Leadership & Executive Communication , Training & Security Leadership , Video
CyberEdBoard Profiles in Leadership: Matt Gordon-Smith
CISO and Consultant on Networking, Self-Awareness and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
Matt Gordon-Smith has more than 25 years of information security experience and has led security programs across a wide range of industries, from an airport to a uranium enrichment company. He says networking and relationship-building are critical to career success, but many aspiring CISOs face a major obstacle to interacting with other leaders: imposter syndrome.
See Also: The CISO Playbook for Cloud Security
"Imposter syndrome can be crippling sometimes," Gordon-Smith said, acknowledging that many cybersecurity professionals deal with it. "You probably know a lot more than you think you do, and the people who you think are far more credible than you probably have specialisms or perhaps don't know as much as you think they do."
Gordon-Smith, who now provides security consulting services to clients as CISO at Resilience Insights, said self-awareness and ongoing learning are keys to conquering imposter syndrome in these high-stakes cybersecurity roles.
In this video interview with Information Security Media Group, conducted as part of the CyberEdBoard's ongoing Profiles in Leadership series, Gordon-Smith also discussed:
- The need to align security strategies with business goals and risk tolerance;
- How to effectively communicate with stakeholders to build trust and drive security initiatives;
- The evolving role of CISOs in different industries and the importance of understanding diverse business environments.
Gordon-Smith has been working in information security for almost 25 years. As an independent consultant, he advises organizations on transforming and maturing their security capabilities. He previously served as CISO at Gatwick Airport, FTSE30 Mining, Anglo American and URENCO, the U.K.'s civil nuclear uranium enrichment company. He started his career as a network engineer, and his information security journey began when he trained as an IT security architect for IBM. After several years in this role, he took on more senior roles where he shaped security services and offerings and provided assurance to clients. He is a member of the CyberEdBoard.
CyberEdBoard is ISMG's premier members-only community of senior-most executives and thought leaders in the fields of security, risk, privacy and IT. CyberEdBoard provides executives with a powerful, peer-driven collaborative ecosystem, private meetings and a library of resources to address complex challenges shared by thousands of CISOs and senior security leaders located in 65 different countries worldwide.
Join the Community - CyberEdBoard.io.
About the Author
Anna Delaney
Director, Productions, ISMG
An experienced broadcast journalist, Delaney conducts interviews with senior cybersecurity leaders around the world. Previously, she was editor-in-chief of the website for The European Information Security Summit, or TEISS. Earlier, she worked at Levant TV and Resonance FM and served as a researcher at the BBC and ITV in their documentary and factual TV departments.
