About this episode
The ascendancy of India in Silicon Valley is undeniable. From top executives such as Satya Nadella (Microsoft) and Nikesh Arora (Palo Alto Networks) to leading investors, we’ve become well accustomed to working with and often for people who have immigrated from India. Given the wave of immigration from India started decades ago, our Indian coworkers, investors and leaders are such an established part of the tech industry that we often give little thought to the cultural differences that underlie our daily interactions. Nonetheless, the move to remote work strips away much of the high fidelity, in person interactions that make understanding each other easier, even if we were raised on different continents, speaking different languages, etc. In simple terms, while the stakes for understanding each other have never been higher, our actual means of communicating have gotten worse.
This episode of Security Voices combines the perspectives of two experienced security leaders, Ashish Popli of Spotnana and Jason Loomis of Freshworks along with Jack and Dave. Ashish has been working in the U.S. since he completed his Masters at Stony Brook in ‘02 whereas Jason took the role of CISO for the Chennai-based Freshworks a little over a year ago. Their combined perspectives provide a 360 degree view of both what it takes for an Indian security leader to adapt and how a Los Angeles-based security leader has navigated the unique challenges of having a team based in India. Jack explains how B-Sides conferences in India also bear the clear imprint of the country’s culture.
Over our roughly 60 minute discussion, Ashish and Jason share their stories of what works, what doesn’t, and perhaps most importantly, we explore the “why” behind those moments when something seems to be lost in translation. We hope you have a few “aha” moments like we did during the conversation and that this episode serves as a practical reminder that while much unites in the tech industry, we can go even further when we understand and respect our differences as well.
Meet our guest
Ashish Popli and Jason Loomis
Ashish Popli: cybersecurity executive, advisor, and investor. Jason Loomis: Chief Information Security Officer for Freshworks
Ashish Popli
Ashish Popli is a cybersecurity executive, advisor, and investor with significant experience in building and running security programs at both large and small companies, including Google, Microsoft & 2K Games. More recently, Ashish built the security organization from ground up at UiPath and supported the company through the IPO process in 2021.
As a passionate individual in the cybersecurity industry, Ashish is actively engaged in the startup community and loves to learn the innovation that’s happening, as well as provide “the practitioner’s viewpoint” to founders.
Jason Loomis
Jason Loomis is the Chief Information Security Officer for Freshworks. Freshworks (FRSH) is a global provider of SaaS customer engagement solutions for IT, customer service, sales, marketers, and HR. He has a BS in MIS from the University of San Francisco and an MBA from the University of Oregon. Jason is; CISSP, CISM, CISA, multiple GIAC, and SCUBA certified. No, really, he does SCUBA – it's the most exciting and relatable of his certifications for sure.
While cybersecurity may be his chosen career path, his passion, drive, and intellectual curiosity are in leadership, organizational decision-making, and giving to those who have less through national and international disaster relief. He also frequently argues the case with himself that it's these very interests that make him a better cybersecurity practitioner… it's not entirely clear who is winning that argument or why he bothers arguing with such a frustrating person.
In his spare time, he is co-host of a podcast called F-Sides (fsides.com) about the human side of cybersecurity and is an avid snowboarder; he is into beach volleyball and fitness and just picked up surfing last year.
