The Lift, episode 9: from CyberSOC Manager to Head of the Business Line Defense Center with Elien Cardon

TLTR

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

• Career progression in two and a half years: Elien Cardon moved quickly from CyberSOC Manager to Head of the Business Line Defense Center in Belgium. 
• A career path built step by step: from operational cybersecurity to leading a business line, Elien has developed within large organisations that offer room to progress. 
• Career progression built on curiosity, relationships and patience, supported by a company culture focused on action. 

“The Lift”: how Elien Cardon became Head of the Business Line Defense Center at Orange Cyberdefense

How do you build a career in cybersecurity and gradually take on new responsibilities? Elien Cardon’s career path is a clear example. Her progression has been shaped by expertise, learning and trust. After joining as CyberSOC Manager, she quickly became Head of the Business Line Defense Center. She has broadened her scope, developed new skills and learned how to manage managers. Her experience shows that progression opportunities are built over time by developing your network and seizing the right opportunities.

The Lift: The floor is yours

At Orange Cyberdefense, we grow up with the same core values.

Elien Cardon, Head of the Business Line Defense Center, Orange Cyberdefense Belgium.

When did your paths cross? In what context?

Elien Cardon, Head of the Business Line Defense Center: “I have twenty years of professional experience, most of it in IT. After my first job abroad in online marketing for Google, I returned to Belgium and sat the entry exams for the civil service. I joined the Ministry of Defence and stayed there for ten years. During that time, I gradually moved towards more technical security-related work. The natural next step was to return to the private sector, where I became Head of Operations for a retailer’s internal SOC. I remember my first conversation with Filip: he came over and sat down with me and two of my former colleagues, and I thought, ‘That’s the CEO of Orange Cyberdefense!’ We talked, and it was very friendly. Filip made a real point of speaking to clients. He was good at networking, and I remember thinking I should try to do the same. When Orange Cyberdefense approached me, I accepted the role, and here we are two and a half years later. I like working in large organisations because they allow you to build a network and understand complexity.” 

Filip Verstockt, General Manager: “I’m an old hand. I started in 1996 at a Belgian systems integrator, then joined Orange Business in 2000, where I progressed from Account Manager to Head of Sales for Belgium and Luxembourg. I later became Head of Sales and Design at Orange Mobile Enterprise. After a spell at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, I returned to Orange through Cyberdefense in 2020. Time flies when you’re having fun. We evolved from being security integrators to managed security service providers with integration capabilities. That’s where Elien came in. I remember it was 2021. When I recruit for key roles, of course I look at the person’s experience. Elien had implemented security practices within the Colruyt Group, which is roughly the Belgian equivalent of Carrefour. It is a strong, well-known brand. I also look at references, and people spoke very highly of Elien. A position became available, we went for lunch, and I tried to convince her to join. It seems to have worked.” 

What was the first project you worked on together?

Elien: “I remember the first issue I had to deal with. I was Cybersecurity Manager at the time, and it was a difficult CyberArk integration project for a client. I already had experience in that area, so I felt fairly confident, which helped. After that, I worked on topics further outside my usual scope, such as Cortex technology. At the beginning, I had to get to grips with a lot of new technical subjects, which effectively became part of my onboarding.” 

Filip: “When Elien joined, I asked her to help us become more professional in cybersecurity. We did not have a CyberSOC Business Manager; that dimension was missing. Elien helped us build it step by step and win strong client references. Today, we have a fully fledged business line in Belgium.” 

Can you identify one particular success or challenge you tackled together?

Filip: “I remember a project for the world’s largest chocolate company, whose IT headquarters were in Belgium. Elien was leading CyberSOC at the time. We became very close to the client very quickly and built such a strong relationship of trust that they awarded us a major contract. We achieved that thanks to a fantastic team, from the account manager to pre-sales. It was a memorable experience.” 

Elien: “Another major success has been building the team. We often discuss the profiles we should recruit and the right package to offer. We win clients and retain them by building a strong team. We have done that successfully with the analysts, and we can now scale that approach more broadly.” 

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

Elien: “I was very comfortable with SOC service processes. The technology side was clearly my biggest challenge. And of course, I also had to familiarise myself with the Group, which is still ongoing! I am still discovering new synergies. How do we work effectively with the different countries and entities across Orange Group? There is still a lot to explore and connect. I know I also have room to progress, particularly on the financial side. You never stop learning.” 

