The Security Collective Podcast

Michelle Price is the CEO at Aust Cyber, a company that supports the development of a vibrant and globally competitive cyber security sector.

Before joining AustCyber, Michelle was the first Senior Adviser for Cyber Security at the National Security College within The Australian National University. In this role, she established an integrated approach to the College's cyber security program across executive and postgraduate education and policy engagement.

During this episode, Michelle will discuss the skills and qualities that employers must look for in security staff in order to build a truly successful team. Listen as she encourages others to increase diversity in the cyber security workforce and continue to inspire people with the possibilities of cyber innovation.

Links:

• Linkedin
• Twitter

AustCyber:

• Austcyber.com
• Linkedin
• Twitter

Time Stamps:

• 00:30 - Michelle's background and introduction
• 02:36 - Overcoming the challenges of hiring staff into cyber roles
• 03:20 - "Nine times out of ten I was actually hiring for attitude." - Michelle Price
• 08:49 - Addressing the skills gap with a university course
• 13:03 - Preparing for the demands on the future of the cyber workforce
• 16:07 - The role diversity plays in the hiring process
• 18:16 - "Diversity in ethnicity, diversity in age is just as important as diversity in gender. It's all about diversity of thinking." - Michelle Price
• 21:23 - The future of startups and consultancies offering contract work
• 26:47 - Key lessoned learned around building teams
• 27:14 - "It's just so hard to teach attitude. You can shape attitude but you really can't necessarily fundamentally change the underlying attitude of someone." - Michelle Price
• 30:20 - Michelle's advice to her younger self

Michelle Price is the CEO at Aust Cyber, a company that supports the development of a vibrant and globally competitive cyber security sector. 

Before joining AustCyber, Michelle was the first Senior Adviser for Cyber Security at the National Security College within The Australian National University. In this role, she established an integrated approach to the College’s cyber security program across executive and postgraduate education and policy engagement.

During this episode, Michelle will discuss the skills and qualities that employers must look for in security staff in order to build a truly successful team. Listen as she encourages others to increase diversity in the cyber security workforce and continue to inspire people with the possibilities of cyber innovation.

Links:

• Linkedin
• Twitter

AustCyber:

• Austcyber.com
• Linkedin
• Twitter

Time Stamps:

• 00:30 - Michelle’s background and introduction 
• 02:36 - Overcoming the challenges of hiring staff into cyber roles
• 03:20 - “Nine times out of ten I was actually hiring for attitude.” - Michelle Price
• 08:49 - Addressing the skills gap with a university course
• 13:03 - Preparing for the demands on the future of the cyber workforce
• 16:07 - The role diversity plays in the hiring process
• 18:16 - “Diversity in ethnicity, diversity in age is just as important as diversity in gender. It’s all about diversity of thinking.” - Michelle Price
• 21:23 - The future of startups and consultancies offering contract work
• 26:47 - Key lessoned learned around building teams
• 27:14 - “It’s just so hard to teach attitude. You can shape attitude but you really can’t necessarily fundamentally change the underlying attitude of someone.” - Michelle Price
• 30:20 - Michelle’s advice to her younger self

Jo McCatty is a recruitment leader with expertise across different sectors serving the UK, EU and APAC markets. Her key interest is driving success and delivery of outcomes through people, technology and change/transformation (aka ambiguity).

Jo also has an interest in working on Complex People Projects , and she is passionate about Candidate Attraction , Engagement & Management, Acquisition as well as Coaching. Currently working onsite with ANZ in their NICHE Sourcing squad, Jo is working to attract engineering talent into the business during an exciting time of change in the world of Technology.

During this episode, Jo will share how to overcome the top challenges when hiring staff in cybersecurity including ways to build and grow your team. Learn the role diversity plays in your hiring and sourcing plans. Find out how leaders and employees should harness the power of mentorship for long term success.

