JENNA WHITMAN
THE NONLINEAR ROAD TO CISO by Jenna Whitman, CISO at Callaghan Innovation
As a 29-year old female CISO with Callaghan
I did not want to become the subject of criticism.
Innovation, I have seen firsthand the challenges
Today, I am glad I took the leap and pushed through a
that come with being a woman in the cybersecurity
barrier that many do not realise is there.
industry, and a professional. Thankfully, I have also seen and experienced the positive impact embracing
Rooted in Callaghan’s culture is a belief that people
equity can have.
should experiment, ‘dive into the unknown’ and, reading between the lines, not be afraid to fail. The
Becoming the youngest CISO in the NZ public
opportunity to experiment and create a rotational
sector (I am accepting challenges on this!) has been
CISO position allowed me, and my counterpart at the
nothing short of an interesting, yet unintentional,
time, to grow, learn and experience the C-suite as a
social experiment in how people respond to a young
safe space. That experience evolved into a full-time
woman in charge. To me, demystifying the barriers
appointment.
to progressing into security leadership is essential to improving opportunity and achieving equity in a sector
I am human, and therefore very much afraid of
known for its antiquated model of what a leader looks
failure: I am guaranteed to have failures ahead of
and feels like (hint: not us).
me. And whilst I have industry-specific education and experience, my behaviour, mindset and aptitude are
To do this, I believe it is valuable to practice
what carry the most weight and are most valued by
authenticity with my newfound platform, which
my leaders, and now my industry peers.
includes sharing the self-doubt I had moving into this role. I was so doubting of my abilities that I
This brings me to what I believe to be the most
tried to talk my own leaders out of offering me the
important aspects of success, equity and
opportunity (something I have only ever seen or
fulfilment: allies.
heard women do). Thankfully, my leaders did not buy
56
what I was selling at that moment. My doubts were
My allies are more than mere mentors. They have
likely fuelled by what I had seen and heard when
reached out to me, offered their wisdom, their
other women were given opportunities. I hid my new
tricks of the trade, openly discussed salaries, made
appointment from nearly everyone in my personal and
introductions and given me their time and energy.
former professional circles for more than six months.
This is what equity can look like.
W O M E N I N S E C U R I T Y M A G A Z I N E
M A R C H • A P R I L 2023