Podcast
The Defender's Journal
Hosted by Techfellow Ltd · EN
Welcome to The Defender's Journal (our next step up from The Tech Stack), where we delve into the lives and minds of leading professionals in the cybersecurity space. Discover their unique stories, motivations, perspectives on the industry, and tips for long-term success...
*Interested in joining us on the show? Please connect with Cameron Wenham or Jeff Harrod!
15episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Defender's Journal Episode 35 - Omkhar Arasaratnam
2w ago00:41:06Tap to summarizeWelcome to Episode 35 of The Defender’s Journal!This week, Omkhar Arasaratnam joins us - a Distinguished Engineer at LinkedIn whose career has taken him from factory work and DJ’ing to leading cyber and engineering functions across IBM, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, JPMorgan and Google.In this episode, we explore why careers are rarely ladders, the difference between advisors and operators, and what changes when you build security into systems serving millions of users. Omkhar also reflects on analysis paralysis, mentorship, and the mindset that turns every day into a “bonus round”.You can find more from Omkhar at omkhar.net and learn about his scholarship work at skscholarship.com.+ Interested in joining us on the show? Connect with Cameron Wenham on LinkedIn or via our website.
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A Defender's x Disruptor's Journal Crossover - Damon Kachur
Apr 2200:32:06Tap to summarizeWelcome to another special crossover episode of The Defender’s and Disruptors’ Journal.Today’s guest is Damon Kachur, CEO of SecureG - a leader who has spent over two decades building the invisible infrastructure that digital trust depends on, from issuing billions of device identities to securing the networks behind telecom, IoT and critical systems.In this episode, we explore what it really means to build trust at scale - from the early days of PKI and stopping large-scale fraud, to the future of quantum-resistant cryptography and machine identity. Damon also shares his mindset as a leader under pressure, why trust infrastructure is still misunderstood at board level, and how the next wave of AI and connected systems will redefine identity entirely...+ Want to be part of the journey? Connect with host Cameron Wenham or explore both shows via our website!
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The Defender's Journal Episode 34 - George Totev
Apr 800:31:46Tap to summarizeWelcome to Episode 34 of The Defender’s Journal!This week, George Totev joins us - a CISO who has spent over 20 years operating at the intersection of regulation, product and real-world risk, building and scaling security and compliance functions across organisations like Goldman Sachs, Visa and Atlassian...In this episode, we explore how security leaders should think about trade-offs at scale - from balancing prevention vs reaction, to understanding diminishing returns in security investment, and why incident management is ultimately the last line of defence. George also touches on how to communicate risk effectively to boards - not through theory, but through cost, consequence and real-world impact.+ Interested in joining us on the show? Connect with Cameron Wenham on LinkedIn or via our website.
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A Defender's x Disruptor's Journal Crossover - Abhi Sharma
Apr 100:32:03Tap to summarizeWelcome to another crossover episode of The Defender’s Journal.Today’s guest is Abhi Sharma, co-founder and CEO of Relyance AI - a company rethinking how organisations secure data in the age of AI. Rather than treating data as something static, his team is building an AI-native approach to privacy, governance and security that focuses on the movement of data itself.In this episode, we explore how Abhi’s early experiences shaped his leadership philosophy, why “unreasonable hospitality” has become a defining cultural pillar at Relyance AI, and what many organisations still misunderstand about building trust in AI-driven systems…+ Want to be part of the journey? Connect with host Cameron Wenham or explore both shows via our website!
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The Defender's Journal Episode 33 - Sandeep Poonen
Mar 1800:37:19Tap to summarizeWelcome to Episode 33 of The Defender’s Journal.This week, Sandeep Poonen joins us. From establishing VMware’s cloud security and enterprise cyber risk functions from the ground up to leading global compliance, fraud risk platforms and board-level cyber strategy, his career spans scale, regulation and high-stakes accountability...In this episode, we explore what was forged early in his journey - moving countries at 17 and building under pressure - and how that shaped his philosophy on integrity, resilience and leadership. We unpack what it really means to “bowl the last over,” why preparation matters more than bravado, and how trust is built not through perfection, but through accountability.+ Interested in joining us on the show? Connect with Cameron Wenham on LinkedIn or via our website.
