Employee Spotlight: Edward Chandler

#FutureInYourHands

//JOBS

Edward Chandler

Account Executive & Cybersecurity Lead for TÜV SÜD America

#FutureInYourHands – This motto properly describes how TÜV SÜD empowers its employees. It’s best to hear from TÜV SÜD executives and staff members what their personal experiences are working for TÜV SÜD.

Can you describe your role within the company, and what led you to TÜV SÜD?
I’m an Account Executive for TÜV SÜD America, where I cover the Central region for the company’s Business Assurance Division. I’m also the Lead for our Cybersecurity division. Basically, I assist with all opportunities that come in regarding these focuses. I came to TÜV from a company within the cyber industry that worked with state and local governments, and higher education. We provided cyber services such as manned security, risk assessments, penetration testing, forensics investigation services, and more. My roles led me to TÜV in June of 2018.

Why did you choose to pursue this career path?
The field has always truly interested me. The idea of “how do you protect yourself” from cyber attacks affects people on a daily basis. It seems like every day you hear about companies losing your personal data- it’s becoming more frequent. I see cybersecurity as being a benefit for every company across the world. Being able to help these companies secure themselves and their information is what wakes me up in the morning.

What do you enjoy most about your job and/or engineering in particular?
I really enjoy that there is no typical day. My job responsibilities shift daily- it really depends. I can be prospecting, focusing on closing orders, or traveling to meet clients and learning about their organizations and what issues they’re having. I’m not good with doing the same thing over and over- it drives me bonkers.

Are there any challenges you’ve faced during your career that have taught you important lessons?
In the cybersecurity industry, you frequently deal with customers who are truly upset. In my second role out of school I experienced this, and it showed me how to work with them, and to not jump overboard and panic. It is extremely stressful for the client if they’ve had a breach- I try to learn as much as I can about what occurred, then move forward to help them move on and become more secure. I try to focus as much on the future, so that it doesn’t happen again.

Is there an engineering-related innovation that you find fascinating, or are inspired by?
There are so many out there that someone could name, but I think one of the most useful wide-scale would be 3D printing. This used to be done only on small scale pieces and parts and I have recently been in to visit oil and gas service companies that are using 3D printers to drill bits…not the kind you have in your cordless drill, but the kind that you use to explore for gas and oil underground. I have also seen 3D printers that make tissue and organs for regenerative medicine. Seems that your imagination is the only limit to what can be made with today’s 3D printers.

What advice do you have for young people considering entering this field?
If you’re entering the cybersecurity field, you need to have a drive to continuously learn. As you’re coming up to speed on new and different technologies, you may want to hone in on specific areas to focus on, and learn more about. While it’s great to have specialized knowledge, you also want to keep a well-versed repertoire of different areas within the industry. Don’t pigeon-hole yourself- things change very rapidly in this field, so keeping a base-level knowledge is extremely important.

What fascinates you about this field?
This field changes every day- that is truly fascinating. As you hear about new technology, that changes the entire landscape of cyber infrastructure. If you fall behind on the technology, then you fall very, very behind on industry trends and issues. When I started in this industry, we were talking about hard external networks- not letting anyone in. We found out this approach didn’t work- it’s not so much about “if I get breached,” it’s “when I get breached.” Now, we focus on how quickly and efficiently we respond. The industry is completely different from when I started.
Do you have any hobbies you enjoy in your spare time, or anything else you would like to share?When I’m not working, I enjoy playing squash, golf, and fishing.

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Employee Spotlight: Edward Chandler

Edward Chandler

Account Executive & Cybersecurity Lead for TÜV SÜD America

Meet more of Our North American Employees

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