Join us as we uncover Steve’s remarkable journey from Royal Marine Commando, pursuing pirates on the high seas, to hunting hackers in the high-speed world of Formula One.
After five years with the Royal Marines, Steve embarked on a lifelong learning journey, earning a degree, a master’s, and numerous cybersecurity qualifications. This set the stage for his success and ultimately landed him his dream job in cybersecurity. Now, in his InfoSec leadership role, Steve focuses on securing the Mercedes Formula One team by protecting sensitive intellectual property and ensuring IT systems function properly to support car performance.
“Tomorrow, we’re on track in Silverstone for the British Grand Prix. So there’s a lot of work going on today to ensure we’re all ready and prepared for that. We hope to have a great weekend and hopefully a great result as well. My role is busy and varied. I get privileged access to the team to understand what’s happening day to day and longer-term strategically, and I work with some fantastic people as well.”
Steve’s journey wasn’t without challenges. Initially aspiring to be a fighter pilot, his path changed after joining the 211 Squadron training corps in Newbury at age 13, where he was convinced that the Royal Marines was the ‘cooler’ option.
In 2007, he went to Lympstone for recruit training, passed successfully, and joined 42 Commando, deploying on HERRICK 9 to Afghanistan. He then specialised in intelligence, completing an intelligence fundamentals course before heading to a job at the Faslane Naval Base with the Fleet Protection Group. There, he worked on counterterrorism intelligence and counter-piracy, deploying to the Indian Ocean off Somalia with a team of Royal Marines hunting pirates.
During his time in Afghanistan, Steve met a Royal Marines Captain who had studied at King’s College London. Their conversations about future career options led Steve to bolster his academic credentials. After completing Open University courses, he was accepted into King’s College London and left the Royal Marines in September 2011.
“My plan A was to join the civil service, and plan B was to find an intelligence job somewhere. But during my final year at King’s, I applied for the civil service fast stream, failed, and had to rethink my options. I got into cybersecurity and info security by starting with a cyber threat intelligence company. I then used resources like Immersive Labs through TechVets, and courses from the SANS Institute to build my qualifications.”
Following his cybersecurity upskilling, Steve worked for Digital Shadows, Nationwide, and London-based financial institutions before spotting an advert for his dream job at Mercedes Formula 1.
“Career highlights so far include interactions with Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and experiencing a few race wins, including the Austrian Grand Prix. The debriefs after races, the team spirit, and being part of the recovery and drive to bring the team back to winning races and championships are all incredible experiences.”
“If Service leavers are thinking about retraining for a role in cybersecurity, I’d recommend focusing on offensive security, pen testing, and red teaming. Learn what hackers do and how they do it. Get technical fluency in terms like buffer overflow, SQL injection, and DDoS attacks. Understanding the technical details and how to prevent them is indispensable. This knowledge combined with military discipline and experience can give you a significant edge.”
