Creating Digital Safety!
Cybersecurity has become necessary in protecting digital assets and ensuring trust in a connected world. The need for innovative strategies and robust systems has intensified as threats become complicated. Cybersecurity is no longer limited to protecting infrastructure; it now also focuses on ensuring that security is embedded into products from their inception. This approach combined with Governance, Risk
Management, Threat Detection and Secure Infrastructure, is essential. Its advancement mirrors the increasing reliance on digital technologies, demanding a proactive mindset to address vulnerabilities and establish a culture where security is a shared responsibility. This changing field requires technical acumen and visionary leadership to embed security at every level of an organization.
Ashwini Siddhi, the Director of Product Security Engineering at GoDaddy, characterizes a leadership approach that inspires and empowers. Her dedication to cultivating an inclusive and growth-oriented environment demonstrates her ability to motivate teams and promote innovation. She believes in mentorship and knowledge sharing within her organization and the broader cybersecurity community, focusing on creating opportunities for skill development and collaboration. Ashwini’s focus on inclusivity and continuous learning has allowed her to nurture a thriving security culture while encouraging individuals to achieve their full potential.
Ashwini envisions a future for cybersecurity where inclusivity and innovation converge to create secure and adaptable systems for the growing digital sector. By championing open communication and encouraging hands on opportunities for emerging talent, Ashwini is shaping a security culture that stresses growth, resilience, and a shared commitment to making the digital world safer for all. Through her strategic leadership, she is paving the way for advancements that align with the fast-growing demands of cybersecurity, ensuring a legacy of progress and protection.
Let’s explore Ashwini’s inclusive leadership in cybersecurity:
Mentorship and Knowledge Sharing
There wasn’t a specific, sudden flash of a defining moment. Ashwini just kept doing what she truly enjoyed. When she looked back, she realized that it was this ongoing commitment to contribute to the industry by empowering other cybersecurity aspirants. She focused on knowledge sharing and mentoring, not just within her team but also in the broader cybersecurity community.
Engaging with forums like OWASP, EWF, WiCyS, and others allowed her to help others grow, creating a shared learning environment. Seeing others thrive because of these efforts was incredibly fulfilling and solidified her dedication to leadership centered around empowerment. To her, authentic leadership isn’t defined by a title but by the ability to inspire, uplift, and help others reach their full potential.
Creating a Thriving Security Culture
In the early stages of her career, success meant technical proficiency and personal growth. Over time, her vision shifted to focus on broader impact: how she could grow and enable teams to thrive and drive meaningful organizational changes.
Today, success for Ashwini is about creating a security culture where innovation thrives and every individual feels empowered to contribute to their team and the larger community. It’s about shaping systems that make the world safer while promoting growth within the team, organization, and community.
Inclusivity and Diversity in Decision-Making
Integrity, empowerment, and continuous learning are the core values that guide Ashwini’s leadership. She believes in leading by example, maintaining transparency, and prioritizing her team’s well-being. She also strongly focuses on inclusivity and diversity, ensuring that different voices are heard and respected in every decision.
To her, leadership is about creating an environment where individuals can thrive and contribute meaningfully. Additionally, continuous learning is key to personal and team growth, ensuring adaptation, innovation, and stayingahead in a changing threat environment. In the security field, this means prioritizing a proactive approach, staying informed about emerging threats, and ensuring that security is not just a function but a mindset that drives everything done.
Encouraging Open Communication
To inspire and empower her team to achieve excellence, she believes in leading by example and setting high expectations while providing the support needed to reach them. She starts by setting clear goals and building trust, ensuring everyone feels valued and capable of contributing.
Open communication is key; she encourages an environment where the team learns from failures and successes. Ashwini aims to inspire her team by recognizing their potential and pushing the bar higher with each project, continuously challenging them to innovate and grow. Empowering her team also means allowing them to take ownership of projects, trusting them to make decisions, and supporting them as they rise to new challenges. This continuous cycle of feedback, growth, and empowerment helps propel the team to exceed expectations and consistently reach excellence.
Outside of this, they also draw inspiration from the fact that they are making the world a digitally safe place—knowing that their work directly impacts the security of individuals, organizations, and communities globally.
