As part of our Quarterly Spotlight on The Next Generation of Resilience Professionals, we asked several resilience professionals our Five Questions. Our next guest is Mikaela Mitchell.
What is your background, and can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am a Global Business Resilience Manager with 11+ years of experience working with security organizations across global hypergrowth tech companies. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in Leadership Studies. I spent 9 years of my childhood living in Southeast Asia, where I was first introduced to the security industry through my father’s security firm.
How did you get into the profession?
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, I was asked to switch roles and build a Global Business Resilience program following a large company reorganization. After just months of learning on the job, I earned my CBCI certification from the BCI and went on to win a BCI Americas Award as Continuity & Resilience Newcomer of 2022.
What are your recommendations for bringing people with more diverse backgrounds into the field?
I recommend that we take every opportunity to encourage partnerships and collaboration with organizations that promote diversity and inclusion. By doing this, we are putting our industry on the proper platforms to engage with more diverse groups and backgrounds.
It seems like there are not many younger people becoming professionals. Why do you think that is, and what can we do to change that?
A “resilience professional” has yet to become a familiar term in any conversation about career choices. It is hard to describe what the idea of a “resilience professional” should be because no one has really taken the time to redefine it. In a profession that must adapt to the rapidly changing world we live in, I do not believe that we have made a shift toward redefining what it means to be a resilience professional in a way that would attract younger generations. I think we should leverage any existing partnerships that already have the attention of younger generations to get more exposure, or begin to tailor our branding and social media presence to target the specific audience we want to reach.
What is a goal you are working towards?
Aside from working towards completing my MBCI application, I serve on the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee at my current organization and have recently joined the BCI USA Chapter D&I Collaboration Stream. My goal is to leverage these opportunities to promote more diverse recruiting and hiring in the resilience and continuity profession.
About Mikaela Mitchell
Earlier this year, Mikaela won the BCI's Continuity and Resilience Newcomer of the Year for the Americas.
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