Dr. Rebecca Wynn: Cybersecurity Mentoring Promotes Risk Management

Dr. Rebecca Wynn is the Global Chief Security Strategist and CISO at Click Solutions Group and Podcast Host for Soulful CXO and Threat Watch. In this Kitecast episode, Dr. Wynn discusses professional motivation, the importance of mentorship, and her unique approach to cybersecurity based on her diverse experience, including time in the U.S. military.

Dr. Wynn underscores the crucial role of mentors in professional development. She emphasizes that finding the right mentor depends on individual needs and suggests having multiple mentors for different aspects of one’s career. She differentiates mentors from sponsors within an organization where one works. A sponsor actively opens new opportunities for you and typically initially starts as a mentor. A sponsor is someone within your organization, whereas a mentor may or may not be a member of your same organization. When it comes to selecting mentors, Dr. Wynn states they should be individuals whose values resonate with those of the mentees.

For women in the cybersecurity field, Dr. Wynn encourages them to apply for positions, even if they have doubts about meeting all qualifications. She emphasizes that she personally ensures that all female applicants are reviewed, despite what HR algorithms might suggest. Dr. Wynn believes in conducting one-on-one discussions to identify the best position for the applicant, highlighting a recent success story where she helped an underselling candidate secure a managerial role in GRC (governance, risk, , and compliance).

Throughout the podcast, Dr. Wynn shares her personal experiences, including her time caring for her elderly parents, which made her reflect on her core values and approach to work. She stresses the importance of maintaining authenticity and staying true to oneself. She also speaks about how her military background influenced her approach to cybersecurity, particularly her emphasis on GRC frameworks. According to Dr. Wynn, these frameworks allow for the fast mitigation, detection, and resolution of attacks.

When it comes to data privacy, Dr. Wynn champions the concept of Privacy by Design, which advocates for privacy measures to be built into products and systems from their inception, rather than added on afterwards. She emphasizes the idea of data having an expiration date, arguing that companies should not be allowed to keep personal data indefinitely without explicit consent. She suggests that tagging data upon creation with an expiration date could serve as a practical solution. This aligns closely with Kiteworks’ approach using digital rights management in concert with advanced security and compliance.

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccawynncissp/

The Soulful CXO Podcast: https://soulfulcxo.com/ 

Check out video versions of Kitecast episodes at https://www.kiteworks.com/kitecast or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/KiteworksCGCP.