b'Story Behind the Story: Interview with Patricia Titus D F: In sum, what is your best advice both in a career and in life? F: A few years later, the CEO of Symantec reached out to you and offered D PATRICIA:you the CISO role, a huge opportunity to work at the worlds largest cyber-security company.For your career, when you are in a position of power, use it carefully and thoughtfully. In life, listen, learn, and PATRICIA: ask for what you want. This also applies to your career. In my career, if I hadnt asked for what I wanted, I would Symantec was a great opportunity to experience a fast paced, hi-tech company doing development work innot have been as successful as I have been. Take a risk. Sometimes that risk pays off in undefined dividends. other countries. This is when I learned that there are cultural implications to deploying technology in a globalAlso, as Ive gotten older, I find myself standing a little further away from the edge of the cliff. corporation, and you must think about those impacts. Honestly, this job helped me to stop thinking like an American and to start thinking globally. D Your next CISO job was at Freddie Mac, a private company, which atF: the time was under government conservatorship. PATRICIA:Freddie Mac was one of the companies where I learned many valuable lessons about leadership and management. It taught me how critical it is to be organized, build a program based on an industry framework, and create repeatable, defendable processes.D Both Symantec and Freddie Mac, ultimately were not a good fit. After F:leaving each organization, you took time off and traveled: Australia following Symantec and New Zealand following Freddie Mac. Each break allowed you to come back stronger. PATRICIA:Yes, I needed to think about what I wanted to do with my career. Being a CISO is a tough job and I didnt know if I wanted to keep putting myself in vulnerable, risky positions. Over the years, I had become an adrenaline junkie. I liked working 24x7. I liked the complexities of the problems that I had to work through, but how healthy was that?I had been in the security field continuously for 20 years and I think I was burned out. I needed to hit the reset button. At this point I couldnt see the forest through the trees.Walking through the Australian bush gave me time to think through moments in my life. You recognize the value you bring, the things you leave, the people you worked with, the people you mentored, the lives youve touched, the words someone puts on paper about you, the impact on your profession, and how the work you did furtheredTake Patricias advice.that movement. I had negotiated a good exit strategy, so when I came back, I was able to take time and think about what I wanted to do next. When you are leaving a company, you must negotiate a good severance deal. In life, listen, learn, and ask for what you want.This also applies to your career. In my career,Im now in a great job at Markel. Ive built a high-functioning team and I have time to get into strategy, financial planning and get involved in philanthropy. Recognizing my tendency to be an adrenaline junkieif I hadnt asked for what I wanted, I would nothas helped me find a better balance in my work and personal life. have been as successful as I have been. Page 29 Page 30'