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Top security leaders share how mentorship shaped their paths to success.
Here are what some of them say on the role of mentorship in developing security careers.
“Observing and learning from these inspirational leaders has shaped who I am today,” says Michael Lashlee, Chief Security Officer at Mastercard. “I’m where I am today because I stand on the shoulders of those who came before me, and I strongly believe in paying it forward. A good mentor listens, provides honest feedback, and helps you see opportunities beyond your current path. In security, mentorship is especially vital because so much of the profession is shaped by experience, judgment, and context. Mentorship accelerates development, fosters resilience, and builds a strong culture of trust. A good mentor doesn’t have all the answers — they help others find their own.”
“To be effective in a mentor role, there has to be a genuine interest in helping other people thrive and see people grow,” says Former Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at James Hardie, Jay Gonzales. “You choose someone to mentor when you see something in someone and you know if they just had more guidance, just a little bit more structure, they can be and do so much more. I see more within them than they’re demonstrating to others, and I really try to pull that person out, bring them up a level, because I truly want people to believe in themselves and be successful.”
Joella Dun-Bernstein, Head of Security at JetZero says a key part of a successful security career is knowing what you don’t know and when to ask for help.
“I’m really fortunate to have mentors and friends in different parts of the security industry who have decades of experience,” she says. “If I can’t find an effective and creative solution to a problem, I have a very small handful of trusted people who have likely encountered a similar issue and we help each other figure things out.”
Whether it is his own career development, or that of those around him, Jeff Mieseler, Vice President, Protective Services at Nationwide highlights the importance of surrounding yourself with quality mentors who can be a sounding board. One concept he’s found valuable is establishing your own personals “board of directors”.
“It allows me access to a group of complementary views and perspectives that don’t necessarily mirror my own,” he says. “It makes me think and challenges me to look at a situation from all angles. I’ve always enjoyed setting up this personal board of directors for myself as a way for me to challenge myself and make sure that I’m at my best.”
“I think that I wouldn’t be where I am now if I didn’t have a really good mentor,” says Avril Eklund, Director of Security at Microsoft (dedicated to GitHub). “It was the first time I’d really had somebody like that build my confidence up and keep encouraging me and pushing me to do things that were outside of my comfort zone.”
She credits the mentorship as giving her the courage to transition from the public sector to private sector.
“I think I would have been too risk averse and too scared to do it if I hadn’t had that sort of mentor in my life to support me and keep pushing me forward,” she adds.
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