Meet a Security Risk Analyst

Your degree is in Computer Science. What drew you to Information Security / Risk Assurance after graduation?

Throughout college, I found that my favorite part of my programming assignments was presenting and speaking to others about my work, so I started looking for similar career opportunities as I neared graduation.

My first job out of school was in consulting, which introduced me to Information Security. I started as an ethical hacker, learning how to break things. Over time, I became more interested in helping to fix them and realized that I wanted to be part of the solutions I was developing and to see them put into practice.

You then moved on to SIG! Tell us about your journey so far.

I actually spoke to Recruiting about a different opportunity a few years before joining the firm. It wasn't an exact match, so we agreed to stay in touch. SIG later reconnected with me to talk about the role I'm in now. The timing was perfect and I loved that they thought of me again.

In my time here, I've helped to drive the development of an assurance program that is fluid and supports the needs of the business in real-time. Everyone - from our CIO down - sees the value in what we provide and comes to us when they see opportunities for risk assessments. I think this level of partnership is really unique.

How would you describe the management structure at SIG as it relates to your career progression?

I've appreciated the light touch management style that SIG espouses. It's allowed me to identify issues, invest a few cycles in trying to resolve them, and test different solutions out; that's encouraged here. I've also really liked that I've been able to work directly with stakeholders and managers who are empowered to make immediate decisions. I think that's helped me to be even more effective in my role.

You recently became a mom of twins. How have you approached managing the balance between your life at work and your life at home since having your children?

I really try to keep these two parts of myself separate, which is helped by the fact that I have twins and only two hands! In all seriousness, I've never felt like I "had" to log on at night after leaving work. So much of what I do has a longer arc, so I'm able to prioritize. If something critical comes up, I handle it. Outside of that, when I'm with my family, I'm able to be present with them.

When I left my prior employer, I realized that I didn't see many women in upper management with kids so it was difficult to find mentors who wanted what I did. At SIG, our CIO, her leadership team, and employees across firm are able to be very present in their kids' lives and I've loved seeing that top down support to have a great career and a life outside of work.

In your opinion, what is the best perk we offer?

The gym. It's always been such a big part of my "unplug" time and having it here allows me to work it seamlessly into my routine. And the free lunch is awesome. I don't have much time to food shop now so there've definitely been times where I've helped myself to a second lunch while I was here!