Like any CRO, I’m a road warrior, and have been one for the last 20 or so years, while working for some of the biggest brands and well-known scale-ups in cybersecurity. I absolutely love getting out there, among people, meeting prospects, spending time with existing customers, and collaborating with internal teams. These in-person interactions energize me and are critical for growing business and building relationships.
When the world went into lockdown in March 2020, it was a major adjustment period for everyone including me. Those were really tough days at first, because of the uncertainty. But we all quickly adapted, and I relished the time I spent with my wife and young daughters, one who was born at the height of the pandemic. I think we have all realized a new appreciation for family time, work-from-home, and balancing important business trips where we can meet together in- person.
For the last several weeks. I’ve been inspired in new ways and excited because, to quote Willie Nelson, I’ve been “On the Road Again” listening to the stories of customers, their business objectives, career ambitions, and how fraud prevention and account security are top of mind, especially around credential stuffing, account take overs, promo abuse, and scraping.
Maybe that absence of travel, meeting and being with colleagues, customers, and prospects in-person made me, and all Sales people, very appreciative of the time we do get to spend in-person with them.
Home to Sydney
I’m a native of Sydney, Australia. So, I guess it was apropos that I kicked off my travel schedule this year back to Oz, my motherland. The occasion was our company, Arkose Labs, opening an office there. Arkose Labs was born in Brisbane and has a big hub there, so it was super exciting to expand our operations into Sydney.
Our Sydney office has already delivered - in a big way. Our Australian team just signed a multi-year deal with one of the “Big 4” banks Down Under. The bank specifically selected us to stop malicious bot attacks and human click farm attacks on its consumers’ online accounts.
The trip to Oz for the office opening was the springboard for my full-on travel schedule, as I evangelize across global markets how we can bankrupt financially-motivated fraudsters by having the right technology stack in place.
MRC Back In-Person
The Merchant Risk Council (MRC) hosted its first in-person event in two years earlier this month. The excitement on the show floor was palpable – being able to meet with folks we’ve only seen and engaged with through video before COVID-19 restrictions started to ease. A highlight of MRC was hearing from Stephanie Olsen who is the head of customer trust and fraud platform services at Netflix, as she presented with our founder and CEO (and fellow Australian!) Kevin Gosschalk. They unveiled our Attack Incentive Index™ for the very first time. Stephanie had this to say during the presentation: “Recognize what's valuable about your brand and what fraudsters will go after. You have to understand the value of what you're offering.” Yep, know your value is one of the first steps in deterring fraudsters and securing your consumers’ online accounts.
On to London
As I write this, I am still a bit jet lagged but I don’t mind it one little bit (and nothing another flat white wont fix). I just returned to Southern California from a trip to London where I had the honor to speak at the secureCISO event. It was clear from the conversation during my fireside chat that CISOs and CSOs face the dual challenge of accelerating demand to secure their businesses while at the same time helping grow users and revenue. I also met with prospects and our on-the-ground Arkose Labs team in EMEA –some of whom I met in-person for the first time! I’m sure you’ve experienced that too and realized that meeting people in-person does make a difference.
This is a selfie I took in front of the Australian Embassy in London with the ever helpful Christopher Cobb, who heads Australia trade in the UK. It was fun meeting new friends and at the same time humbling to spend time at ‘Australia House’, talkingabout all things Arkose Labs and our expansion across the UK to meet the pent-up demand. We also spent time with a new customer in the BNPL space, which is taking off. Kudos to this company’s leadership because they recognize that account security is a strategic advantage – it's the anchor for consumer trust. Indeed, it’s rewarding that prospects and customers across the globe want to associate with us knowing we have the cybersecurity technology that actually does what it says it will do.
Next…the Arkose Labs North American Cybersecurity Roadshow
Where in the world am I traveling to next? Portland, Seattle, New York City, Toronto, and Chicago! These cities are the next few stops on the upcoming Arkose Labs Cybersecurity Roadshow.
We’re hosting dinners with enviable groups of local cybersecurity executives at Michelin awarded restaurants (I mean we need a good reason to get out of the house) – Portland on April 4th, Seattle April 6th, and New York City April 19th, up over the border to Toronto April 20th and off to the midwest and Chicago on April 21st. Are you in the area on the given day? Email me if you want to attend the Portland dinner and sign up for the Seattle, NYC, Toronto, and Chicago dinners. You can also connect with me to make sure you ‘get in’ so that you can network with other senior cybersecurity pros from the region who have already registered.
After this, I get to go home for a week before we head to Tokyo, Japan for some big news… stay tuned! In the meantime as I love to say “Let’s Get Out There”
Shutdown during the pandemic has reinforced many life lessons, one of which is to be thankful for what I have. I was able to coach my eldest daughter’s soccer team, we had a new baby, and now we’re expecting our third baby in July. Not being able to travel and being locked down for nearly two years made me even more grateful for precious family time – I was able to participate in the little things that naturally happen around the house daily. Plus, lockdown has refreshed me for the travel I’m doing now. Are you as excited as I am to be back in the mix? I cannot wait to meet you, in-person!
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