The Trade Desk's Joe McCallister on salary negotiation and leading without micromanaging
The Future of Security OperationsShow Notes
In this week’s episode of The Future of Security Operations podcast, Thomas is joined by Joe McCallister. Joe’s journey in security is truly unique - in less than a decade, he pivoted from selling BMWs to his current role as Senior Manager of Cybersecurity Operations at The Trade Desk. He’s also led impactful initiatives in risk management, threat hunting, and incident response at Synoptek.
In this episode: [02:18] Transitioning from selling BMWs to leading a security team [06:14] Moving from practitioner to manager and leaning into the role of the "communications guy" [09:52] Balancing security team priorities with company goals [11:40] The threats that keep Joe up at night [14:06] How The Trade Desk's rapid growth has affected day-to-day operations [16:10] Ensuring security stays top of mind for other business units [19:32] Practical tips for strengthening collaboration with IT and other teams [22:13] Joe’s approach to hiring and building a resilient team [26:30] Enabling his incident response team to thrive, even when he's not there [30:58] Joe’s top three leadership principles [33:22] Tips for salary negotiation, both as a practitioner and a manager [39:58] Navigating imposter syndrome and anxiety [42:37] How AI is fueling Joe’s optimism for the future of SecOps [44:29] Connect with Joe
The Future of Security Operations is brought to you by Tines, the orchestration, automation, and AI platform that powers some of the world’s most important workflows.
Where to find Joe:
Rocky Mountain Information Security Conference (May 28 - 30, 2025)
Where to find Thomas Kinsella:
Tines
Resources mentioned:
Colorado=Security Annual Salary Surveys & Resources
More from The Future of Security Operations
In this week’s episode of The Future of Security Operations podcast, Thomas is joined by Matt Muller, Field CISO at Tines. With over a decade of experience at companies like Material Security, Coinbase, and Inflection, Matt’s got a strong track record of scaling SecOps teams, building threat detection and mitigation programs, and driving trust and safety initiatives. His knowledge impressed Thomas and the Tines team so much that they invited him to become the company's first Field CISO.
In this week’s episode of The Future of Security Operations podcast, Thomas is joined by Travis Howerton, Co-founder and CEO of RegScale. Travis began his security career with roles at government and regulated organizations, including the National Nuclear Security Administration and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, before being inspired by inefficiencies in compliance processes to co-found RegScale. As CEO of RegScale, he oversees their Continuous Controls Monitoring platform, which enables rapid GRC outcomes for organizations like Wiz, Keybank, and the US Department of Energy.
In this week’s episode of The Future of Security Operations podcast, Thomas is joined by Raymond Schippers. With 15 years of experience leading detection and response teams, Raymond is a seasoned security leader with high-impact roles at Check Point and Canva under his belt. He recently became co-founder of Huntabil.IT, a Melbourne-based company providing organizations with tailored advisory services to align with their unique threat landscapes and business goals.
In this week’s episode of The Future of Security Operations podcast, Thomas is joined by Dane VandenBerg. Dane’s 16-year security career includes product-focused roles with vendors like Qintel and more recently, Microsoft, where he was Principal Technical Specialist supporting the development of their security copilot. He’s also spent a lot of time in fintech, serving as Vice President of Information Security at Prime Trust and, currently, Senior Director of Security Operations at Circle.
In this week’s episode of The Future of Security Operations podcast, Thomas is joined by Josh Lemos, CISO at GitLab. Throughout his 15-year career in security, Josh has led teams at ServiceNow, Cylance, and Square. Known for his expertise in AI-driven security strategies, Josh is also a board member with HiddenLayer. He drives innovation at GitLab with a relentless focus on offensive security, identity management, and automation.