MARTIN SMITH

What is your name?

Martin Smith MBE

What company do you work for?

The Security Awareness Special Interest Group (The SASIG)

What is your position in the company?

Chairman and Founder

How long have you worked in the industry?

I first began working in the computer industry (as it was called then) in 1981 when I was tasked by the MoD to develop the very first tri-Service computer security training courses (CSy1 and CSy2). These were rolled out firstly in the RAF and then adapted/adopted for the Mod itself and the Army and Navy.

What do you do and in what circumstances would I come to you for something?

Founded by me in 2004, The Security Awareness Special Interest Group (www.thesasig.com) offers a networking and thought-leadership forum for the cybersecurity industry, to ‘improve trust and confidence in the online environment’. Our nearly 8,500 membership now represents 2,500+ organisations of all sizes, and includes CIOs, CISOs and their teams, professionals from other disciplines (risk, HR, legal, supply, etc) and representatives from government, law enforcement and academia. All our meetings are free to attend. Upon lockdown in March 2020 we successfully transitioned online. Since then, we have held 600+ webinars and our membership has nearly tripled and continues to rise. As the pandemic ended, we retained the best of our online experience whilst reintroducing our in-person activities. We now run 12 online webinars and three in-person events each month. 

What do you do at work on a daily basis?

My role within SASIG is to develop relationships at all levels throughout the cybersecurity community, both members (CISOs etc.) and Supporters/Partners (vendors). I am still also closely involved in drawing up agendas and recruiting speakers for our programme of webinars and in-person events. I enjoy developing new ideas for SASIG workstreams – for example, the recent emergence of AI and ChatGPT in particular is something I know our members are curious about so we are preparing a Masterclass on this topic – what is it, how do I get started, what are the implications for me at the personal/professional level and for society in general.

What is the best thing about your job?

I consider myself merely to be the conductor of the orchestra that is SASIG, I have 8,500 friends whom I get to work with delivering to them a service that is both a privilege and delight to provide.

What’s a mistake you made early on in your career, and what did you learn from it?

Back in 1997 I was victim of a scam that cost me all I had financially and emotionally – read the story at https://www.thesasig.com/blog/blog_9/ It taught me many things, particularly how easy it is to be the victim of fraud and how important it is to never judge those that do.

What concerns you about the future of Cyber?

The pandemic was a gamechanger for cyber security and allowed us to take our rightful place at the business table – without our efforts UK plc could not have transitioned online and operated there so well during lockdown so our future is bright. Everyday cybersecurity operations are now efficient and effective – most organisations have in place at least the basics of protection and detection but we shouldn’t be especially proud of this, it’s what we do for a living and it’s what we get paid for. The greatest challenge we face as an industry is resourcing ourselves in the future – unless we address and solve the cybersecurity skills gap then we eventually will fail.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I had intended to be a doctor but as I prepared to go to medical school I realised I couldn’t stand the sight of blood (think Doc Martin, I get worse as I get older). I therefore chose to study behavioural psychology, and but was drawn into the RAF as a fast jet pilot by default via the University Air Squadron scheme. This proved too hard (300mph brain in 500mph aircraft) so I transferred in counter-intelligence and computer security. Then 30 years running my own businesses… Point of the story – I’m still working out what I’m going to do when I grow up.

What behaviour or personality trait do you most attribute your success to, and why?

I’m a natural communicator (i.e. chatterbox and nosy parker) and highly curious, I’m fascinated by human nature and what drives us as people, and I love finding out about others’ lives. I’m never happier than meeting someone new. It was inevitable that I’d end up where I am now – basically a life spent interacting with others.

What do you consider your greatest personal achievement?

Awarded the MBE by HM The Queen in 1990 – others have achieved higher awards but mine came early in my life and for deeds I’m especially proud of. Read the story at https://www.thesasig.com/blog/blog_10/