You’ve recently moved from Capita, tell us about that

I joined Capita in August 2017 in the security team. That business unit was moved to Trustmarque and we created a specialist security sales team in April 2019, which I now head up.

What do you like about your role?

There is not much I dislike about it. I get to focus on tech in an area I am interested in (security) and I help customers every day. The bit I enjoy the most is being out in front of customers. We have highly engaged customers who are keen to talk about their security challenges. It’s consultative selling at its best. The other part of the role is developing customer propositions; defining what makes Trustmarque different and our go to market approach.

What’s the most interesting thing about working in cyber security?

The most interesting thing is how quickly everything is changing, so the challenge is dynamic. IT infrastructure is changing but also attackers’ strategies are changing. That means the protection tools are brand new and identifying the right tools for new threats is therefore always evolving, but it’s exciting.

Where are the biggest breaches happening?

Usually in non-traditional areas with rapid change. For example, misconfiguration in AWS and Azure – how you spot them in an agile environment is unique to the cloud. Vendors have identified that as a risk and are working hard to plug that gap. We have moved from Gen 1 security protocol (anti malware, firewalls and vulnerability protection) to Gen 2 (born in the cloud security tools). It’s always evolving.

How does Trustmarque differ to other organisations?

I’d like to think in a lot of ways. However, the one thing we hear back from our customers is that a lot of our competitors are either focused on a single eco-system vendor or purely on Microsoft. We are absolutely focused on finding the right solution for that customer. With Satya Nadella’s $1bn R&D investment, the Microsoft security suite is evolving quickly but keeping up with capabilities and defining security strategies can be a challenge. Our USP is that we are agnostic across both the eco-system and Microsoft.

How would you describe the culture?

It’s a great place to work. I like the fact that you are given the tools and support you need but are not micro-managed. My team are based around the country; we are not restricted to only attracting talent in London. We have the flexibility to recruit everywhere. I have faith from the senior leadership team to get on with the role and do what I need to do.

It’s a work hard, play hard place. Everyone gets on well. Rewards are there for those who succeed and the comms package is very good.

Tell me more about the senior management team

We have a uniquely strong leadership team. Stronger than anywhere I have worked before. They all bring different strengths and significant expertise.

What’s your aspirations?

We had a highly successful year last year but are only scratching the surface of the opportunity. We should be able to double cyber security revenue over the next five years.

What about in terms of career progression?

Sales people in Trustmarque step up to leadership roles regularly. There is lots of internal promotion. If you do well, you can excel. They could go to market to hire but they give internal people the opportunity and step up. They really invest in you.

As a father, how is the work-life balance?

Flexible and remote working is available for many roles. It’s a great way to manage work-life balance with kids. I work a lot of hours but I do them at a time where I can spend time with the family. There is support of that. When I have family issues, the organisation has been understanding. They are progressive and supportive.

What three words would you use to describe Trustmarque?

The Security Experts.