On the lighter side of things , we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . .

Definitely the founding of Cado Security . We ’ ve been in business since 2020 and everything has happened really quickly – we ’ ve done three funding rounds , established ourselves in the US and UK , taken on 50 staff and scored contracts with enterprise customers in the technology and banking spaces . It feels like we ’ ve been going for 10 years not three and a half . Developing a new technology and a company from scratch is incredibly rewarding and I ’ m especially proud of the fact that we ’ ve been able to create jobs and opportunities for so many people as a result . It ’ s good when you step back for a moment to admire your achievement , before taking a deep breath and jumping back in .

What first made you think of a career in technology ?

I was one of those kids who liked to tinker . That meant I had to learn to fix my own mistakes . Then , when I was about 12 , I played my first video game on a computer and it just grabbed me . Next thing you know , my parents bought me my own machine and you couldn ’ t get me off the thing . Aside from gaming , I loved learning a little bit about hacking and hackers . After completing my IT degree in 2007 , I was contemplating what to do next when a graduate opportunity opened

up at the Australian Signals Directorate ( ASD ) – the country ’ s lead cyber security agency . Those were the days when they wouldn ’ t tell you what you were going to do until you ’ d signed on the line ! I had a mate working there and he said , ‘ I know what you want to get into – come to Canberra ’. Based solely on that , I joined the ASD and I think it was the best move of my career .

What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?

Utilise people ’ s strengths ; don ’ t focus on their weaknesses . A lot of people strive to address their deficits rather than amplifying their innate abilities and , earlier in my career , I was one of them . When I learnt to focus on what I was good at , my performance became significantly better . Cyber security is crisis driven work and , to be effective , you need to have an A team who can hit the ground running under virtual ‘ live fire ’ conditions . As a leader , it ’ s my job to fit people to roles and responsibilities that will allow them to perform at their peak .

What do you think is the current hot technology talking point ?

AI is obviously much talked about , particularly since the emergence of ChatGPT . It has some great

www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO APAC 79