In this episode of re:invent security, hosts Jeroen Prinse and Irfaan Santoe sit down with two cybersecurity leaders tackling the talent gap from opposite directions. Laurens Jagt, founder of Cyber Security District, is building one of Europe’s most vibrant security communities—mentoring and guiding professionals at every stage of their career. Medea de Jong, Global CISO at Sonepar, brings the inside view of what it takes to lead, grow, and keep effective security teams in highly regulated industries.

Together, they explore what’s broken in how we hire, why job descriptions miss the mark, how to spot hidden talent, and what it really takes to build security teams that stick. Whether you’re building your first team or reshaping a mature one, this candid conversation is packed with insights you can act on tomorrow.

Tune in and ask yourself: What will you do differently tomorrow?

Chapters:

00:00 - 03:33 - Introduction

03:33 - 07:09 - How do Medea and Laurens see reinventing the field?

07:10 - 08:22 - Are soft skills more important then certificates?

08:23 - 10:07 - What is more difficult: finding or retaining talent?

10:08 - 19:01 - What is the new generation looking for?

19:02 - 24:46 - Should we take more risk on new or transitioning talent?

24:45 - 31:04 - What is going wrong with our job descriptions?

31:05 - 34:49 - Should development be driven by the organization or the professional?

34:50 - 43:19 - Talking to the board on team development

43:20 - 45:21 - What’s one example of a development program that works?

45:22 - 47:52 - Are we looking for talent in the right places?

47:53 - 51:14 - What makes a transition into the cyber security field work?

51:15 - 53:56 - Building a brand new security team

53:57 - 58:09 - Key take aways Irfaan and Jeroen

58:10- 59:45 - Outro

Resources:

1. TierPoint – Building Your Cybersecurity Team (2025)

Link: https://www.tierpoint.com/blog/cybersecurity-team

A practical guide for building an effective cybersecurity team, covering roles, strategies, and policy foundations. Ideal for modern organizations aiming to be scalable and agile.

2. TechTarget – Maximize Business Impact with the Right Security Team

Link: https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/tip/How-to-build-a-cybersecurity-team-to-maximize-business-impact

This article explores how the right team structure directly influences risk reduction, operational efficiency, and talent retention. Especially relevant for security leaders and HR decision-makers.

3. Airiam – 14 Strategies for Building Cyber-Resilient Teams

Link: https://airiam.com/blog/building-cyber-resilient-teams

A clear and actionable blog post offering 14 strategies to enhance team culture, training, and awareness within cybersecurity teams. Useful for leaders looking to strengthen team dynamics.

4. ISACA - State of Cybersecurity 2024 report

Link: https://www.isaca.org/resources/reports/state-of-cybersecurity-2024

Connect with Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/medea-de-jong-aa1b771/

Connect with Laurens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurensjagt/

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Jeroen Prinse

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jprinse/

Irfaan Santoe:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irfaansantoe/

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