The first time Alicia Valderrama walked into a Sekuro office, deep house music was playing. “This is sick,” she thought. She’d just walked away from eight years and a managerial position at KFC with no backup plan, uncharacteristic for someone who describes herself as relentlessly career-driven. But she had, in her words, “this fire in me.”
That fire to succeed and progress is still burning. Today, Alicia is Sekuro’s Director of Global Operations, focused on building operational maturity and expanding what works in Australia to our teams in Asia. Her path here is one of the more unlikely climbs in cyber and one of the most distinctly Sekurian.
Growing up at the counter
Alicia got her first taste of work at fourteen, behind the counter at Michelle’s Patisserie. But it was KFC where she really grew up. Nearly eight years there, moving from team member to assistant restaurant manager at Australia’s busiest store, taught her something that would shape everything that came next: she was good at the uncomfortable parts of the job.
“Managing Australia’s busiest KFC store taught me to step out of my comfort zone and trust my instincts,” she says. Two mentors there, Bianca and Zara, pushed her to think beyond the job in front of her, “They challenged me to think bigger and helped me realise I had more to give.”
“I’ve always been career-driven. If I’m not progressing, I get bored.” — Alicia on her professional journey
The Leap
When KFC restructured, Alicia decided to look elsewhere. A recruitment agency introduced her to a cyber security company that, at the time, went by a different name, the business that would become Sekuro. She walked into the office for an interview, heard the music, and knew.
The role she landed was Sales Development Representative (SDR), an entry-level cyber sales job. She still calls it the hardest role she’s held at Sekuro. “It pushed me out of my comfort zone completely.”
That discomfort turned out to be the whole point.
The Climb
From SDR, Alicia moved up. Then up again. Each role taught her something new, and the initiatives she brought to the team kept taking root. The weekly metrics she introduced are now standard practice.
“Sekuro encourages experimentation and backs my decisions,” she says. “The culture of learning and autonomy has been invaluable.”
She credits leaders like Noel and Tom Allen with helping her find her footing, not through hand-holding, but through example. “They inspired me by example and helped build my confidence.”
When asked about the achievement she was most proud of, it was closing Sekuro’s largest deal with Fire and Rescue NSW, while also helping build the foundational processes that strengthened the business.
Director of Global Operations
Today, Alicia’s focus is on building operational maturity and expanding successful practices to Sekuro’s Asia team. It’s a translation job as much as a leadership one, taking what works in one market and adapting it for another, without losing what makes it work in the first place.
Sekuro itself has grown fast, from a 2021 merger of four Australian cyber security companies to a global business with bold ambitions. Roles like Alicia’s are how that growth becomes operational reality.
“Initiatives I started, like weekly metrics, are now standard practice — showing how ideas are embraced.” — Alicia on Sekuro’s culture
Curiosity, Resilience, and Saying ‘Yes’
Alicia believes the people who thrive at Sekuro are those who stay curious, adapt quickly, and remain open to learning as they go. In a fast-moving environment like the cybersecurityy industry, that means being willing to step into unfamiliar situations, ask questions, and take on opportunities even before everything feels perfectly comfortable.
That is why her advice to anyone joining the team is to “Just keep saying yes, within reason.”
It is a mindset that extends beyond work. The best advice she has ever received is a line that continues to guide her. “One cannot consent to creep when one has an impulse to soar.” For Alicia, it is a reminder not to shrink from growth when there is a chance to rise.
What’s next
She is not done climbing. As Alicia looks ahead, she sees the cybersecurity industry moving toward “more proactive, scalable solutions” as organisations face increasingly complex risks. What excites her most is the opportunity to expand Sekuro’s impact globally, especially across Asia, by supporting cross-regional growth and sharing best practices across markets.
“What keeps me here,” she says, “are the endless opportunities to learn and make a difference.”
The Sekurian spirit
Alicia’s story, from a teenager behind the counter at a patisserie to a director shaping global operations at a leading cyber security company, is exactly the kind of arc that defines a Sekurian. Bold. Dynamic. Transformative. The same qualities our clients trust us with, played out in the people who deliver the work.
