An Inspirational Mentor Story of Anthony Dayrit — Singapore
I am an experienced industry leader, has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electronics & Communications Engineering, with 19+ years of IT experience, 15 years of which are focused on Information Security & Cyber Risk Management. Has intensive experience with various multi-national firms such as Cisco-Linksys, Trend Micro, Barclays Capital, Global Blue, AXA Group Operations, and as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Allianz Singapore. I recently moved to IHiS (Integrated Health Information Systems) as a Technical Information Security Officer.
I am an active volunteer of the Safe and Secure Online Program of the (ISC)2 Foundation, and currently an EXCO member, leading the Volunteer Outreach portfolio at the (ISC)2 Singapore Chapter. A lifetime member of the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Foundation, and local OWASP Singapore Chapter, a committee member of the EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) Program. I am also a member of the Singapore Cloud Security Alliance. Through the (ISC)2 Singapore Chapter, we partner with various institutions (i.e. Cyber Youth of Singapore, Secondary & Primary Schools) in promoting Cyber Security Hygiene.
An active resource speaker in the various Singapore Information Security and Cyber Security Events/Seminars/Webinars.
Was also a previous member of Singapore’s Insurance Standing Committee for Cyber Security (ISCCS). Through ISCCS, I have co-authored the Guidelines on Bug Bounty Program for Singapore’s Insurance Industry.
I have attained the following professional and globally recognized certifications:
Electronics and Communications Engineer — Philippines (ECE)
Microsoft Certified Professional / Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA)
ITIL Foundations — Certifications (ITILv3)
Certified Ethical Hacker — EC-Council (CEH)
EC-Council Certified Security Analyst — EC-Council (ECSA)
Licensed Penetration Tester — EC-Council (LPT)
GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) — SANS
Lead Auditor — ISO/IEC 27001:2013 — BSI
Certified Information Systems Security Professional — (ISC)2 (CISSP)
Certified Payment Card Industry Security Implementer — SISA (CPISI)
Certified Chief Information Security Officer — EC Council (CCISO)
Lastly, I am also volunteering as a Sunday School Ministry Head of the local Christian church.
What do you like the most in Cybersecurity field?
Working on Cybersecurity is excited at the same time challenging as you need to keep up with the fast-changing technology and ever-expanding attack landscape.
How did you get into Cybersecurity and what do you enjoy most as a mentor in Cybersecurity?
I was hooked into Cyber through my interest in penetration testing. I enjoy the two-way sharing and learning.
Why are you interested in being a mentor in Cybersecurity field?
Being a mentor is not a one-way sharing of knowledge and experience. It works both ways. I enjoy sharing the learnings on my journey and at the same values the learnings from the experience of my mentee(s).
How much time do you commit for mentoring, do you need to set aside anytime for preparation and how you manage it with your other priorities?
Scheduling and the amount of preparation required will depend on our (mentee-mentor) agreed target objectives and what the mentee would like to learn at the same time what he/she wanted to share along the way. Once touch-point schedule is set, it will already be part of my planned activity for that day, unless there’s any emergency at home or at work.
What is your proudest achievement for mentoring in Cybersecurity and why?
One perhaps when I see my previous mentees’ success in the Cybersecurity profession.
What advise you will give for aspiring mentors & mentees?
Although we are all deemed expert on our respective field, there’s no way that you can master all. Joining as a mentor or participating as mentee — I would suggest to know each other in the first meeting and set the goal in the next meeting and follow-up calls/meeting thereafter. That each person (be it a mentor or mentee) be transparent and set clear expectations as early as possible.
What’s the minimum time frame (# days, Months, frequency) a mentee required to achieve the goals?
This will depend on the actual agreed objectives. There are goals that can be achieved within the duration of the program and there are goals that goes beyond. In these cases, the relationship may not just confine as mentor-mentee, it can then transform as a colleague/friends which can then continue even after the mentorship program.
Would you like to advise or recommend any Cybersecurity mentoring program which mentees should join?
YES! Join the (ISC)2 Singapore Chapter mentorship program 2022 that I am co-leading. For more information please reach out to volunteer@isc2chapter.sg and
Should mentees prepare anything technical or take any basic courses before joining Cybersecurity mentoring program? If yes, please suggest some courses or links.
Not required.
If you were to choose other profession, what would it be and why?
Maybe IT. It’s closed to Cybersecurity (=
