Quorum Cyber appoint leading Offensive Security enthusiast, Daniel Stewart, as Head of Testing

Quorum Cyber are delighted to announce the appointment of Daniel Stewart as Head of Testing. With over a decade’s worth of experience within the sector, Daniel brings with him a real working knowledge of many elements of cyber security.

Offensive Security is something that has always interested Daniel, and he has an impressive list of former colleagues, who he has, admittedly, learned so much from.

Speaking with a real fondness for those early days in his career, Daniel said:

I think one of the reasons that we were so successful together is that we were constantly looking to help each other out, we all wanted to learn the next thing and we were there to support one another and helped to further ourselves. They still inspire me; I owe a lot of my development to them.

Listening to Daniel recount his own story, one cannot help but be impressed by his own work ethic and, in particular, his attitude towards problem solving. Daniel, in his own words, “Is a Why guy.” When faced with a certain problem or threat, Daniel draws motivation from finding his ‘why’ – creating tangible and measurable value through offensive security and, importantly, being honest with his work.

I want to make a positive difference. In a work capacity, that means a positive difference for myself and for my clients, I realised relatively early in my career that this aspect was a driving force behind my own ambitions and ideals for the future.

Daniel’s work ethos really shines through when you consider he has been studying for almost all his adult life in his ongoing endeavour to constantly better himself, an aspect which can only mean real value for his existing and future customers:

I’m no expert, but I do try really hard! Daniel adds jokingly. And I have been studying my entire life, and then we come back to the ‘why’ and the reason that I have put so much effort in throughout my career is because, not only does it really interest me, on a personal level, but also, the fact that you can truly make a difference with offensive security knowledge to how safe your client and their organisation can become, is immensely gratifying.

Indeed, the passion from Daniel is evident when he tells us just how happy it makes him to be able to run a test for a customer and come back to them, with what he wistfully refers to as “the golden key” in so far as, taking a customer on that journey where they can quicky begin to receive tangible evidence of threats which may otherwise cause significant harm to their business

Daniel’s career has taken him across the globe, from Oman to Saudi Arabia, from banking groups to Counter Threat Unit developing offensive security counter measures in what sounds like a particularly interesting time in his life. Daniel now finds himself back in Edinburgh and could not feel more at home than at Quorum Cyber.

Additionally, this is an incredibly exciting time to be joining the team as they move through a significant global growth period in their own development.

“One of the things that really excited me about joining Quorum Cyber was the fact that, as an organisation, they really do actively display the same values as I do. They understand the real value is often in customer relationships and communication. Too often we get ahead of ourselves and forget this. Doing the simple things right isn’t always easy. For example, as an effective pen tester, there has to be a realisation that our ‘product’ if you will, is the report we give to our customers. It’s not the technical skills that go into the test – although these are not insignificant – but it is the actual physical report we give to our customers, in essence equipping them with the knowledge they need to safeguard themselves. This is what Quorum Cyber are all about, it always must be a win-win for both ourselves and for the customers, and this is something that really shines through when we consider actual deliverables for our clients and their business.”

Having somebody of Dan’s skills, knowledge and, above all, dedication to his craft, is another fantastic addition to a workforce already brimming with talent:

“I first worked with Dan over 10 years ago, when he was a young up-and-coming Security Analyst. Even back then, I was amazed by his ethics, empathy and teamwork. Over the years, I’ve seen Dan develop into one of the strongest technical talents I have seen in this industry. Today, I could think of no one better to lead our Testing Services Team and develop the next generation of talent in Scotland. It is with the greatest of pleasures that I say “Welcome to the team, Dan. Take us forward.”

— Federico Charosky, Managing Director, Quorum Cyber