Podcast Summary: CyberWire Daily – “Arti Lalwani: Supporting and being the change. [Risk Management] [Career Notes]”

Host: N2K Networks
Guest: Arti Lalwani, Knowledge Leader for Risk Management and Privacy at Align
Date: November 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features Arti Lalwani sharing her winding journey into the cybersecurity and risk management field, detailing the unique challenges she faced as a minority woman and the importance of mentorship and inclusive leadership. Arti reflects on her early career decisions, her approach to team management, overcoming confidence barriers, embracing mentorship, and her resolve to help foster lasting change for underrepresented groups in tech.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Early Career and Family Influences

• Indecision and Parental Expectations (01:28 – 02:45):

  • Arti discusses being undecided in college and considering teaching, but her traditional Indian parents pushed for more “acceptable” career paths (doctor, engineer).
    • Quote: “If you were not a doctor or an engineer or going to marry a doctor or an engineer, your career choice was probably worthless.” – Arti Lalwani (01:43)
  • Eventually pursued a finance degree and began her professional life in the financial sector, but soon realized it didn’t fit her.

• Transition to Tech (02:45 – 03:40):

  • Taking a job in hardware “by chance,” Arti entered the tech world from the ground up, having “no clue” about technology initially.

Management Philosophy and Leadership Experience

• Inclusive Leadership (03:40 – 05:00):
  • Arti vowed to never be the type of manager she disliked, pledging to ensure all voices on her team are heard and breaking down hierarchical barriers.
    • Quote: “Just because I’m above you or I’m two steps above you, doesn’t mean you can’t approach me with simple questions.” – Arti Lalwani (04:21)
  • Her inclusive style is credited with maintaining low attrition on her team.

Gender and Minority Experience in Tech

• Identity, Confidence, and Judgment (05:00 – 06:34):

  • Talks candidly about pressure to change her demeanor (“aggressive” or “bossy”) to conform to workplace expectations.

  • Touches on double standards for women and minority women, emphasizing how judgment often relates to identity rather than capability.

  • Quote: “Women face... one of the biggest issues that they face is confidence. And for me, not only was that the issue, but I also felt like I wasn’t ready to lead in this industry.” – Arti Lalwani (06:11)

The Power of Mentorship

• Mentor Support and Building Confidence (06:34 – 07:15):

  • Arti describes the critical role professional mentors and her manager played in helping her accept a leadership role, seeing potential in her that she wasn’t able to recognize herself.
    • Quote: “For the first time, I felt like someone else saw something in me that I couldn’t even see in myself.” – Arti Lalwani (06:54)

• Advice for Career Changers and Women in Tech (07:15 – 07:50):

  • Emphasizes resilience in the face of setbacks and the necessity of building a support system—through networking, seeking mentorship, and proactively pushing past roadblocks.
    • Quote: “If you give up at that first sign, you’re never going to get to where you want to be. So keep going and find ways to pursue past that.” – Arti Lalwani (07:21)

Giving Back and Fostering Change

• Mentorship and Being Part of the Change (07:50 – 08:10):
  • Arti actively seeks to normalize women supporting each other in tech, focusing on mentoring her own team and passing on lessons that weren’t available to her.
    • Quote: “Being able to give back in that sense is a very important thing.” – Arti Lalwani (08:08)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Parental Expectations:
  “If you were not a doctor or an engineer or going to marry a doctor or an engineer, your career choice was probably worthless.” – Arti Lalwani (01:43)

• On Inclusive Leadership:
  “Just because I’m above you or I’m two steps above you, doesn’t mean you can’t approach me with simple questions.” – Arti Lalwani (04:21)

• On Confidence as a Challenge for Women:
  “Women face... one of the biggest issues that they face is confidence. And for me, not only was that the issue, but I also felt like I wasn’t ready to lead in this industry.” – Arti Lalwani (06:11)

• On the Importance of Mentorship:
  “For the first time, I felt like someone else saw something in me that I couldn’t even see in myself.” – Arti Lalwani (06:54)

• On Resilience and Networking:
  “If you give up at that first sign, you’re never going to get to where you want to be. So keep going and find ways to pursue past that.” – Arti Lalwani (07:21)

• On Giving Back:
  “Being able to give back in that sense is a very important thing.” – Arti Lalwani (08:08)

Key Takeaways

• Nontraditional paths can lead to fulfilling careers—Arti’s journey from finance to tech exemplifies this.
• Inclusive leadership—building a culture of openness and support—pays off in team retention and satisfaction.
• Confidence and mentorship are vital, especially for minority women facing unique barriers in tech.
• Persistence, support networks, and mentorship are essential for overcoming industry obstacles and achieving success.
• Arti embodies the ethos of being the change she wished to see, both through her leadership style and commitment to mentoring others.