Cyber Security Manager– Falk shares insights on his career path and making the move into cyber security.
Our people: Falk
What are, in your view, the greatest benefits of working for KPMG?
KPMG offers numerous benefits, in particular the steep learning curve, the inspiring people and the entrepreneurial freedom.
Our global team is made up of unique personalities from a range of backgrounds. Everyone is highly motivated to make things happen, and they bring plenty of joy and passion to the work. Our customers and their challenges are just as diverse. That’s why we keep on developing all the time. And within our team we take an active part in defining services and solutions. This creates the basis that allows each of us to learn something new every day and to gain experience and contacts for life.
How does KPMG support you to learn and grow?
I was a lateral entrant to Cyber Security and KPMG offered me a platform for rapid development. Experience has always been my best teacher. At KPMG, every day is different. I come into contact with a wide range of customers of varying sizes and sectors, each with differing challenges and requirements. This means that I am constantly learning and having to adapt to new trends.
The exchange of knowledge and experience with my teammates and the internal and external opportunities for further training help keep me up to date at all times and develop my abilities.
What is your personal career highlight at KPMG?
It is difficult to point to a single career highlight. There are many special moments that I am very proud of; for example, the acquisition of exciting cyber projects and the introduction of a new global risk management solution into Switzerland.
But my real highlight is the trust and bond with my team and my customers. Mastering complex tasks such as cyber security incidents definitely brings us together. These are the real high points of my career.
What is your personal "dare to" moment?
Very early on I began asking for more responsibility, even though it meant constantly moving outside my comfort zone and brought a lot of additional work. But it was worth it. My team leaders were behind me all the way and gave me the responsibility that I asked for.
Today I have sole responsibility for major transactions, from acquisition to conclusion, I am the contact person for numerous customers, I am able to demonstrate my leadership skills and support the recruitment process in our department. I am excited to see what the future holds and I look forward to more "dare to" moments.
What would you tell people who are not sure if they should join KPMG?
"Dare to do." I believe our slogan says it all.
Of course, diving into the diverse, fast-moving world of advisory is not for everyone. But if you like the sound of life-long learning, plenty of variety and a motivated team, you should dare to make the leap. As an experience, it is absolutely worthwhile!
How did you get involved with KPMG and what made you decide to join us?
I studied Corporate Management & Economics. At the same time I was working a lot in IT – in various initiatives at my university as well as my freelance side job as a web developer. During my studies, I became aware of a recruitment event at KPMG. I have to admit I was surprised at how many interesting advisory areas there are at KPMG.
Since I was hoping to fill the gap between business and information technology, I saw an opportunity to form this kind of interface at KPMG in the IT Advisory division. When KPMG Frankfurt accepted my application, I did an internship and then joined the Cyber Security department as a working student.
After my studies, I switched to KPMG Zurich. There I managed to quickly build a career over a number of years with a great team.