Mike Nelson, Global VP of Digital Trust, DigiCert, shares what his career in tech has taught him so far.
What would you describe as your most memorable achievement?
It’s hard for me to talk about my most memorable achievement only in the context of work because I have two daughters who make me incredibly proud. But on the professional front, I’m proud of the work we have done to secure over three billion connected devices globally. These devices are becoming more commonplace in all of our lives, so the work has taken on a very personal meaning for me.
What first made you think of a career in technology?
Early in my career, I was given some great advice that compared a career to a hallway with many doors. My mentor told me that every door in the hallway is a different opportunity you can pursue in your career path. As you move through your career, focus, hard work and commitment to what you’re doing can create more doors in your hallway.
Tech has always been interesting to me. I started my career at the US Department of Health and Human Services, working on policy that would Drive healthcare practitioners to adopt connected tech to improve patient outcomes. It was in that role that I fell in love with tech and saw the tremendous value that good tech can play in our lives.
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position?
My approach is to surround myself with the right people: people who think differently and can challenge my thinking to help drive to the best possible outcome. Another management philosophy I try to employ is to provide direction – but also give my team autonomy and let them use their creativity as to how to get there.
What do you think is the current hot technology talking point?
Connected systems are being deployed globally and many of those systems today are isolated. In the future, however, there will be a Drive for those systems to be more interoperable. Creating interoperability will allow better decision-making and enable better efficiency among all the connected systems being stood up. One example of where this is happening is in the smart-home industry with the Matter standard. I’m excited to see how the world and different industries will continue to bring secure interoperability to the market.
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office?
I love to be in the outdoors, spending quality time with my friends and daughters. I love to fly-fish and have been known to go out fishing for large trout in the middle of the night with big fly patterns that replicate a mouse swimming across the water. The big fish love eating mice at night.
If you could go back and change one career decision what would it be?
The hardest stretch of my career was when I was doing consulting work for large organizations, because for me, while the work we did as consultants provided tremendous value for our customers, I like being in the game, not Drawing up plays on the sideline. The other challenge I’ve run into in my career is when I try doing things that are not core to my strengths. Sometimes I feel like I need to excel in every area of a business, and really, I have found there’s tremendous value in owning what you’re good at and letting that be enough. Allow the people who are good in other areas carry those torches.
But generally, I feel like my career has unfolded in a way that’s been enjoyable for me, and it has evolved in a way that allows me to continue to do the things I love and am good at, while still challenging me to stretch and do more.
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry?
There’s a lot of money, research and energy going toward Artificial Intelligence (AI) and learning how to leverage and use the data generated by AI.
Additionally, with the US National Institute of Standards and Technology’s recent release of Draft standards for post-quantum cryptography (PQC), the need for companies everywhere to take immediate steps toward updating their cryptographic systems and software to quantum-safe algorithms is becoming even more important.
What are the region-specific challenges when implementing new technologies in North America?
Understanding industry regulations and standards is a key component of successful implementation of new technologies. Medical devices, automotive, electric vehicle (EV) charging and energy are all industries where regulation and standards are impacting deployment.
What changes to your job role have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the next 12 months?
My role has expanded from overseeing DigiCert’s go-to-market for Internet of Things (IoT) to now overseeing all our digital trust products – which allows me to align my efforts to the growth of all our product areas instead of just one. In the next 12 months, the focus for us will be scale and growth of our new products.
What advice would you offer somebody aspiring to obtain a senior management position in your industry?
Let your results do the talking. I’m a believer that when you’re asking for more, there should be no question as to whether you deserve it — the results you deliver for the business should be indisputable. Once your results speak to the value you play in the organization, it’s important to advocate for yourself to advance your career in the direction you’d like it to go.
It’s also important to learn to think about a business not just from the perspective of your job, but also more broadly related to the long-term goals and objectives around where the business is trying to go.
You need to have a bigger understanding of all the cross-functional teams and not just the lens of your position.
