Julia interviews Robbie Tyrie of Torridon Cyber about why cybersecurity is often undervalued by leaders of scaling businesses despite being critical to long-term success.

Robbie recounts his career path into cyber from the Y2K era through roles across IT and security, including building cybersecurity functions at JP Morgan, Virgin Money, Aegon, and as global head of cyber at FNZ, and explains penetration testing and why he launched his own firm.

He describes his fractional CISO service advising boards on risk, helping scale-ups that don’t need a full-time CISO. The discussion frames security as a trust-based business enabler, outlines basics like MFA, asset and risk registers, and staff awareness, recommends frequent training and phishing tests, and stresses top-down culture via security champions.

They cover AI governance risks, the rise of scattergun AI-enabled attacks targeting smaller firms, the need for KPIs/scorecards and M&A due diligence, and a dentist business closing after ransomware, highlighting backups and cyber insurance.

00:00 Welcome and Why Cyber Matters

00:45 Robbie’s Cybersecurity Journey

02:58 From Corporate to Founding Torridon

04:05 What a Fractional CISO Does

04:53 Cybersecurity as a Trust Builder

07:44 Security Basics and Staff Risk

08:40 Training That Actually Sticks

10:35 AI Governance and New Threats

15:36 Building a Security Culture

20:13 Scaling Up and Due Diligence

24:25 Ransomware Reality Check

25:58 Final Takeaways and Where to Find Robbie

You can connect with Robbie at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyrie/

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