60 Seconds with Rachelle Reid of Allstate Northern Ireland

Rachelle Reid, Business Information Security Officer (BISO) of Allstate Northern Ireland

Monday 19 April 2021

60 Seconds with Rachelle Reid of Allstate Northern Ireland

Tell us about Allstate Northern Ireland and your role within!

The Allstate Corporation is an American-based insurance company, headquartered in Illinois, Chicago. It is the largest publicly held personal lines insurer and a Fortune 500 company. Allstate is Northern Ireland's largest IT Company with over 2,300 employees across three sites in Belfast, Derry-Londonderry and Strabane.

My role as a Business Information Security Officer (BISO), is to embed security into the business for my area of responsibility and actively add value through the development of a department specific roadmap. I get involved in new product development and business planning, as well as incident management and general cybersecurity queries and education. I am also Chair of our Women in Technology (WITA) group at Allstate NI. This is a hugely successful employee resource group focused on the development, retention and promotion of women throughout the company.

What has been your career journey so far?

I left university with a degree in Information Management and was accepted onto the Bridge to Employment program, which aimed to take graduates with non IT degrees and give them the technical training for a career in IT. I spent 6 years working in the Claims department as a mainframe developer before taking up a role as a Project Manager for the Infrastructure and Security projects within the organisation. Over 11 years, I progressed to Senior Program Manager before making the move 2 years ago into the BISO role.

Describe yourself in 3 words.

Down to Earth

What is the 1 skill that helps you the most in your role?

Communication is key. Being able to communicate cybersecurity terminology to a varying audience (business and technical people as well as senior leaders within the organisation). Also being able to communicate in terms of risk, so that leaders can make informed decisions and that our technology teams understand the importance of putting security at the heart of everything that they do.

Do you have any advice for your fellow Women in Tech?

There are so many opportunities in cybersecurity, especially in Northern Ireland. Although it can seem quite daunting on the face of it, it’s not all about hacking! There are lots of roles, whether in Identity and Access Management, Governance Risk and Compliance, Training and Communications as well as Vulnerability Management, Threat Hunting and Pen Testing, to name just a few. There are courses and certifications available to help you develop skills in any of these areas.

Are there any exciting plans on the way for Allstate Northern Ireland?

Come along to my Women in Business talk on Thursday 22nd April to learn how you to protect yourself and others online. Learn more and register via the Women in Business website here – Stay Cyber Savvy with these Top Tips.

Who is an inspiration in your career?

There are a few senior leaders in the organization that I really admire, Keith Lippert, Mia-Boom-Ibes and Dave Sinclair. Each of them have their own unique qualities, but all bring a clear, calm, sense of focus, which is really important in this role, especially as every day brings new security threats and pressures.

What’s your favourite break time snack?

Jammie Wagon Wheels!

If you had to pick your soundtrack song to get you through the working day, what would it be?

Anything Old Skool to keep me motivated (although I’d probably feel the urge to be dancing about the room, so maybe not the best idea in the Zoom era!)

How can your fellow WIB members keep up to date with you and the team at Allstate Northern Ireland?

Learn more about Allstate NI's award winning Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence here. Connect with me on LinkedIn - Rachelle Reid!

Monday 19 April 2021