Renae Martin, whose love for information security developed in a rather unorthodox way, is joining us for our seventh episode of Risk Grustlers! Her journey as a journalist turned senior technical program manager is one full of interesting pathways, anecdotes, and challenges.
Tune in as Renae shares the inside stories from her years of experience tackling several security projects!
About Renae
Drawn by the excitement of the early 2000s tech landscape, Renae chose to transition from an entirely different field - journalism to the cybersecurity industry. In this episode, we are uncovering her experience of starting in this industry as a very beginner to what she feels now as an experienced professional.
GRC often faces perceptions of being unexciting and undervalued compared to development teams - and Renae is no stranger to this conception.
However, as a project manager who’s lead several security projects - she has seen the role evolve and is sharing how the real value lies in understanding optimal solutions and collaborating closely with teams to innovate.
That’s not it though, we are going deep and hitting Renae with just the right questions - who wins in GRC - a pushover or a hard ass? What are the implications of assertiveness and empathy in long-term GRC success?
If you’re interested in learning her thoughts on these topics, then don’t forget to tune in to our seventh episode of Risk Grustlers!
Highlights from the episode

• Transitioning to the information security industry and navigating the GRC space
• Balancing collaboration and assertiveness while executing risk management activities
• Understanding the security budget for establishing a minimum viable risk program in growth-stage companies

Quotes
“I've learned from past experiences that when flashy tools were brought in without the necessary structure and support, it often led to issues. There's no magic solution in a tool alone; it requires knowledge and effort to work effectively. Establishing a strong foundational risk program comes first.”
"While checklist-based approaches can be dull, the real value lies in understanding optimal solutions and collaborating closely with teams to innovate."
About Scrut Automation
Scrut Automation is a risk observability and compliance automation platform built to simplify information security monitoring for cloud-native companies. We help early-stage and growth-stage companies across the globe, establish enterprise-grade information security processes through an easy-to-use GRC platform.
To watch more of our episodes and learn more about us, visit us at https://www.scrut.io/podcasts

About Scrut Automation:
Scrut Automation empowers scaling companies to move Beyond Compliance, focusing on managing digital risk while reducing the friction of audit preparation, evidence collection, and risk monitoring.
Purpose-built for high-growth startups and mid-market businesses, Scrut simplifies the most tedious parts of compliance and risk management, keeping you audit-ready and risk-aware at all times. With seamless integration into your processes, Scrut delivers real-time insights and continuous monitoring, enabling proactive risk management to support sustainable growth. Focus on scaling your business confidently as Scrut automates compliance and strengthens your digital resilience—no more manual work or compliance chaos.
To watch more of our episodes and learn more about us, visit us at :
https://www.scrut.io/podcasts