Links:

• Linkedin.com/in/joannamccatty
• Instagram.com/2_careercoach_u/

Time Stamps:

• 00:28 - Jo's background and introduction
• 03:09 - Overcoming the top challenges when hiring staff in cybersecurity
• 04:52 - Taking recruitment on as a project
• 05:52 - Transferring skills from other industry sectors
• 05:59 - What recruiters can do to fill cyber-security roles
• 08:13 - Setting the candidate up for success
• 08:55 - Do industries experience a skills gap?
• 09:20 - "The skills crisis comes about because everyone is trying to hire the same thing at the same time." - Jo McCatty
• 10:07 - The role diversity plays in your hiring and sourcing plans
• 12:11 - Reaching success + the power of mentorships
• 13:33 - "I have a coach for life because you can always step up, level up, and improve." - Jo McCatty
• 15:10 - Internal coaching and mentoring services
• 15:58 - The fact and fiction of the recruitment industry + building a team
• 18:18 - "Looking at the team dynamic and making sure you're hiring to complement it." -Jo McCatty
• 18:41 - "Huge consideration is looking at development areas and strengths for every individual you're bringing into the business verse what already exist in the business." - Jo McCatty
• 20:27 - Advice to your younger and less experienced self
• 20:39 - "[Don't] rush with the haste of the business to hire the talent". - Jo McCatty

Jo McCatty is a recruitment leader with expertise across different sectors serving the UK, EU and APAC markets. Her key interest is driving success and delivery of outcomes through people, technology and change/transformation (aka ambiguity).

Jo also has an interest in working on Complex People Projects , and she is passionate about Candidate Attraction , Engagement & Management, Acquisition as well as Coaching. Currently working onsite with ANZ in their NICHE Sourcing squad, Jo is working to attract engineering talent into the business during an exciting time of change in the world of Technology.

During this episode, Jo will share how to overcome the top challenges when hiring staff in cybersecurity including ways to build and grow your team. Learn the role diversity plays in your hiring and sourcing plans. Find out how leaders and employees should harness the power of mentorship for long term success.

Links:

• Linkedin.com/in/joannamccatty
• Instagram.com/2_careercoach_u/

Time Stamps:

• 00:28 - Jo’s background and introduction
• 03:09 - Overcoming the top challenges when hiring staff in cybersecurity
• 04:52 - Taking recruitment on as a project
• 05:52 - Transferring skills from other industry sectors
• 05:59 - What recruiters can do to fill cyber-security roles
• 08:13 - Setting the candidate up for success
• 08:55 - Do industries experience a skills gap?
• 09:20 - “The skills crisis comes about because everyone is trying to hire the same thing at the same time.” - Jo McCatty
• 10:07 - The role diversity plays in your hiring and sourcing plans
• 12:11 - Reaching success + the power of mentorships
• 13:33 - “I have a coach for life because you can always step up, level up, and improve.” - Jo McCatty
• 15:10 - Internal coaching and mentoring services
• 15:58 - The fact and fiction of the recruitment industry + building a team
• 18:18 - "Looking at the team dynamic and making sure you're hiring to complement it." -Jo McCatty
• 18:41 - “Huge consideration is looking at development areas and strengths for every individual you’re bringing into the business verse what already exist in the business.” - Jo McCatty
• 20:27 - Advice to your younger and less experienced self
• 20:39 - "[Don't] rush with the haste of the business to hire the talent". - Jo McCatty

Craig Searle is the co-founder of Australian cybersecurity consultancy, Hivint, and the security collaboration platform, Security Colony – both of which were acquired by Trustwave, an Optus company, in December 2018.

Craig has over 12 years of experience in the security industry, working in the finance, government, telecommunications and infrastructure sectors. He has been directly responsible for the delivery of a number of strategically-critical security programs for a range of clients, including a $10m PCI DSS compliance program for one of Australia's leading health insurers, achieving compliance on-time and on budget.

During this episode, Craig offers a unique perspective on the shortage of talent in the cybersecurity industry and ways to create a proper solution. Find out if we are losing potential in house professionals to cybersecurity startups. Learn the best practices for new hire onboarding and enable your team to succeed long term.

