The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Chief Officer Awards were announced March 17, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live, in-person May 10.
Next is Chief Information Security Officer finalist in the Public Company category Garrett Smiley, who’s CISO and vice president of information security at Serco Inc. Here, he talks success in his current role, career advice and more.
What has made you successful in your current role?
Establishing and maintaining rapport with organizational stakeholders across all business units, all departments and at all levels. I do this through speaking to the respective stakeholder in the language and on the topics that matter to them. I can really only ask people to do new and sometimes trying things in a less risky way if that rapport is in place (and not in some sort of purely self-serving way). It has to be with their interests at heart, too.
How do you help shape the next generation of government leaders/industry leaders?
Mentorship is how I help support the security leaders and practitioners of tomorrow. My security team and I really strive to foster an atmosphere where interns can receive the necessary exposure to the corporate world fraught with all of its day to day challenges and political constraints.
Our successes are evident when those interns transition successfully from being exposed to what we do to actually supporting what we do as a full fledged member of the team. I also counsel those looking to break into security, encouraging them to build labs, get educated and join relevant communities of interest.
What’s your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
Pursue education. The decision to go back to school and retrain myself, first in IT, then in InfoSec, was life changing and responsible in no small part for getting me where I am today. Indirectly, the pursuit of professional certifications has also helped solidify my knowledge in those spaces too.