Name: Eliza-May Austin

Title: CEO

Organisation: th4ts3cur1ty company

Eliza-May Austin is a formidable leader in cybersecurity, known for her technical expertise, strategic vision, and fearless approach to tackling digital threats. As the co-founder and CEO of th4ts3cur1ty.company, she has built a business that delivers cutting-edge security solutions with a sharp, no-nonsense attitude. Her passion for cybersecurity was sparked at an early age, leading her to pursue a degree in Digital Forensics and advanced training in Network Forensics, Purple Teaming, and Penetration Testing.

Before founding her own company, she gained extensive experience defending FTSE 100 firms, earning a reputation for her hands-on skills and results-driven leadership. Never one to follow convention, Eliza-May developed PocketSIEM, a powerful security information and event management solution designed to give small and medium-sized businesses access to enterprise-level protection. With a deep understanding of both the technical and business aspects of cybersecurity, she continues to push boundaries, challenge outdated approaches, and drive innovation in an industry that demands constant evolution.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

We’ve gone through the interviews and asked the best of the best to come back and answer 7 MORE Questions on Leadership.

I hope Eliza's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. As a leader, how do you build trust with employees, customers and other stakeholders?

Building trust with customers is straightforward—just do what you say you will. If you commit to something, deliver on it. Never promise what you can’t fulfill. Service providers thrive or collapse based on their reputation, and nothing is more damaging than selling something that doesn’t exist or can’t be resourced. Once trust is lost, it’s almost impossible to recover. When it comes to employees, transparency is valuable, but trust is ultimately built through action. Promotions and rewards must be based on merit, and there have to be consequences for those who undermine the team.

Occasionally, you’ll encounter individuals who tear through company culture like a knife through a tent. As a leader, you can’t tolerate that, but you also can’t make them a scapegoat—both approaches weaken your position. Doing nothing, however, is the worst option. It removes the tent altogether, leaving your team exposed to chaos. Leadership isn’t about words—it’s about showing, through decisive action, that you will protect the integrity of the team and the mission.

2. What do 'VISION' and 'MISSION' mean to you? And what does it actually look like to use them in real-world business?

The vision is the end goal, what we are working towards. When Leonardo da Vinci first tapped his brush on the canvas, he already knew the beauty of the Mona Lisa; that's the vision.

The mission, on the other hand, is the journey—the path we take as a team to bring that vision to life. It’s why we set strategies each year, why we put in the work, build what we build, and sit through the meetings we do. Every effort, every challenge, and every decision is part of a mission to turn the vision into reality.

3. How can a leader empower the people they're leading?

By letting them take a whack at it and not murdering them when they fu*k it up. Don’t put your company in danger, obviously, but allow room for some errors to be made in areas where errors can be tolerated. Rabbit holes feel pointless, but we learn from the wasted time we spent burrowing to nothingness, and a stern word about mistakes makes us all less likely to mess it up again. No one learns from not trying, and your business won't benefit from people who never push the boundaries of what they know.

4. Who are some of the coaches or mentors in your life who have had a positive influence on your leadership? Can you please tell a meaningful story about one of them?

I’m really lucky; I have a great business partner, Stephen Ridgway (COO) and a Director of Technology, Richard Benfield (Director Of Technology), who I learn from every day, both of whom are excellent mentors, I learn a lot through osmosis from them despite us all being completely different people.

Having said that, my best leadership lessons came from my worst managers when I worked in previous roles. You can learn a hell of a lot about what NOT to do from terrible bosses, lessons are everywhere waiting to be acknowledged.

5. Leadership is often more about what you DON'T do. How do you maintain focus in your role?

I do maintain a locked-in focus on the vision, but it’s inevitable that from time to time, there are going to be some things that test you and force you in another direction, but it’s important not to get lost in that direction or stuck in the wrong spot for too long.

There have been points where the business needs a mission-driven person to roll up their sleeves and deal with something that may take days, weeks, or months, but you’ve always got to remember where that activity fits in the grand strategy and pull yourself back. Things that don’t serve the business strategy ultimately need to be kicked to the curb, and resist the urge to incorporate new shiny plans because the daily drudgery is taking its toll.

6. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Everyone plans differently. How do you plan for the week, month and years ahead in your role?

ChatGPT said: ChatGPT As a business, we set clear goals and map out how each unit contributes to them on an annual basis. These goals are revisited throughout the year, with our senior leadership team aligning their objectives to key strategic checkpoints.

On a personal level, I create a weekly plan every Sunday, dedicating a few hours to structuring my priorities. Each day, I set specific targets for completion, along with non-negotiable “must-have” actions that I commit to finishing—no excuses.

7. What advice would you give to a young leader who is struggling to delegate effectively?

First off, I’d say, “I’ve been there!” Most of us have—and honestly, I still find myself in that position from time to time. My business partner, Stephen Ridgway, always says, “It’s important for people to understand where work comes from.”

It’s an easy trap to fall into: you don’t get what you need, or a task requires training someone, and before you know it, it’s just quicker to do it yourself. So you do. But as a leader, your role isn’t to take work away from your team—it’s to ensure that work flows smoothly and efficiently. If it’s not, that’s a sign that something needs to change.

Equally important is making sure everyone understands reporting lines, expects the work assigned to them, and clearly knows what’s expected of them in delivering results.