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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →James Robinson did not set out to become a chief information security officer. A vocational networking course, intensive self-study and a willingness to accept an unexpected security assignment eventually took him through seven companies and roles spanning network engineering, security architecture, product security, third-party risk and executive leadership. He joined Netskope as deputy CISO in 2018 and became its CISO in 2024.
His career, described in a 2026 SecurityWeek interview with Kevin Townsend, offers a practical lesson for people changing careers, aspiring to lead security teams and managers hiring their next specialists: credentials and technical depth help, but curiosity, persistence, business fluency and team culture determine how far those skills travel.
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A networking class opened the first door
Robinson recalls being “more sporty than STEM” at a small high school in central Illinois. A vocational electronics-engineering route introduced him to Cisco Networking Academy (NetAcad), which changed his direction. “It was like the world suddenly became my oyster. There was no stopping me. I started doing networking at home, got connected to the internet, and studied and studied,” he told SecurityWeek.
That self-directed effort led to network engineering work at State Farm Insurance in the early 2000s and a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification. He had planned to move to Cisco, but the dot-com crash closed that opportunity. State Farm then offered him a security role. “I just kind of fell into security. I saw the opportunity, took the shot, and went for it.”
#1 Best Overall
The turning point was not a carefully optimized career plan. It was preparation meeting an opening that appeared for a different reason.
Seven companies, progressively broader security responsibility
| Year | Organization | Role or progression |
|---|---|---|
| Early 2000s | State Farm Insurance | Network engineer; earned CCIE, then moved into security |
| 2006 | Anheuser-Busch | Systems engineer focused on information-protection security architecture and analysis |
| 2008 | Emerson Electric | Security engineering and architecture work |
| 2010 | Emerson Network Power | Product security assurance manager and product security officer |
| 2012–2013 | Websense | Joined in 2012; became security architecture and strategy officer in 2013 |
| 2015 | Accuvant-FishNet Security and Optiv | Director role followed by vice president of third-party risk management at Optiv |
| 2018 | Netskope | Joined as deputy CISO |
| 2024–present | Netskope | Became CISO after more than five years as deputy |
The sequence moves from infrastructure into analysis, architecture, product assurance, strategy, external-risk oversight and finally enterprise leadership. That breadth matters because a CISO must understand both how systems are built and how the business depends on them.
What Robinson says aspiring CISOs should build
Follow open doors, but keep learning
Robinson’s advice is deliberately opportunistic: “If the door is open, see where it takes you,” and “never, ever stop learning, because learning is fun when you’re in the right job.” A first role does not need to carry a perfect security title. Networking, systems, software, audit, privacy, risk or engineering can all provide a platform for the next move if you keep adding relevant capability.
Rank #2
Learn the business, not only the controls
His most direct leadership instruction is: “Get close to the business. Understand how the business works. Know what makes it perform well and what makes it perform poorly.” That means learning revenue drivers, operational constraints, customer commitments and the language executives use to weigh risk. Technical recommendations become more credible when they explain what they protect, what they cost and which business decision they enable.
Treat credentials as tools, not identity
Robinson holds a highly respected technical certification, but he did not finish a university degree. He says the missing degree occasionally closed doors and leaves open the possibility of completing it later. His experience supports a balanced view:
| Route or capability | What it can provide | What it cannot substitute for |
|---|---|---|
| Formal degree | Access to some hiring filters and a structured academic foundation | Practical judgment, communication and current skills |
| Certifications | Evidence of study and a common technical vocabulary | Curiosity, persistence and performance in real environments |
| Vocational or self-directed learning | Hands-on practice and a fast route into foundational work | Automatic access to every employer or leadership role |
| Business fluency | Ability to prioritize security in terms leaders can act on | Deep technical competence in every specialty |
| Team leadership | Retention, trust, recognition and coordinated execution | Replacement for technical credibility or sound risk decisions |
His hiring summary is blunt: “But it’s more about the mindset and the person.”
How he evaluates security candidates
Robinson asks applicants what they have been researching, reading and looking up. The question tests whether learning is a habit rather than a line on a résumé. He also looks for underdogs who demonstrate hard work, persistence and dedication to a purpose.
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- Curiosity: Can the candidate explain a recent subject they pursued without being prompted?
- Persistence: Do they describe how they worked through an unfamiliar problem?
- Purpose: Can they connect security work to protecting customers, colleagues or the organization?
- Growth orientation: Are they still learning after earning a credential or landing a job?
The leadership work behind the CISO title
Robinson’s private leadership question is how to improve his own and his team’s performance, make real progress and strengthen culture. He wants every team member recognized and connected to him. “I want to make sure that every individual member of the team is recognized, and that I can connect with all of them.”
He remembers that the best leaders made time for him and tries to repay that investment. For managers, that translates into regular individual contact, visible recognition, clear expectations and deliberate development conversations—not merely crisis-driven meetings.
He also encourages people to notice progress while they are moving quickly: “Even with my team members, who I know want to go fast, I try to get them to pause and appreciate the moment – each moment of their journey.”
What keeps him up at night: incidents, health and AI
Incidents are recurring work
Robinson does not frame a single incident as the permanent definition of a security program. “Security incidents come and go. They’re like waves. They’re the job, and you handle them.” His greater concern is the team’s health and performance over time: whether people can respond, recover, learn and continue operating effectively.
Best Value
AI creates a learning obligation
On artificial intelligence, he says: “If it keeps me up it’s because I’m trying to learn more about it. It’s the excitement of AI rather than the danger of AI.” For security leaders, that means understanding new capabilities and failure modes well enough to make informed decisions, rather than reacting only to headlines.
Sustainable motivation matters
Robinson says fourteen-hour days are manageable when the work is engaging, learning is constant and compensation is not the sole measure of each hour. That is a personal description, not a recommended staffing model. His broader point is that meaningful work and development can sustain demanding periods, while a healthy culture must still protect people from making emergency work permanent.
Quick Recap
What this journey means for a career changer
- Start with a foundation you can practice—networking, systems, coding, identity, cloud or another adjacent discipline.
- Build evidence through labs, projects, incident exercises or measurable work, not certificates alone.
- When an unfamiliar security opportunity appears, investigate it before rejecting it because the title is not part of a long-term plan.
- Move toward roles that broaden your view: architecture, product security, risk, strategy and communication with business leaders.
- Find mentors and leaders who make time, then create that same access for people you manage.
- Keep a visible learning habit so interviews and promotion discussions can show how your judgment is developing.
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