Mike Crumpler
VP, Information Security (CISO)
Kenco
Mike Crumpler, VP, information security (CISO) at Kenco Group loves technology and has a passion for cybersecurity. He’s spent his entire career building, running, and securing mission critical systems for large global companies.
He is a husband, father, dog owner and servant leader. He grew up in the car capital of Germany (Stuttgart) and became a gear-head at an early age.
Most weekends you can find Mike tinkering with his 57 Chevy or 67 Ford.
Learn more about the New York CISO community here.
Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I started my career at IBM in Boca Raton, Florida, where I learned a tremendous amount about technology and business. I then tried a couple of small start-up firms specializing in managed services and information security. I was fascinated by the world of entrepreneurs, seed money, and IPOs, but ultimately decided it wasn't for me.
I then landed at Cox Enterprises in Atlanta, where I had a rewarding and enriching experience learning about media, telecommunications, and the automotive sectors. I then spent a couple of years at Mativ, a global manufacturing firm headquartered in Alpharetta, where I was responsible for operations on four different continents, across 12 time zones.
About a year ago, I joined Kenco, a third-party logistics firm where IT is a key part of the services that we deliver to our clients across all 50 states, Canada and Mexico.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
I believe the concept of servant leadership best describes my style; focusing on the growth, empowerment, and well-being of everyone that I have the privilege to lead. I like to hire and retain the best of the best, outline the strategy and mission, eliminate blockers, and then get out of their way so they can wildly exceed expectations.
What is the greatest challenge CISOs face today, and how are you addressing it?
The biggest challenge that CISOs face today is that well-funded, hostile nation states and organized crime syndicates are highly motivated to compromise systems in this country. Being agile and flexible in defending against these attacks requires constant vigilance and a focus on continuous improvement. Accomplishing this within budget and without slowing down the business is a delicate balancing act.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CISO?
Building solid relationships with stakeholders and champions at all levels of the organization is a critical success factor.
How do you measure success as a leader?
I measure success by working with executive leadership to define the mission, scope and operating parameters. Other ways I measure success are by creating a series of metrics that track the roadmap to accomplish the mission, publicly complimenting and praising accomplishments, privately correcting and counseling, tracking everything at a detailed level, and repeating at regular intervals until the mission is accomplished.
What is the value of being a member of the Evanta community?
The Evanta community is a safe place that has invaluable networking and learning opportunities.
Evanta Governing Body members share their insights and leadership perspectives to shape the agendas and topics that address the top priorities impacting business leaders today.
by CISOs, for CISOs
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