Filip: “Since 1 January, Elien has had end-to-end responsibility for the Profit and Loss, P&L, of her business line. You have to learn how to be aggressive enough to grow while still making sure you generate profit. Finding that balance is something you learn, and it is one of Elien’s major challenges.” 

How has your career progressed at Orange Cyberdefense?

Elien: “I joined Orange Cyberdefense two and a half years ago as CyberSOC Manager for Belgium. Since January, I have been Head of the Business Line Defense Center. Time goes quickly!” 

Filip: “For some time, I could see that Elien was capable of much more and that I risked losing her if I did not give her more responsibility. The new Orange Cyberdefense organisation arrived like a gift. I was able to give her responsibility for CyberSOC and ethical hacking, and introduce new challenges such as becoming a manager of managers. That means learning to delegate rather than solving every problem yourself. I remember drawing the new organisation for Belgium, mirroring the French structure. I discussed it with Elien, and she accepted the progression very quickly.” 

What role did Filip play in your professional development?

Elien: “He has been crucial. Filip has a strong sense of company culture and fit, and he knows how all the pieces of the puzzle connect. We share values such as honesty, transparency and the ability to have some conflict without calling the professional relationship into question. I have worked in different environments, and I think I have found a good fit here between my personal values and those of the company.” 

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

Filip: “Elien is passionate about her work and very constructive, always looking for ways to take the company to the next level. She stays close to the business, regularly visits clients, listens to them and is not the kind of manager who runs things from an Excel spreadsheet. The way she works also helps convince talented people to join us. I also value her honesty. When there is a problem, she puts it on the table so we can solve it together. We always manage to find solutions. I appreciate her transparency.” 

How do you breathe Orange Cyberdefense's Hacking spirit?

For me, it is a can-do attitude, while respecting the company’s image and values, says Elien. 

What is your shared vision regarding career development opportunities at Orange Cyberdefense?

Elien: “I would advise young talent to come into the office and attend social events. They are opportunities to meet clients and colleagues. Working in IT does not mean staying 100% removed from other people. Building relationships is also an investment in your career. At Orange Cyberdefense, every new joiner has their own mentor. That gives you an opportunity to ask questions and progress. I also think you need to be patient. I am naturally very ‘red’,  I like things to move quickly,  but you have to accept that some things take time.” 

Filip: “You need to be passionate and think long term, but above all you need to say what you want. A manager cannot know an employee’s ambitions unless they express them. I agree with Elien about building and maintaining relationships. I see it with my eldest son, who wanted to move from engineering into a more commercial role. I advised him to say what he wanted, he did, and he has just been promoted. Young people can lack patience and expect to be promoted after six months, but that is not how it works. So patience is also part of my advice. I probably was not very patient myself when I was younger!”

And what is your view of our company culture, the famous "Hacking Spirit"?

Elien: “For me, it is a can-do attitude. It means sitting around the table to find solutions and doing things properly, without behaving like cowboys, while respecting the company’s image and values. It also means being heard and recognised, with a very positive company culture focused on action and problem-solving. Compared with the public sector, where I worked for many years, this mindset suits me much better. I feel completely at home in it.” 

Filip: “For me, the ‘Hacking Spirit’ means thinking long term rather than taking shortcuts. I also associate it with mutual respect, helping one another, honesty and boldness. Those values are essential.” 

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

Elien: “I do not think my role is fundamentally affected yet. The most important thing is to identify and support initiatives that will help us integrate AI responsibly. Our business line teams are highly technical and used to change. Twenty years ago, I started my career at Google around the time Gmail launched. Many things that seem obvious today did not exist then. We have already been through several cycles of change, and younger people tend to embrace new things.” 

Filip: “AI is not a threat. We should look at how it can help us become more professional. This year, we launched an AI ambassador programme in Belgium. Each of our teams has one or two people who are particularly interested in artificial intelligence. Together, they share ideas on how to improve the way teams work, whether in commercial operations or legal activities. Our company culture is also about knowing how to adapt to a world that is constantly changing. The common narrative is that people will no longer be needed to do the work once AI arrives. I believe the real challenge is reskilling: identifying new potential in our people that fits these technological developments.” 

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