GARTH DE VOS
Cape Town
Summary
Accomplished IT professional with over two decades of experience. Dynamic and results-driven Senior Customer Success Manager with extensive experience in cybersecurity, technical account management, and stakeholder relationship management. Proven expertise in aligning strategic goals with cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions to deliver exceptional value and drive customer success. Adept at managing complex projects, resolving escalations, and leading cross-functional teams to ensure optimal performance and customer satisfaction.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Customer Success Manager
Forcepoint
12.2023 - Current
- Managed a portfolio of 16+ Enterprise customers spanning various industries – Military, Banking, Pharmaceuticals, Telecommunications, Semiconductors
- Acted as a strategic advisor and primary point of contact for enterprise and strategic customers, ensuring successful adoption and optimization of cybersecurity solutions
- Developed and executed comprehensive customer success plans aligned with business objectives, driving product adoption, value realization, and long-term customer retention
- Partnered with cross-functional teams, including sales, technical support, and product management, to advocate for customer needs and drive continuous improvement in customer experience
- Led executive business reviews (QBRs/EBRs) to assess solution performance, identify opportunities for growth, and ensure alignment with evolving security goals and business priorities
- Proactively identified risks to customer success and developed mitigation strategies to enhance customer satisfaction and reduce churn
- Delivered onboarding and enablement programs to empower customers with the knowledge and resources needed to maximize their cybersecurity investments
- Drove upsell and cross-sell opportunities by understanding customer pain points and providing tailored recommendations on the suite of security solutions
- Analyzed customer usage data and feedback to provide actionable insights that optimize product utilization and overall security posture
- Managed escalations and critical incidents, ensuring timely resolution and clear communication with stakeholders to maintain trust and satisfaction
- Advocated for customers by influencing product roadmaps, sharing insights from customer interactions to drive innovation and address market demands
- Established and maintained strong relationships with key stakeholders, including CISOs, IT directors, and security teams, to foster long-term partnerships
- Developed and refined customer success metrics and KPIs to measure performance and continuously improve service delivery
- Mentored and guided junior customer success managers, sharing best practices and strategic insights to enhance team performance
- Collaborated with teams to share customer success stories and testimonials, showcasing impact on cybersecurity resilience and compliance
Senior Technical Account Manager
Forcepoint
11.2021 - 12.2023
- Served as a strategic technical advisor and escalation point for key enterprise and global accounts, ensuring the successful deployment and ongoing optimization of cybersecurity solutions
- Developed and maintained deep relationships with C-level executives and key stakeholders to align cybersecurity strategies with business objectives and drive long-term value
- Led complex technical engagements, including integration planning, and deployment of solutions across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments
- Provided proactive technical guidance, risk assessments, and security posture improvements to help customers mitigate threats and comply with regulatory standards
- Collaborated with product management and engineering teams to advocate for customer needs, influencing product enhancements and roadmap development based on real-world use cases
- Managed high-priority escalations and crisis situations, ensuring swift resolution, minimal business disruption, and effective communication across all levels of the organization
- Conducted quarterly and annual business reviews to analyze product performance, security effectiveness, and opportunities for further adoption and expansion
- Designed and delivered technical training sessions, workshops, and enablement programs to enhance customer knowledge and self-sufficiency
- Partnered with internal sales teams to identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities, contributing to revenue growth and customer expansion
- Oversaw the execution of service-level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs), ensuring continuous improvement and high customer satisfaction
- Led strategic planning efforts to help customers optimize their cybersecurity investments, ensuring alignment with evolving threat landscapes and business goals
- Acted as a mentor and coach to junior technical account managers, providing guidance on best practices, account strategies, and technical troubleshooting
- Championed process improvements by identifying inefficiencies in service delivery and recommending enhancements to internal workflows and customer interactions
Technical Account Manager
Forcepoint
07.2015 - 11.2021
- Acted as a trusted advisor and primary technical point of contact for enterprise clients, ensuring successful deployment and adoption of the solutions
- Managed customer relationships to drive retention, satisfaction, and expansion opportunities, aligning solutions with business objectives
- Delivered proactive technical support, including troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and issue resolution to minimize downtime and enhance security posture
- Provided technical guidance and best practices for implementing data security, cloud security, and network security solutions to maximize value realization
- Coordinated cross-functional collaboration between customers, internal teams, and product engineering to address client needs and influence product roadmap
- Led technical account reviews and health checks, offering insights into security trends, usage patterns, and optimization opportunities
- Developed and maintained technical documentation, including solution designs, troubleshooting guides, and deployment strategies tailored to customer environments
- Conducted training sessions and workshops to educate customers on product features, upgrades, and new functionalities
- Managed escalations and critical incidents, ensuring timely resolution and continuous communication to stakeholders