Strategic Resource Allocation
The most challenging obstacle Ashwini has faced as a leader has been balancing the need for innovation and strategic projects with the day-to-day security processes that ensure the stability and security of their systems. It’s a delicate balance to strike because while driving innovation is crucial to staying ahead of the curve, they cannot afford to neglect the essential tasks that keep their environment secure.
To overcome this challenge, she sets clear priorities and ensures that her team is aligned on the larger goals. She allocates resources strategically so that they can dedicate time and effort to both forward-thinking initiatives and the foundational security processes.
Additionally, she works closely with stakeholders to communicate the importance of both aspects, ensuring that innovation doesn’t come at the cost of operational security and vice versa. It’s all about finding that sweet spot where they continue to innovate while maintaining a secure and stable environment. Flexibility and continuous evaluation of their progress also play a key role in managing this balance effectively.
Resilience in High-Pressure Situations
Maintaining resilience and balance during high-pressure situations is crucial to ensuring personal well-being and professional effectiveness. Personally, Ashwini prioritizes taking regular holidays during quieter periods, stepping away from work to recharge. It’s essential to disconnect so she can come back refreshed and ready to tackle security incidents with clarity, focus, and good health.
Taking time off also helps her manage the stress of high-pressure situations without guilt for neglecting her family. This balance allows her to stay at her best when the pressure is on and ensures she leads with a clear mind and a calm approach, no matter the challenge.
Creating Hands-On Opportunities
One of the biggest challenges she observed in the industry was the gap in the number of people with strong security expertise, particularly at the grassroots level. To address this, she created opportunities for freshers and interns to get hands-on experience and learn security. By onboarding interns, she allowed them to contribute to real projects while learning directly from experienced professionals.
Ashwini ensured these opportunities were accessible without requiring them to leave their hometowns, thus eliminating barriers for those who may not have had the chance to relocate for training. This approach helped bridge the skills gap but also contributed to building a stronger, more capable security community for the future.
Inspiring Future Women Leaders
Ashwini hopes her work inspires future generations of women leaders, showing them that they can excel in fields traditionally dominated by men. With passion, perseverance, and the proper support, they can break down barriers and rewrite the playbook. It’s not just about professional success; she wants them to know they don’t have to choose between work and personal life. “You can travel, bake, be the girl next door, and still climb that corporate ladder like a boss, breaking glass ceilings along the way,” Ashwini states. Women can be anything they aspire to—no compromises, just a perfect mix of career, passion, and a little fun!
AI and Security Integration
According to Ashwini, the growing integration of AI with security will be a defining trend in the coming years, driving more automated threat detection and response. However, it will introduce new challenges, particularly AIcrafted malware and payloads. These threats will be so advanced and fast-changing that even AI-powered detection systems may struggle to keep up, leading to a constant catand- mouse game between attackers and defenders.
While AI is undoubtedly a significant factor, let’s not forget about the rise of alternate realities. These could open the door to identity theft, fraud, and digital manipulation. Interesting times ahead, to say the least!
Advice for Aspiring Women Leaders
Her advice to young women aspiring to lead in traditionally male-dominated fields is simple: “Don’t fall for the ‘you need to be aggressive to succeed” myth. You can be kind and assertive and still get things done—trust her; she’s been there! It’s all about challenging the status quo and showing up as your true, authentic self.”
Ashwini advises, “You don’t have to turn into a firebreathing dragon to climb the ladder. You can be the friendly, approachable, and successful girl boss you were always meant to be. The devil doesn’t need your soul, just your confidence! Keep rocking who you are, and the world will catch up.”
Dreaming Big and Staying Approachable
While a professional legacy is important, let’s be honest: the personal one truly sticks. In Ashwini’s opinion, “You can create something that solves a huge human problem, but if you’re remembered as the unapproachable, grumpy genius, what’s the point?” She wants to be known as someone who dared to dream big, did the impossible, and had a blast doing it!
No matter how high she climbed, she wanted to be that person who stayed kind, approachable, fun, and down-toearth. And professionally? She hopes to be the one who helped launch killer cybersecurity careers—without anyone needing to leave their homes. She wants to be remembered for what she achieved and her positive impact on people’s lives. “It’s about the journey AND the squad you build!” she quoted.
