An Inspirational Mentorship Story of Alexandra Mercz —Singapore

Alexandra Mercz is a cyber security leader, influencer and advocate. She successfully established cyber and technology mentorship programmes with laser-focused attention to diversity and inclusion.

Alexandra is passionate about the transformational power of cloud technology, and the importance of securing the platforms that impact every aspect of our lives.

Alexandra is the Information Security Chief of Staff at the decacorn GoTo Group. Her contributions were honoured by the IFSEC Global Influencers Security & Fire award, the Top 30 Women in Security ASEAN region award and the Singapore 100 Women in Tech award.

How did you get into Cyber security and what do you enjoy most about Cyber security?

I have always been passionate about technology, and specifically how it can be used to improve people’s lives. With the increasing importance of cloud computing, I believe that the security of company and personal data in the cloud is becoming more and more important. This led me down the path of cyber security. I was already in a technology management role in financial services, and decided to augment and sharpen my skills with both managerial and technical cyber security knowledge, which allowed me to transition to a leadership role in cyber security.

Cybersecurity is a vast field; how did you shape your professional journey to arrive at your current role?

My background in international business administration, combined with my knowledge of cloud computing and cyber security, enables me to understand the perspective of our business leaders, and ensure that the cyber security solutions meet business requirements.

I cannot stress enough how important a solid understanding of both cyber security frameworks and processes is, as well as being able to take the practitioner’s perspective.

With ubiquitous, affordable cloud security services available from all major players, there’s really no excuse not to try it.

The mentorship programs you lead are famous from having a high percentage of female participation. Why diversity is important to you and how do you manage to maintain diversity in your mentorship programs?

Diversity and inclusivity starts with seeing value in people who are different from us. This requires a mindset change in decision makers, who must realise that different skill sets, backgrounds and perspectives will improve the output and performance of their teams. There is a lot of research on that. I am doing my part by leading mentorship programs, which connect technology and cyber security decision maker mentors with young talents who want to break into the industry.

I specifically pay attention to a healthy ratio of male to female in these programs, and frequently achieve more than 50% female participation, both for my mentors and my mentees!

What advise would you give for aspiring Cyber security candidates?

I believe that finding the right path starts with self discovery. Cyber security is a very diverse field with many different roles that require very different skills and capabilities. Targeted studies will already set you on a certain path, but I would still urge all young talent to first fully understand their options, and then plan their career towards a certain role.

I find Singapore’s IMDA Skills Framework very useful to navigate across cyber security roles. And finally, I think it’s very important not to neglect your soft skills — you may be technically brilliant, but most work is done in teams, and by collaborating with other people. Understanding them, understanding their motivations and forming strong connections will help you advance your career.

Fun Question :)

If you were to choose other profession, what would it be and why?

I would be a ballerina! My close circle of friends know that I had to make a choice before university whether to continue professional classical ballet dancing or to switch to studying business and technology. I chose the latter without regrets, however I have to say that classical ballet is still part of my everyday life and drives my mindset. I value discipline, grit and execution with elegance — takeaways from many years of dancing.

As one of my ballet masters told me “Your best is just enough”.

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