- Supported pre-sales and post-sales activities by providing product demonstrations, proof-of-concepts (POCs), and solution architecture recommendations
- Monitored and reported on key performance indicators (KPIs) and service-level agreements (SLAs) to ensure operational excellence and continuous improvement
- Identified upselling and cross-selling opportunities by understanding customer pain points and business goals, collaborating with the sales team to drive revenue growth
Cyber Intelligence Threat Specialist / Liaison Officer
Standard Bank of South Africa
01.2013 - 07.2015
- Company Overview: (Group Information Security)
- Established the operational Cyber Intelligence function and introduced FS-ISAC membership
- Conducted in-depth analysis and research of internal and external cyber security landscapes, focusing on attacker Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) to recommend strategic amendments and enhance threat intelligence capabilities
- Developed and matured threat intelligence capabilities by analyzing cyber threats, identifying vulnerabilities, and recommending appropriate countermeasures to mitigate risks
- Collaborated with various stakeholders across different areas of expertise to positively influence cyber threat identification outcomes, ensuring alignment with information security goals and requirements
- Designed and implemented detection rules, correlating multiple system information sources to proactively monitor and identify potential security incidents, minimizing false positives and enhancing detection efficacy
- Supported incident response teams by providing threat intelligence insights during active breaches, participating in post-incident analysis, and identifying control weaknesses to inform remediation efforts
- Led proactive threat hunting activities to uncover hidden threats within the organization's environment, utilizing advanced analysis techniques and hypothesis-driven investigations
- Established and maintained relationships with internal and external stakeholders to facilitate the sharing of threat intelligence, enhancing the organization's security posture through collaborative efforts
- Provided technical assistance and guidance to non-information security teams, enhancing overall organizational awareness of cyber threats and promoting best practices in information security
- Proposed and implemented policies, processes, and systems to facilitate effective risk management, ensuring continuous improvement in the organization's information security framework
- Stayed abreast of new and emerging threats, tactics, and procedures, continuously updating detection rules and threat intelligence methodologies to defend against evolving cyber threats
- (Group Information Security)
Senior Information Security Engineer (Cyber Intelligence – Web Security)
Standard Bank of South Africa
08.2010 - 01.2013
- Spearheaded the world's first deployment of Websense (now Forcepoint) X10G appliances
- Led the deployment and configuration of Forcepoint Web Security solutions, ensuring seamless integration with existing network infrastructures to protect against web-based threats
- Developed and managed web security policies within the Forcepoint Security Manager, tailoring access controls and content filtering to align with organizational requirements and compliance standards
- Monitored system performance and health, performing regular maintenance tasks such as updates, patches, and backups to ensure optimal operation and security posture
- Utilized Forcepoint's analytics and reporting tools to detect, analyze, and respond to web threats, including malware, phishing attempts, and data leakage incidents
- Provided technical support and training to end-users and IT staff, addressing issues related to web access, policy enforcement, and security alerts to promote a secure browsing environment
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to integrate Forcepoint Web Security with other security platforms, such as Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and Email Security, to establish a comprehensive security framework
- Participated in incident response activities, investigating security breaches related to web usage, documenting findings, and implementing corrective actions to prevent recurrence
- Generated detailed reports on web usage, security incidents, and policy compliance, providing insights to management and supporting regulatory audits
- Stayed abreast of the latest web security threats and Forcepoint product updates, continuously refining security policies and system configurations to enhance protection levels
- Maintained comprehensive documentation of system configurations, policies, procedures, and troubleshooting guides to support knowledge sharing and operational continuity
Education
Certified Internet Webmaster
Damelin
Kimberley, Northern Cape12.2002
Matric -
William Pescod Senior Secondary School
Kimberley, Northern Cape12-1997
Skills
- SLA management
- Client onboarding
- Software implementation
- Risk analysis
- Account growth
- Account management
- CRM software
- Customer retention
- Jira
- Proficient in Jira, Confluence, Office 365, ChatGPT, CoPiltot
- Customer advocacy
Websites
Certification
- Advanced Customer Success Manager Certified Professional, Gainsight, 01/01/24
- Customer Success Leader Certified Professional, Gainsight, 01/01/24
- Forcepoint DSPM - Associate: Deploy and Administer, 01/01/24
- Certified Ethical Hacker (CeH v8), GTSP, 01/01/14
- CISSP Bootcamp, SACS, 01/01/11
- Comptia Security+ (Lifetime Certified), Torque IT, 01/01/10
- TRITON Email, DLP, Web Olympian Certifications, Secure Data, 01/01/14
- Certified TRITON Sales Executive (CTSE), Secure Data, 01/01/14
- Cisco ICND1 & ICND2, Torque IT, 01/01/07
- Foundation Leadership Development Programme, Global Leadership Centre, 01/01/09
- Maximising Performance, Deloitte & Touche, 01/01/07
Languages
English
Afrikaans
Personal Information
Nationality: South African
Timeline
Senior Customer Success Manager
Forcepoint
12.2023 - Current
Senior Technical Account Manager
Forcepoint
11.2021 - 12.2023
Technical Account Manager
Forcepoint
07.2015 - 11.2021
Cyber Intelligence Threat Specialist / Liaison Officer
Standard Bank of South Africa
01.2013 - 07.2015
Senior Information Security Engineer (Cyber Intelligence – Web Security)
Standard Bank of South Africa
08.2010 - 01.2013
Certified Internet Webmaster
Damelin
Matric -
William Pescod Senior Secondary School
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