About me
A decade of building cyber teams. Now I’m helping you build your career.
Purple Squirrel Cyber Security exists because breaking into cyber and moving up in cyber both depend on skills nobody teaches.
My story
Hi, I’m Jumar Pando
I didn’t start in cyber. My first role was on the IT helpdesk, and like many of the people I now mentor, I wondered how anyone made the jump into security. I worked my way in, one step at a time.
Since then, I’ve spent 10 years in cyber security across banking, retail, energy and local government in Australia. I’ve led security functions and built the teams behind them, most recently as Head of Cyber Security. Along the way, I was honoured to receive the iTnews Retail Security Leader award and be named a CSO30 Next CISO finalist.
What I learned from the hiring side
Building teams meant sitting on the hiring side of the table, and I saw the same pattern again and again.
Leadership, career strategy and resilience decided who got hired, who moved up and who stalled.
The people who stood out weren’t always the most technical. They knew where they were heading, could tell their story clearly, and kept going when things got hard. Those skills can be learned. Most people just never get taught them.
Why “Purple Squirrel”?
In recruitment, a “purple squirrel” is the rare candidate who has the perfect mix of skills for a role. Hiring managers are always searching for one.
I believe more people can become that candidate with the right guidance. That’s what Purple Squirrel Cyber Security is here to do.
How I help
Purple Squirrel teaches the layer of a cyber career that courses and certifications leave out.
Launchpad is for early starters breaking into cyber: students, bootcamp grads and self-taught learners ready to land their first role.