Diane Rogerson didn’t choose a career in cybersecurity; rather, it chose her. In this month’s blog series, find out how Rogerson’s transferrable skillsets were more valuable than her subject matter expertise around cybersecurity, and how she thinks other women can be successful in this regard, too.
How long have you been at JPMorgan Chase and what is your role?
Diane Rogerson: I’ve been at JPMorgan Chase for almost 25 years. More than 20 of those years have been in technology and just the last four have been in cybersecurity and technology controls.
How did you get started in cybersecurity? What led you to that career choice?
Diane Rogerson: Actually, I didn’t choose it. It chose me. Or, in a way, the senior leaders at JP Morgan Chase chose me to move into that role four years ago and help with what was an evolution, a centralization, an uplifting of the capabilities. That decision was based on my technology experience, and my leadership capability with building organizations, more than my subject matter expertise around cybersecurity.
What do you see in the future for women in the cybersecurity industry?
Diane Rogerson: There is so much more opportunity. I spend a lot of time on college campuses recruiting top talent in computer science schools. What we’re seeing are both minors and majors in cybersecurity coursework, as well as master’s degrees being offered. There is a lot more opportunity for all students, but especially for women to get involved. There are women student groups as well. There is more opportunity for them than ever before, however, we still have a long way to go. Technology, in general, is not a place where we see a lot of women. We are not well represented at the C-Suite level, as we know, and then when you take cybersecurity as a portion of technology, it becomes even harder. We really need to reach down and show these women that there are lots of opportunities with any technology background, or even STEM background, to learn and to excel in cybersecurity.
What advice would you give to young women who are interested in a career in cybersecurity?
Diane Rogerson: For young women out there, the advice that I would give them about a career in cybersecurity is to stick with it. Find opportunities to get engaged in undergraduate studies if they are early in their career. Seek out the many certifications that are out there. I have, myself, achieved two of those certifications in the time that I’ve been in this role. There’s a plethora of self-study opportunities. I would also advise getting involved with other women’s groups. In general, from a human nature perspective, we find that interacting with folks who are like us opens us up to asking more questions, seeking more opportunities and broadening the network. In addition, for young women, they need to push themselves into the opportunities in this realm and really understand that they have transferrable skillsets from a technology perspective that will make them successful in learning the new topic of cybersecurity. It’s really an application of what they already know and have the baseline.
What aspects of your job do you enjoy?
Diane Rogerson: What I love best about my job is enabling the business. I had roles when I was in application development and in infrastructure and, in this regard, I’m really bringing solutions to the ever-evolving business innovation, the technology changes, and the complexity that’s out there in our environment. I’m bringing secure solutions to enable the business to be more competitive.
What value do you get out of serving on the Board of Advisors for PCI SSC?
Diane Rogerson: The value of serving on the Board of Advisors for PCI, I think, is enormous. I’m able to bring a multitude of years of tech experience, as well as financial industry experience, and combine that to work with my peers across the industry. We can really shape the direction of the standards in a way that will allow for agility to get in front of the innovation, the threats and the emerging changes that we see in the cyber environment.