Links:

• Linkedin.com/in/craigsearleinfosec
• Hivint.com
• Securitycolony.com
• Trustwave.com

Time Stamps:

• 00:32 - Craig's background and introduction
• 02:45 - Transitioning from a technical to a leadership role
• 06:39 - Attracting the proper work talent to your business
• 08:07- "One of our big beliefs is that good people attract more good people." - Craig Searle
• 11:54 - The role diversity plans in the hiring and sourcing plan
• 12:19 - "Diversity is an outcome of having a successful hiring and talent acquisition process." - Craig Searle
• 18:01 - Analyzing the 'skills crisis' and creating a proper solution
• 19:08 - "We need to do better at looking at the outcome we want and find the right person for that outcome. Pay less attention to the university they went to or the certification they hold." - Craig Searle
• 20:13 - Are we losing potential in house professional to Cybersecurity startups?
• 22:44 - Enabling a team to succeed long term
• 23:57 - Overcoming obstacles when sourcing & best practices for new team hires
• 28:19 - Wise and valuable words to tell your younger self

Craig Searle is the co-founder of Australian cybersecurity consultancy, Hivint, and the security collaboration platform, Security Colony – both of which were acquired by Trustwave, an Optus company, in December 2018.

Craig has over 12 years of experience in the security industry, working in the finance, government, telecommunications and infrastructure sectors. He has been directly responsible for the delivery of a number of strategically-critical security programs for a range of clients, including a $10m PCI DSS compliance program for one of Australia’s leading health insurers, achieving compliance on-time and on budget.

During this episode, Craig offers a unique perspective on the shortage of talent in the cybersecurity industry and ways to create a proper solution. Find out if we are losing potential in house professionals to cybersecurity startups. Learn the best practices for new hire onboarding and enable your team to succeed long term.

Links:

• Linkedin.com/in/craigsearleinfosec
• Hivint.com
• Securitycolony.com
• Trustwave.com

Time Stamps:

• 00:32 - Craig’s background and introduction
• 02:45 - Transitioning from a technical to a leadership role
• 06:39 - Attracting the proper work talent to your business
• 08:07- “One of our big beliefs is that good people attract more good people.” - Craig Searle
• 11:54 - The role diversity plans in the hiring and sourcing plan
• 12:19 - “Diversity is an outcome of having a successful hiring and talent acquisition process.” - Craig Searle
• 18:01 - Analyzing the ‘skills crisis’ and creating a proper solution
• 19:08 - “We need to do better at looking at the outcome we want and find the right person for that outcome. Pay less attention to the university they went to or the certification they hold.” - Craig Searle
• 20:13 - Are we losing potential in house professional to Cybersecurity startups?
• 22:44 - Enabling a team to succeed long term
• 23:57 - Overcoming obstacles when sourcing & best practices for new team hires
• 28:19 - Wise and valuable words to tell your younger self

Samm MacLeod is the CISO at AGL, Australia's leading energy company offering electricity, gas, solar and renewable energy services to homes and businesses.

Samantha is an accomplished professional with more than 20 years' experience supporting business strategies through technology enablement, risk management, security, and governance. In her role as CISO at AGL, Samantha is accountable for aligning Cybersecurity strategy with business strategic initiatives and integrating security practices across the organization.

During this episode, Samantha will bring light to the obstacles you may face when sourcing for security teams. Listen for her suggested immediate hiring needs and why you should strategically create employee longevity. Find out if the cybersecurity talent gap is really an industry crisis and how encouraging a diverse team of talented professionals may be the solution to a successful team.

Links:

• Linkedin.com/in/samanthamacleod

Time Stamps:

• 00:32 - Samantha's background, introduction, and journey to CISO
• 03:20 - Immediate hiring needs for a new security team
• 07:36 - Roles that must be outsourced or can be done in house
• 09:59 - Is there a lack of skill crisis?
• 10:24 - "I don't think you need 25 years experience to make a difference in a security team" - Samantha MacLeod
• 15:41 - Are we losing in-house security professionals to micro business?
• 16:18 - "Step out of that mold and challenge the industry and status quo" - Samantha MacLeod
• 18:25 - Why women aren't prevalent in this industry
• 22:07 - The role that diversity plays on a security team of professionals
• 24:51 - Overcoming obstacles when sourcing for teams
• 26:14 - "The hardest thing is finding the time to find the talent" - Samantha MacLeod
• 28:29 - Key lessons learned around cybersecurity teams

Samm MacLeod is the CISO at AGL, Australia's leading energy company offering electricity, gas, solar and renewable energy services to homes and businesses.

