‘I love solving puzzles and this industry is full of them’ finds cyber CISO

Cheryl Martin, Company86’s CISO, speaks about her passion for cybersecurity and the industry’s constant evolution. Beginning her career in banking, Martin transitioned into various customer-facing roles before exploring the technical aspects of STEM. This curiosity led her to build telecoms infrastructure, develop the UK’s internet backbone, and eventually pursue information security.

She emphasizes that the industry is full of puzzles, with threats, capabilities, and risks constantly changing. Martin finds the challenge of staying ahead of these changes energizing and keeps her eager to learn more. Throughout her career, she has navigated numerous technological shifts and faced the challenges common to early adopters.

She highlights the importance of failing fast, communicating simply, and trusting her team. One of her proudest moments was laying the foundation for everyday technologies like sub-sea cables and the UK internet backbone, despite the uncharted territory at the time. Martin stresses that cybersecurity is an ever-evolving field, where new technologies like AI are constantly reshaping the landscape.

She points out that attackers can now experiment and personalize at unprecedented speeds, while defenders are introduced to advanced ways to identify patterns, automate tasks, and make sense of vast amounts of data. This shifting dynamic keeps her engaged and excited about the industry. AI is a major trend in 2026, impacting the speed of cybersecurity and increasing the pressure on organizations to adapt rapidly.

Martin advocates for "Mean Time to Adapt," a new metric to measure how quickly organizations can learn and change. She believes adaptability will become a key differentiator among organizations in 2026. While skilled professionals are crucial, Martin believes the global cyber skills shortage is not solely a recruitment issue. She emphasizes the need to engage with schools, universities, and start mentoring people early in their careers.

By creating more visible role models and showcasing the diverse pathways into cybersecurity, organizations can develop a stronger pipeline of skilled professionals with varied perspectives. This investment in early development is essential to tackle the increasingly complex challenges faced by the cybersecurity industry.