She and Gene also talk about increasing the number of females in cybersecurity, what she looks for in entry level candidates, and more. 

Diana Kelley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianakelleysecuritycurve/
Executive Women's Forum: https://www.ewf-usa.com/
WICYS:...

We talk a lot on this podcast about how to advance to the executive level within the cybersecurity field. But what if the C-level is not for you? 

John Hammond is a security practitioner at heart and wants to stay that way. He shares his thoughts on building a practitioner career in this episode. 

He and Gene also talk about his experience working for the Department of Defense and about John's prolific side job as a content ...