Samantha is an accomplished professional with more than 20 years’ experience supporting business strategies through technology enablement, risk management, security, and governance. In her role as CISO at AGL, Samantha is accountable for aligning Cybersecurity strategy with business strategic initiatives and integrating security practices across the organization.

During this episode, Samantha will bring light to the obstacles you may face when sourcing for security teams. Listen for her suggested immediate hiring needs and why you should strategically create employee longevity. Find out if the cybersecurity talent gap is really an industry crisis and how encouraging a diverse team of talented professionals may be the solution to a successful team.

Links:

• Linkedin.com/in/samanthamacleod

Time Stamps:

• 00:32 - Samantha’s background, introduction, and journey to CISO
• 03:20 - Immediate hiring needs for a new security team
• 07:36 - Roles that must be outsourced or can be done in house
• 09:59 - Is there a lack of skill crisis?
• 10:24 - “I don’t think you need 25 years experience to make a difference in a security team” - Samantha MacLeod
• 15:41 - Are we losing in-house security professionals to micro business?
• 16:18 - “Step out of that mold and challenge the industry and status quo” - Samantha MacLeod
• 18:25 - Why women aren’t prevalent in this industry
• 22:07 - The role that diversity plays on a security team of professionals
• 24:51 - Overcoming obstacles when sourcing for teams
• 26:14 - “The hardest thing is finding the time to find the talent” - Samantha MacLeod
• 28:29 - Key lessons learned around cybersecurity teams

Jonathan Werrett is the head of information security at FitBit and prior to that, he ran product security at Palantir. Jonathan has spent the last decade building infosec teams and maturing security operations. His roles have spanned security engineering in Silicon Valley, pentesting in APAC, and devops/SRE in Europe.

During this episode, Jonathan will share core principles to follow when hiring and building a team in information security. Learn to find ideal leadership even when the talent pool is subpar and explore the importance diversity plays in the hiring process. Listen to the end to hear some of Jonathan's hardest lessons learned during his 15+ years in the industry.

Links:

• Linkedin.com/in/werrett
• Twitter.com/werrett

Time Stamps:

• 00:27 - Jonathan's background and introduction
• 02:12 - Principles to follow when hiring a new team
• 02:39 - "The team should reflect the risks that your particular organization faces" - Jonathan Werrett
• 03:28 - Security teams role in proper context
• 08:55 - Building and hiring a team in information security
• 13:22 - Skills and roles that can be outsourced
• 14:02 - "You don't need a full-time red team even if your multinational" - Jonathan Werrett
• 16:22 - The importance of diversity plays a role in the hiring process
• 16:45 - "More diverse teams come up with better solutions over time" - Jonathan Werrett
• 18:16 - Finding ideal leadership even when the talent pool is subpar
• 23:55 - Hardest lessons learned in this industry

Jonathan Werrett is the head of information security at FitBit and prior to that, he ran product security at Palantir. Jonathan has spent the last decade building infosec teams and maturing security operations. His roles have spanned security engineering in Silicon Valley, pentesting in APAC, and devops/SRE in Europe.

During this episode, Jonathan will share core principles to follow when hiring and building a team in information security. Learn to find ideal leadership even when the talent pool is subpar and explore the importance diversity plays in the hiring process. Listen to the end to hear some of Jonathan's hardest lessons learned during his 15+ years in the industry.

Links:

• Linkedin.com/in/werrett
• Twitter.com/werrett

Time Stamps:

• 00:27 - Jonathan’s background and introduction
• 02:12 - Principles to follow when hiring a new team
• 02:39 - “The team should reflect the risks that your particular organization faces” - Jonathan Werrett
• 03:28 - Security teams role in proper context
• 08:55 - Building and hiring a team in information security
• 13:22 - Skills and roles that can be outsourced
• 14:02 - “You don’t need a full-time red team even if your multinational” - Jonathan Werrett
• 16:22 - The importance of diversity plays a role in the hiring process
• 16:45 - “More diverse teams come up with better solutions over time” - Jonathan Werrett
• 18:16 - Finding ideal leadership even when the talent pool is subpar
• 23:55 - Hardest lessons learned in this industry