The Conference Room with Simon Lader

Join your host Simon Lader Looking back to one of the best advices in Sales, Marketing & Leadership from The Conference Room Podcast 

Whitney Alexandra  Discusses the steps to move from being Anonymously to a Business Leader (Ep.136)

Rick Olesek  Describes the key things he looks for to determine if an organization is investor ready (Ep.138)

Nicole Zeno   Explain how an organization should reverse engineer their marketing act...

In this week's episode of The Conference Room, host Simon Lader sits down with Lisa Novak, founder of LMNHR, a fractional HR leadership and advisory firm. With over 20 years of experience in HR and operations, Lisa shares her journey from a military family background to becoming a key player in HR for high-growth tech companies. She dives into the evolving role of HR, the challenges it faces, and the critical impact of com...

In this week's episode of The Conference Room, host Simon Lader sits down with Marc Holden, an expert in customer relationship management, direct sales, sales leadership, and market development. Marc shares his journey from being a commercial fisherman in Alaska to becoming the VP of Sales for North America at Cyber SixGill. He discusses the valuable lessons learned from his diverse experiences, the importance of mentorship, an...

In this week's episode of The Conference Room, host Simon Lader sits down with  Jennifer VanAntwerp, founder of Sober in Cyber. With 20 years of experience in marketing and leadership, Jennifer VanAntwerp shares her journey from her accidental start in the automotive industry to creating a nonprofit that offers sobriety-focused resources and networking opportunities in cybersecurity.

00:00 Simon welcomes Jennifer VanAntwerp a...

In this week's episode of The Conference Room, host Simon Lader sits down with Daniel Shechter, Co-founder and CEO of Miggo Security, to share his journey from serving in the Israeli Defense Forces to becoming a cybersecurity entrepreneur. Daniel delves into his experiences in the IDF's intelligence units, his time at McKinsey, and the inception of Miggo Security, discussing the challenges and triumphs along the way. 

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In this week's episode of The Conference Room, host Simon Lader sits down with Scott Wright, a global leader in security awareness and gamification. Scott Wright shares his journey from software development to cybersecurity, and how he pioneered innovative security awareness initiatives like the Honey Stick Project. Learn how gamification can transform security training and discover practical tips to reduce human vulnerabilit...

In this week's episode of The Conference Room, host Simon Lader sits down with Justin Somaini, a veteran in the cybersecurity industry and a partner at Wild Ventures. Justin  Somaini shares his journey from military bases in Germany to becoming a career CSO and advisor to early-stage cyber vendors. He delves into the intricacies of cybersecurity, the evolving landscape, and the challenges that remain constant over the decades...

In this week's episode of The Conference Room, host Simon Lader sits down with Alon Arvatz, former co-founder of Insights, a cybersecurity vendor acquired by Rapid7 for $350 million. Alon shares his journey from childhood inspiration through his father's tech career to becoming a successful entrepreneur and investor in Israeli cybersecurity startups. He discusses the factors driving Israel's dominance in the cybersecu...

In this week's episode of The Conference Room, host Simon Lader sits down with Saket Jain, the founder and CEO of Impact Wealth Builders, an alternative real estate investment firm. Saket shares his incredible journey from growing up in India, to building a successful real estate firm in the U.S., to finding his true purpose through philanthropy. The episode covers his profound experiences, the importance of finding one's...

In this week's episode of The Conference Room, host Simon Lader sits down with Nicole Zeno, an award-winning marketing expert, podcaster, and entrepreneur. Nicole shares her journey from directing music videos to founding Clever Cow Media, along with the insights she has gained over her 15-year career. The discussion delves into the critical aspects of marketing strategy, the importance of understanding your end goals, and pr...

In this week's episode of The Conference Room, host Simon Lader sits down with Tabatha Thorell, a dynamic entrepreneur, real estate investor, bestselling author, and life coach from rural Nebraska. Tabatha shares her inspiring journey from being a fitness coach to becoming a multifaceted businesswoman. She dives into her passion for helping others achieve financial freedom and the importance of teaching wealth principles to f...

In this week's episode of The Conference Room, host Simon Lader sits down with Whitney Alexandra, a renowned performance coach, to delve into the challenges and solutions for entrepreneurs and business leaders. Whitney shares her insights on overcoming public speaking fears, reigniting passion in business, avoiding burnout, and positioning oneself as a thought leader. 
 

 
01:09 - 02:01 – Whitney's Background 

03:03...

In this week's episode of The Conference Room, host Simon Lader sits down with Colby DeRodeff, cybersecurity leader, investor, and entrepreneur. Colby shares his journey from the dot-com era to co-founding Abstract Security and discusses the challenges and lessons learned in the cybersecurity industry. 

00:30 - 02:11 - Colby DeRodeff Background 

02:11 - 00:05 - Early Days at Excite 

05:48 - 10:47 - Category Creation an...

In this week's episode of The Conference Room, host Simon Lader sits down with Pascal Weinberger, co-founder and CEO of Bardeen.ai, discusses the journey of founding a startup in the AI space and emphasizes the importance of trust, innovation, and critical thinking in building a successful team. Key topics include hiring strategies, prioritizing speed and experimentation, and applying first principles in AI deployment. 
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In this week's episode of The Conference Room, host Simon Lader sits down with George Csahiouni, President of Swoop Business Solutions, to delve into his extensive experience in the fintech industry and his journey from a high-level executive to starting his own successful ventures. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS WEEK'S EPISODE 

01:46 - 06:04 - Starting Out in Fintech  

06:30 - 11:34 - Challenges and Innovations in Fin...

In this week's episode of The Conference Room, host Simon Lader sits down with Peter Prizio, CEO of SnapAttack, a cybersecurity vendor, to explore the journey of building a startup in the cybersecurity industry and the importance of proactive security measures. 
 

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS WEEK'S EPISODE 
 

Peter Prizio Background (01:22 - 02:17) 

• Peter shares his journey to becoming CEO of SnapAttack, highlightin...

Join your host Simon Lader as he looks back on some of the highlights of 2023:

Tom Reilly discusses what makes a great CEO with Colin Powell (Ep. 107)

Matthew Andriani explains how and why he transformed his services company into a software vendor (Ep. 126)

Kev Eley highlights the differences between building a business in the US and in Europe (Ep. 122)

Ian L. Paterson discusses how a CEO can successfully manage a team of people wh...