The Lift, episode 11: from Service Delivery Manager to Account Manager with Majken Præst

TLTR

The essentials from “The Lift”: building your career at Orange Cyberdefense 

• Concrete, rapid career progression: in two years, Majken Præst moved from Service Delivery Manager to Account Manager. 
• A career path driven by a desire to learn: new responsibilities, technical training and a gradual introduction to commercial topics have supported her development. 
• People skills at the heart of success: in her role, listening, empathy, the ability to bring people together and a collaborative mindset are just as important — if not more so — than technical expertise. 
• Concrete progression opportunities: at Orange Cyberdefense, employees can change roles, deepen their expertise or seize international opportunities. 

"The Lift": How Vincent Bastin Became Shared SOC Manager at Orange Cyberdefense

How does one evolve from a technical expert role to a managerial position? In this episode of "The Lift," Vincent Bastin reflects on his career development and the professional growth opportunities offered by Orange Cyberdefense, thanks to internal mobility, skill development, and the trust of his manager, Hervé Mazars.

The Lift: The floor is yours

At Orange Cyberdefense, curiosity and learning build trust pays off. With capability and motivation, growth is possible.
Majken Præst, Account Manager, Orange Cyberdefense Denmark.

When did your paths cross? In what context?

Majken Præst, Account Manager, Denmark: “It was two years ago. I had been working as a Customer Success Manager for several years. I applied, and during the interview I was immediately struck by the pleasant atmosphere in the office. I remember thinking that I wanted to work in that environment. If I get a good feeling from the start, I go for it. Even though the role was a challenge and quite different from my previous experience, I wanted it.” 

Bettina Nyberg, Director of People and Professionnal Services, Denmark: “I was looking for a new Service Delivery Manager, and Majken applied. I knew instantly that I was going to hire her. I thought: here is someone who can deliver on the role and work through a whole list of tasks while still keeping the human factor in mind. I had other interviews scheduled and I took them seriously, but my decision had already been made.” 

What were the first projects you worked on together?

Majken: “At first, Bettina was not my manager because she was responsible for Human Resources, but she became my manager a few months later. We worked very independently, with reporting of course, but above all with trust. My first assignments were mainly project-management focused. I had to get to know the clients and understand the systems.” 

Bettina: “We had a lot of successes, including strong client onboardings where we had to get to know the customer and strengthen the relationship. With Majken, when something needs fixing, she deals with it straight away. I particularly value that mindset.” 

When you joined Orange Cyberdefense, what skills did you already have, and what did you learn?

Majken: “When I took the role, I did not have a strong technical background. I had some basic cybersecurity experience, but my profile was quite generalist. Building that technical understanding became a major part of my learning. I am still learning now, because as an Account Manager I need to talk to clients about our different services, projects and partners. My strength is being able to bring the right skills together, build the right team and make sure everything stays on track. Purely technical work is not for me. My role is not to master everything myself, but to understand the teams’ expertise and turn it into a service the client will want to buy from us. I see myself more as a trusted adviser.” 

Bettina: “I agree with Majken: I am constantly learning about people, their different needs and the circumstances that affect their lives. We also introduce many new systems at Orange Cyberdefense. It is a never-ending learning process that pushes us to keep developing and stay curious.” 

How have your careers progressed at Orange Cyberdefense?

Majken: “I joined Orange Cyberdefense two years ago as a Service Delivery Manager. I worked on client implementations, acting as a project manager. It taught me a great deal, and it was rewarding to see that clients were happy. We received tangible feedback through the Net Promoter Score, NPS, a key indicator of whether a client is likely to recommend us. I am proud to have contributed to that alongside the whole team. Success is collective first and foremost, and I never take all the credit for myself. I am currently in a transition phase, splitting my time between two roles as I move from Service Delivery Manager to Account Manager. One chapter is closing and a new challenge is beginning.” 

