Main Responsibilities Of A Head Of Cybersecurity And Engineering At Commercial Insurance Company
Malia, Head of Cybersecurity & Engineering at a "insure tech" startup, is building the company's entire cybersecurity program from the ground up, encompassing "Cloud Security, application security, incident response," and more, all while working with limited resources and balancing business needs—a creative challenge informed by prior experience ensuring 24/7 streaming availability at companies like Hulu and Disney.
Cybersecurity, Cloud Security, Application Security, Incident Response, Leadership
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Malia Mason
Head of Cybersecurity & Engineering
Commercial Insurance Company
University of Pittsburgh class of 2011
EMBA UCLA class of 2023
International Relations & Affairs
Insurance
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Disabled, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Veteran, LGBTQ, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Building cybersecurity programs from the ground up in a fast-paced startup environment.
2. Balancing limited resources and budget constraints with the need for robust security.
3. Creative problem-solving to integrate security needs with business goals (e.g., ensuring 24/7 streaming availability).
Transcript
What are your main responsibilities within your current role?
In my current role at a startup, we are in InsureTech, which is Insurance Technology, a new and emerging field. My role is to build all of our cybersecurity defenses and programs from the ground up.
Almost nothing existed before I arrived. I am responsible for building all of our different programs myself. This includes Cloud Security, application security, incident response, vulnerability management, patch management, identity and access management, security architecture, phishing resiliency, and anything else that comes up.
I control all of this, figuring out how to accomplish these tasks with a limited budget and resources in a fast-paced startup environment. I must also ensure these efforts align with business goals.
For example, when I was at Hulu and Disney, we had to stream 24/7. If people couldn't watch their shows or sports, they would get upset. I need to figure out how to build security resiliency and programs around the business need for continuous streaming. This allows for creativity in building these systems and protecting company and customer data.