End of a Chapter

After more than 8 unforgettable years, it’s time to close this chapter with Mimecast before my next one begins.

Mimecast shaped me maybe more than anywhere else I’ve worked so far. It’s been the privilege of a lifetime to do some of my greatest work, alongside some of the greatest teams, and experience many of my greatest learnings.

In that time, I’ve collected a gazillion air miles, unforgettable friendships, and more stories than I could ever fit into one post – from Johannesburg to Dubai to Munich to London to Boston and beyond. I’ve had the chance to meet, and learn from some of the smartest, kindest, quirkiest clients, colleagues, partners, CISOs, CIOs, CTOs, journalists and even a few people brave enough to go on record on podcasts about their experiences with data breaches and cyber crime.

Here’s what stands out most as I look back and my thanks to all these people mentioned below who made my time at Mimecast unforgettable:

Great Leadership Drives Great Culture

My thanks go especially to Paul Stafford for being a great friend, leaning in and showing me how powerful connecting then inspiring and then guiding teams is before you try and drive or change behavior. Brandon Bekker for bringing me onboard in the first place. And all the spoils and fun and hard work and leadership development. Peter Bauer for creating and driving a global warm, people first culture with strong South African roots. Mark Bilbe for showing this cynic that company values can be real and not just corporate wall art.

Phishy Business is Fun

Here is where I unexpectedly had greatest fun and most learning I have ever experienced in a work environment without violating any HR policies (well mostly). Phishy Business was an award winning podcast. It was the brainchild of the energetic and creative Laura Barnes . Taken on by the quietly understated Laura Rapson and talented Alice Jeffery (my co-host). My thanks to every incredible guest – authors, clients, CEOs, Police, CISOs, hackers , nuclear submarine captains, CIOs, and so many more interesting people, who helped us explore the lesser-known side of cybersecurity. My greatest learning here is that some concepts don't travel well if you don't take the time to understand what makes them resonate in their home markets.

Alternative Viewpoints Make You a Better Leader

Dr Francis Gaffney FRSA , Andrew Williams , Khetan Gajjar , Malcolm Murphy , Charles King , Garrett O'Hara , Melissa Holder , Jason Roos , Amber Johanson I will miss the many conversations on wide ranging topics and being a sounding board for ideas that made me make better decisions and made me a better leader.

Great Sales and Sales Leadership Matters

Sue Nesbitt , James Morgan , Steve Herridge , Kate Waddell , Werno Gevers , Sebastien WEBER , Frank Sammueller , Paul Jansen , Adam Bradley I learned a great deal and loved working with you and your teams. Also, to some of the best, driven, quirky, talented, innovative, but ultimately successful sales people I have worked with in my career showing that there are so many styles and that great sales is personal. Duane Nicol , Tim Smith , Thomas Mangwiro , Chris Darby , Sue Nesbitt and so many more.

Magical Marketing Matters

Nichola Hall , Daniella Blignaut , Haley Higgs , Elzaan Gevers who never let me forget my South African roots in my EMEA role and dragged me back from my focus on Europe to conferences, TV, and radio interviews and always made me look professional and polished even when I was winging it. And the 2 Lauras (again) who landed some big BBC and national TV spots in multiple countries.

Sales Engineering Leadership Matters

To some of my SE leadership friends, bosses and colleagues. I have taken the liberty of writing a working title of the chapter in your biography for your time at Mimecast. Dave Goldberg "How Mount Kearsarge drove me to veganism". Alison O'Hare "How to out-think, out-drink and out-run your peers". Johan Dreyer "A Zimbo in Limbo". Mike Shine "How to find and marry a 10 from the deck of a yacht". Christopher Haynes, CISSP "Sweet pow pow man!". Sander Hofman "I wasn't being difficult - I was just being Dutch". Bradon Rogers "The dog that don't hunt ate our sh!t sandwich at the goat rodeo". Amber Johanson "Survival of the savvy when you are in a room full of Daves". Charles King "Confessions of a professional turd polisher". Garrett O'Hara "What Marketing thinks CISOs care about - (whisper) but they don't".

Leadership Teams are Teams

To my EMEA Sales Engineering Leadership team - What I learned is that feedback is a gift. You must never forget the basics. Cultural details matter. And a lot about English understatement, Star Wars, Ferrets, French Rugby, German food, and some cybersecurity stuff. Mikey Molfessis , Saiyid Noor , Malcolm Murphy , Andy Spencer , Alexander Peters , sebastien B. , Hany George , Ernesto B. , Khetan Gajjar , Sander Hofman

Sales Engineering Is The Best Part of Go To Market

And lastly, to all the hardworking professional and talented sales engineers I had the privilege of working with in various roles and countries. I wish you growth and learning and success in your careers. Don’t wait to be perfect just choose to be present. The SE role is one I found myself returning to over and over because it's in the sweet spot between hard technical stuff and people stuff.

My greatest learning in my career so far is that you can become too attached to the wrong definitions of success. Try to detach who you are from your attachments to roles, titles and certifications. The goals of your younger self may ultimately weigh heavily on you if you don't regularly revisit and evolve your definition of success. But being an SE is still a cool life choice.

My special thanks for going above and beyond so often go to Graham Rudolph , Shivaar Maharaj , Mikhaeel Booker , Johan Nepgen , Niels Frederiksen , Scott Jenner , Glenn Smith , Chelsea McCarthy , Andrew Beard , Sujatha Narasimhan , Harpreet Singh , Jarred Beckley , Andrew Dillon , Marlon L. , Mark Olding , Andrew Ladouceur , Ben Farmer , Lauren Brown , Natalie von Grote , Rob Stock , Robert Rengstl Rob Wiltshire and so many more EMEA SEs.

The next chapter awaits.