CybelCafé with Grégory Leyne: On Company DNA and Doing the Right Thing

Welcome back to the CybelCafé. Today we’re meeting Grégory Leyne, Vice President of People here at CybelAngel.

Author’s note: Interview edited for clarity and length.

Good morning, Grégory! What did you order from the CybelCafé today? 

A small coffee. For me, coffee isn’t only for the morning. I might drink 10 cups in a day. 

What is your role at CybelAngel, and can you tell me a bit about it?

I am the VP of People, so I cover all things related to human resources. That includes attracting talent, onboarding, training, retaining, and developing for the team. The tricky part of my role is to implement changes while keeping the DNA of the company the same.

So it’s still your early days here, but what does your day consist of? 

My first few weeks here will be about learning. Learning about the people, the processes in place, the DNA of the company. Then I can look to make positive changes. 

After twenty years of leading people teams in France, the UK, the USA, and the Netherlands, I have an idea of what best in class is. Now, this isn’t going to happen overnight, it can’t happen that way. So it’s about getting buy-in and support from every level. I’m not trying to be right, I am trying to do the right thing.

I’m curious what drew you to CybelAngel? 

Three things: the team, the market, the product. When I was meeting the executive team here I asked myself, “did they seem smarter than me?”. The answer was yes!  Then you have the market: is it worth pouring my career into it? With cybersecurity, I am one of those people who see the news stories and is concerned. So I know the need is real. Next, I ask, “Do I think the product is going to help?” Yes, I see the technology and platform will grow and scale fast. Great team, great market, great product. So why not?!

What are you most excited about for the future of CybelAngel?

I am sure the company is going to scale and grow fast – that means new opportunities. I’m lucky it’s not a blank slate, there are good processes in place. While it’s a lot of work to reach our goals, we have everything to pull it off. 

What has been the biggest surprise you had when you joined the CybelAngel team? 

The biggest surprise? When I first join most companies, often people teams do not exist. But here there are so many people, processes, and plans. This is the first time that I have walked into an existing structure. 

Do you have any advice for candidates interested in joining CybelAngel? 

Be sure to collect as much information about the company as possible before applying and talking to us. Otherwise, be true to yourself. Finding a job is about finding the right fit for you and for the company. The company needs someone that is happy to grow. 

What do you do in your free time?

For real, I am working. I am passionate and enjoy my work!  Other than that I spend quality time with my wife, dog, child (in that order). I like to visit my house which is in a forest just outside of Paris. 

That’s all the time we have for this episode. To see our ever-changing world of software and cyber, visit CybelAngel’s website at: https://bit.ly/3igg14j. To learn more about joining Grégory and the team at CybelAngel, visit: https://bit.ly/3xmb5iB