When Tim Callahan joined the U.S. Air Force, he found a passion for cybersecurity and problem-solving that guided his career from military service to enterprise security. Working in bomb disposal during his service prepared him for the evolving challenges of today’s cybersecurity threat landscape. “I find a very strong correlation to what I did in bomb disposal,” Callahan says. “We had to anticipate what the enemy or terrorist was going to do and try to outflank them to disarm the bomb.”
Callahan’s previous security experience at financial institutions such as SunTrust Bank and People’s United Bank also played a role in his cybersecurity strategy and leadership style. As financial institutions opened up opportunities for online banking, the security threats banks faced moved to the virtual space as well. “That was really the genesis of developing some of the skills that we needed to use in the insurance industry to start fighting off similar criminal threats,” he shares.