Name: Jade Meara
Company: F5
Title: Director, Marketing: ANZ & APCJ Modern Apps
Jade Meara is veteran B2B tech marketer, with over 20 years of experience building and growing tech brands in the APCJ region. Currently Director of Marketing APCJ at F5, Jade joined the app security giant following two stints as first-in-region marketing leader for hyper-growth start-ups, Pure Storage and Nutanix. Jade is a diversity advocate and mentor for aspiring marketing talent, having served on the board of FiTT (Females in IT and Telecommunications) and as Co-Chapter Lead for F5’s Women’s Employee Inclusion Group. Jade was formally recognised for her mentoring work and named a finalist in the 2021 B&T Google Women Leading Tech Awards under the “Mentoring” category.
Why do you enjoy working in the cyber security field?
As a marketer, my role is to connect customers with the right solutions within the F5 stable to solve their app security challenges. Another part of my role is a wider advocacy and awareness mission: I work with our customers on cyber culture engagement, awareness, and education programs. In 2022, I helped deliver educational sessions on online scams and fraud as part of a major Australian Bank’s Cyber Awareness Week activities. My remit is very diverse: one week I can be working with industry associations like the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) on event sponsorships and CFPs, then the week after I could be coordinating a local tour for our Global Head of Intelligence (a former CIA and FBI agent). I could be working on a roll out of a major F5 Security branding campaign in or hosting a webinar on API Security. I absolutely love the variety and challenge this role brings.
What are your words of advice to encourage other women to work in the space?
Marketing as a profession certainly doesn’t have a female representation problem, but tech and cybersecurity does. My advice to other women considering a career in cybersecurity is that so many skills women bring to the workplace are enormously valuable. According to a 2022 paper by Boston Consulting Group, women only make up about 25% of the cybersecurity workforce. We know diverse companies are more successful companies, with McKinsey reporting a 25% performance advantage for companies in the top quartile for gender diversity. Successful companies are built on diverse perspectives. Given the current demand for cybersecurity roles, there has never been a better time for women consider a career in this exciting and diverse field.
