On the lighter side of things , we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . .
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Sherif El Nabawi , Vice President Sales Engineering Asia Pacific and Japan , CrowdStrike
wWhat would you describe as your most memorable achievement ?
Back in 2010 , I was given the challenge of building a security consultancy practice from the ground up focused around incident response and strategic security . We built the team to include more than 20 talented incident responders . We stopped numerous major cyberbreaches and helped our customers across Europe , the Middle East and Africa to prevent business damage . This point in my career really prepared me for where I am today . Witnessing the practice ’ s positive impact on the security posture of our customers was unforgettable – it was certainly a career highlight .
What first made you think of a career in technology ?
I was inspired by my father . He ’ s an academic professor in automatic control and during my childhood I was fortunate to travel to many different countries he taught in . Seeing his authentic passion and the way he would carefully plan each of his classes was inspiring . Naturally I gravitated towards an engineering role . Back then , the field was dominated by communications engineering , satellite and personal mobile communication so I pursued a Bachelor of Science in that area . Later I completed my Masters in satellite communications . The combination of the communications industry ’ s rapid transformation and my father ’ s passion for engineering influenced me to focus on technology as a career and I haven ’ t looked back .
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?
My management style is empathetic , collaborative and results-driven . I like to support the individuals in my team in what they want to achieve for the future and enable their growth . It ’ s about listening and understanding their professional needs . In terms of collaboration , I encourage my team to bring forward ideas , carry them out and receive credit for their hard work . Lastly , business milestones are not visible unless you can measure them . This is where a results-driven approach to management comes into play . You can be empathetic , you can be collaborative , but I find that people often lose focus without the right metrics in place .
What do you think is the current hot technology talking point ?
The multiple use cases of Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) are really interesting . At CrowdStrike , we ’ re using AI to predict attacks , stop potential breaches from happening around the world and to patch vulnerabilities before a threat actor has the chance to exploit them . Beyond cybersecurity , predictive AI is increasingly being used to disrupt traditional industries like health , real estate and automotive . It fascinates me the way that companies like Tesla are creating autonomous vehicles , using AI to predict human requirements and facilitate those needs in order to get from A to B .
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office ?
A core value in my life will always be my family – whether it ’ s sports activities , spending time at home or just being close to my kids , I unwind by spending time with them . In terms of my mental health , I try to fully disconnect from electronics and mute my notifications when I can .
On the exercise front , I can ’ t start my day without going to the gym , running or swimming . If I don ’ t start the day with some form of physical activity , I feel the difference .
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