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The Defender's Journal Episode 32 - Jacob DePriest (2)
Mar 400:29:58Tap to summarizeWelcome to Episode 32 of The Defender’s Journal.Jacob DePriest returns to the show - previously Deputy CISO at GitHub, and now holding a rare dual mandate as CISO and CIO at 1Password, operating at the fault line between security, infrastructure, and business strategy.In this conversation, Jacob unpacks what truly changes when you move from a deputy role into full ownership, why “customer zero” shifts the identity of a security leader, and the advice he gives to anyone early in their career: don’t default to the way things have always been done - push, test, and challenge the assumptions that everyone else has learnt to live with.+ Interested in joining us on the show? Connect with either Jeff Harrod or Cameron Wenham on LinkedIn or via our website.
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A Defender's x Disruptor's Journal Crossover - Harry Wetherald
Feb 1800:31:46Tap to summarizeWelcome to a special crossover episode between ‘The Defender’s Journal’ and our new sister series focussed on ‘The Disruptors’ where we shift the lens from what needs defending to what we’re building next...Our guest is Harry Wetherald - a founder with one foot in venture capital, the other in technical scale. As co-founder and CEO of Maze, he’s raised over $30 million and is reimagining vulnerability management through an AI-native lens - building systems that anticipate, recommend, and act, rather than wait for direction.We dig into the mindset behind Maze’s mission, and explore what marketing in cyber gets wrong, what AI-native actually means in practice, and why clarity is a more powerful moat than complexity!+ Want to be part of the journey? Connect with host Cameron Wenham or explore both shows via our website!
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A Defender's Journal Spin-Off - Ryan Lindley
Jan 2100:44:20Tap to summarizeWelcome to another hard-hitting spin-off of The Defender’s Journal.Today’s guest is Ryan Lindley - CEO of Aegis Cyber and one of the industry’s clearest thinkers when it comes to security leadership. From crashing school networks as a teen hacker to rebuilding billion-dollar organisations post-breach, Ryan brings sharp insight, zero fluff, and hard-earned lessons to this conversation.In this episode, we dive into what separates tactical firefighting from real security strategy - and what most companies still get wrong about cyber maturity. We also explore how Ryan’s Military Academy experience shaped his mindset, why influence beats authority, and why he refuses to work with organisations that won’t take fundamentals seriously.+ Interested in joining us on the show? Connect with either Jeff Harrod or Cameron Wenham on LinkedIn or via our website.
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The Defender's Journal Episode 31 - Matthew Presson
Jan 800:32:47Tap to summarizeWelcome to Episode 31 of The Defender’s Journal.This week, we’re joined by Matt Presson - a product-driven, context-obsessed security leader currently serving as CISO (Americas) at Bullish. From code reviews at FedEx to building global security functions across EY, B1, and now a regulated digital asset firm, Matt has seen cybersecurity from every angle.We explore the three defining questions behind his leadership style: Why is context so important and can it mislead you? How do you embed security without creating resentment? And... what changes when you stop trying to do it all yourself?+ Interested in joining us on the show? Connect with Cameron Wenham on LinkedIn or via our website.
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The Defender's Journal Episode 30 - Cezary Piekarski
Dec 1700:34:21Tap to summarizeWelcome to Episode 30 of The Defender’s Journal. This week, we sit down with Cezary Piekarski - a global cybersecurity leader with decades of experience across the financial sector, national advisory roles, and the highest levels of organisational leadership!In this conversation, Cezary unpacks the three steepest climbs in his leadership journey = from managing a team for the first time, to leading leaders, to becoming accountable for a distinct security domain. We explore how he builds clarity in complexity, why transparency and vulnerability are essential tools for influence, and what real humility looks like when you’re the one shaping global security culture...+ Interested in joining us on the show? Connect with Cameron Wenham on LinkedIn or via our website.
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