Bettina: “I joined Orange Cyberdefense twelve years ago, initially as a Service Delivery Manager. I loved my clients and loved making things happen. There were problems in one department, and I was asked to become a manager. I had never dreamed of becoming a manager, but I accepted. It was quite a learning curve! At the time, things were simpler: I was mainly focused on people management, with very little structure around it. I grew to enjoy it. Orange Cyberdefense expanded in Denmark and needed someone to take responsibility for HR, so that became me. I pushed to have a seat on the management committee because I wanted the human factor to be systematically included in strategic decisions. I have never had any ambition other than putting people at the centre of my work. Today, as Director of People and Professional Services, I am responsible for our security consultants and Service Delivery Managers.” 

What learning and development opportunities have helped you strengthen your expertise at Orange Cyberdefense?

Majken: “At first, I took technical training to bring myself up to speed. Bettina and I often discussed specific courses such as ITIL Foundation, the IT service management certification, but in the end, my challenge was not to acquire more technical skills. My next challenge as a new Account Manager is adapting to a different set of responsibilities. I am well supported because I am currently doing the role part-time, which gives me a better transition into it.” 

Bettina: “Whenever you join a new company, there is always a learning phase as you get used to new ways of working. We organise introductory meetings to help people understand the organisation and our services. Majken very quickly became an excellent Service Delivery Manager, and senior management noticed. As a side story, this summer while I was on holiday, our Managing Director went to Majken and told her she would make an excellent Account Manager. When I came back, he told me, and I said: ‘Come on, you cannot take my best Service Delivery Manager!’ Majken ultimately accepted the role because she wanted a new challenge. Even though it was not my idea, I supported her progression. She has been onboarding into the Account Manager role while continuing to do her SDM work. She is not even a full-time Account Manager yet and she is already excellent at the job. She is clearly the new energy in the sales department.” 

What strengths, in terms of skills and interpersonal qualities, did you quickly notice in Majken?

Bettina: “I saw that she had great potential to get things done and keep track of all the actions a Service Delivery Manager needs to manage. Majken knows how to challenge established ways of working. She is just as good at saying yes as she is at saying no, while remaining respectful of the human relationship. But beyond that, what stood out most was her kindness and empathy. Listening to and understanding people matters when you work in management. When Majken told me she had never worked in an equivalent role, that was not a problem for me. Technical skills, reporting, running meetings and writing minutes can all be learned. But being a good person, with empathy, is an intrinsic quality. And whenever you change jobs, there should always be something new to learn.” 

How do you breathe Orange Cyberdefense's Hacking spirit?

 Majken knows how to challenge established ways of working, says Bettina. 

What is your shared view of career progression opportunities at Orange Cyberdefense?

Majken: “There are many ways to progress. You can work as an SDM or as a cybersecurity specialist, then move into a PS consulting role, for example. At Orange Cyberdefense, the potential is enormous because we are part of a large Group.” 

Bettina: “Of course, we should support people who want to progress in their careers, whether organisationally or technically, but without pushing them. Sometimes, with a new home, a young child or a divorce in progress, people simply want to stay in their role and do their job well. We know how to give people a nudge to learn a new skill, take a training course or move forward, but without putting pressure on them. People have lives outside work too. There are also international opportunities: here in Denmark, for example, we have colleagues who came from France and Belgium.” 

An anecdote? A phrase or piece of advice that has stayed with you? Something you had never dared say to each other before?

Bettina: “I remember our Managing Director, whom I have known for years. He was walking towards me, and from the way he was walking I knew he was about to tell me something. He said Majken was becoming an Account Manager. I was slightly reluctant,  she was my best team member, but also very proud.” 

Majken: “I would say Bettina is very easy to work with. We know each other well, and we deal with things simply and with common sense.” 

Artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing in cybersecurity: is it already impacting your work?

Majken: “Things are moving very quickly in this area, and a lot is happening. It is difficult to have a fixed view. I use our internal Generative AI, which is very useful, but I also think we cannot rely entirely on AI. The human element is and will remain essential.” 

Bettina: “Everyone talks about AI, but nobody is asking the real questions: what is our policy? What do we actually do with these new tools? I use it for translation, proofreading and image creation, but is that really what it means to work with artificial intelligence? For our consultants, some of the major challenges will be around preventing data leakage. My team is already exploring the technical side, but the subject is broad and we are still only at the beginning.” 

Explore the other episodes of our series "The Lift: the floor is yours" at Orange Cyberdefense, by clicking below.