Cyber CEOs Decoded: Recent Episodes
Devo, Inc.
Marc van Zadelhoff, CEO of Devo, hosts CEO-to-CEO conversations with leaders from established security giants, to up and coming disruptors, getting the inside track on what makes cyber CEOs tick. Marc and his guests will share lessons learned from building cyber companies, delivering value to customers, creating enduring cultures, and sharing stories of success and failure in an ever-evolving technology landscape.
In this episode, Marc interviews Deidre Diamond, the CEO and founder of CyberSN, a talent matching services company, and the founder of Secure Diversity, a not-for-profit organization that specializes in addressing the cybersecurity diversity gap. They cover Deidre's path to becoming a founder and CEO, from her days as a manicurist to her time in talent recruitment to her stint as the VP of sales at Rapid7 — Deidre has done it all. More specifically, you'll learn about:
The current landscape in the cybersecurity job market.
Why it's essential to make sure you're providing employees with opportunities, skills, and support.
The work that still needs to be done to make the cybersecurity industry a more welcoming place for women.
And how Devo and CyberSN are teaming up at Black Hat this year. Hint: there's a fancy new SOC career guide you'll want to make sure your team gets its hands on!
In this episode, Marc catches up with Mimecast CEO and co-founder Peter Bauer. They cover Peter's CEO journey, including what it was like growing up in South Africa, why he opted out of attending university, highlights from Mimecast's 20-year history, and what Peter learned from taking the company public — and then private again. You'll also learn:
When and how to raise capital, and how to manage meeting the board's expectations.
How CEOs can overcome self-doubt and continuously reimagine their role to look at challenges with new eyes.
How to view the company's history as a story with chapters and eras, and why it's important to always believe you're at the beginning of the book.
In this episode, Marc and Peter McKay, cyber veteran and CEO of Snyk, discuss how the power of a strong network can both propel a successful career and by the key to scaling a disruptive cyber company. You’ll also learn about:
Why the "better together" mindset of a big Italian family helps shape a CEO
How mowing lawns can inspire an entrepreneurial spirit
The importance of giving people permission to make mistakes
In this episode, Marc and Dror Davidoff, Aqua Security Co-founder and CEO, discuss his passion for his home country of Israel's prominence as a global technology hub and how it led to his founding of one of the most successful security startups of recent years. You’ll also learn about:
How Israel's dominance in the technology sector and development of some of the best tech talent in the world has helped shaped the country's culture
The current state of the cloud native threat landscape
Why responsible management and responsible hiring is critical for business leaders
Why social impact is core to Aqua's values and why giving back is a responsibility of the tech community
In this episode, Marc and Wendy Thomas, Secureworks President and CEO, discuss her non-traditional path to cyber security leadership, including her time as a commodities trader and a telecom CFO. Wendy shares stories of how her path from finance to cyber ignited her passion for showing others that cyber is a viable and fulfilling career, regardless of where you may have started. You’ll also learn about:
How experiencing the early 2000s IPO market held valuable lessons for today's landscape
Why sharing your ideas, even if they fall outside your "purview" can lead to incredible opportunities
The criticality of effective change management when transitioning from services to products
In this episode, Marc and Mariano Nuñez, CEO and Co-founder of Onapsis, dive deep into Mariano’s story of starting a company in his home of Argentina and bringing it to the U.S. where he created the category for business application security. Mariano shares stories of developing his passion for technology and business early on, including building a community news website at 15 and bringing his laptop to local shops to sell advertising space. You’ll also learn about:
The surprising first customer for the Argentinian startup
Why not having competition is both an advantage and a challenge
How having “the hacker mindset” can drive success for a cyber company
In this episode, Marc and Patrick Morley, former CEO of Carbon Black, get nostalgic as they discuss Patrick's journey of coming up through the start up scene in the 90s—from working with VCs to taking companies public—and compare it to running cyber companies today. Along with the early career experience that helped form Patrick's leadership philosophy, he shares his experience of becoming CEO of Bit9, seeing the company through a breach, acquiring Carbon Black, bring the company public and later getting acquired by VMWare—this episode is filled to the brim. You'll also learn about:
How build a criteria for joining a start up
Why cyber is the most mission-driven area of tech
What it's like to call 600 customers in 2 days after a breach and not lose a single one
Seven philosophies for running a cyber company
In this episode, Marc talks with Sonrai Security's Brendan Hannigan, on how he went from security guard on a Jack Nicolson movie set, to cybersecurity CEO. Trained as a coder, learn how his early days at Forrester Research honed Brendan's skills in understanding marketplace fit and fueled his passion to go out and start building things. Brendan went on to lead Q1 Labs until they were acquired by IBM, where he joined as the GM of the newly formed IBM Security. That journey lead him to his current role, CEO of Sonrai Security, where he and his team are changing the way organizations secure the cloud. You'll also learn about:
Why the complexities of being a Cyber CEO haven't changed in decades
The origins of the term security intelligence
The fulfillment of saying "OK sure, I'll try that"
Why CISOs may not need to "shift left" but they have to shift somewhere
Marc van Zadelhoff, CEO of Devo, hosts CEO-to-CEO conversations with leaders from established security giants, to up and coming disruptors, getting the inside track on what makes cyber CEOs tick. Marc and his guests will share lessons learned from building cyber companies, delivering value to customers, creating enduring cultures, and sharing stories of success and failure in an ever-evolving technology landscape.