After working in the IT industry for over 18 years, Edwin knew it was time for a new challenge. In fact, that’s part of what drew him to Abnormal in the first place. Before joining Abnormal, Edwin was leading engineering efforts to aggregate retail transactions globally via Open Banking at Envestnet Yodlee. He’s also worked in the investment banking division at JP Morgan Chase. But the cybersecurity problem space—and the challenges that come along with it—were an exciting pivot for a seasoned engineer looking to continue growing his skillset.
Abnormal also presented Edwin with a unique opportunity to not only be a people leader, but to be the founding leader of the company’s first-ever engineering team in India. During his years of experience building new systems, he’s realized that solving engineering problems at scale is not just a technical challenge, but a team challenge. In order to make a real impact, Edwin committed to developing well-rounded skills across product, technology, and people. “People and culture at times get undervalued when we put too much emphasis on product and technology, and having the right balance is key to a successful organization,” he said.
The Right Culture Fit at the Right Time
The people culture was a big factor in Edwin’s choice to work at Abnormal. Before he had even joined the team, he was impressed by the thought leaders in the company, and enjoyed learning from them through Abnormal Business School. “Abnormal Security has some of the smartest people, and they don't shy away from sharing their learnings with others,” Edwin shared. “The culture of bringing in top talent and encouraging them to share their expertise with others helps me stay up to date with the latest developments in the industry.” He was sold during the hiring process, as he appreciated that the interviews were structured in a way that identified your strengths in order to find the perfect match for a role. He noted that it felt more like a process of selection rather than elimination, and showed that Abnormal values people well before they’re even offered a position.
Progress Over Perfection
Now that he’s here, Edwin has a lot to look forward to. He loves that velocity is one of our core values, and feels strongly that improving 1% every day is a much better strategy than iterating for too long in order to build the “perfect” product. “Immediately after joining I heard that we had rolled out the first version of a new product, and the fact that it went from ideation to customer roll out in just 3 months is amazing,” he shared. Edwin is excited about Abnormal’s expansion into Cloud Office Security because he truly believes in the problem the company is solving and can't wait to see how these new solutions start to secure Abnormal customers' most important data.
Looking forward, Edwin would love to build and lead a strong engineering team focused on solving some of the top challenges that society is facing, like cybersecurity and financial inclusion. He believes his role as India Site Manager is a major step towards that goal, and is eager to get first-hand experience and learnings to help guide him towards his ultimate goal.
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