Meet the team
Jaimy shares her story
“Leading a tech team requires people skills, creativity, a little bit of nerdiness, and the ability to adapt to every human design possible. I want to know how I can help my team be the best they can be now and in the future. That makes me come to work every day with a smile on my face.”
“Running is my go-to sport. It’s simple to get started, it’s freeing and a great way to clear the mind. But learning to snowboard is on my bucket list.”
“I love gaming when I want to break stuff after a long day of work.”
Tell us about yourself and what you do at Northwave.
I am Jaimy and I work at Northwave as the Red Team Manager. This means I’m responsible for guiding the ethical hackers in their professional journeys. We have more than 15 ethical hackers who test customers upon request. I manage everything around this service, together with my team lead and my operational lead.
I also guide Northwave’s ethical hackers through their careers and challenge them in their needs and achievements. Instead of asking questions like, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” I try to understand how I can help them be the best they can be now and in the future. That makes me come to work every day with a smile on my face.
When did you become part of the Northwave team, and what background equipped you for your current position?
I started in January 2022 as a team lead within the Blue Team. Then, in August 2024, I began my current role as a manager. Before that, I served for 15 years in the Dutch army. I was always in a leadership position and worked with tech people. This requires a different kind of leadership because their brains and needs are wired differently.
To effectively lead tech teams, you should realise that these people are very good at their jobs, but they need support in other areas, like soft skills. To really support each person’s unique needs is something every manager or leader should do to enhance them and the entire team. So, what you need is people skills, creativity, a little bit of nerdiness, and the ability to adapt to every human design possible.
What is your impression of your Northwave colleagues so far?
I mean, how do you describe a feeling I always say? I think the biggest thing is that everybody always thinks I only work with technical people within a cyber security job. However, Northwave has more than only the bytes part–we also have business and behaviour–so this provides different peers.
In my case, I am a manager and it's sometimes nice to just speak with peers that are not from the bytes department–people with a less technical mindset. For instance, I talk to the psychologist who also is a manager who has a different mindset on doing things that you're doing, or you talk to the to the super consultant that has a different mindset on the customer itself.
I think what it comes down to is that we all want to support the dream of our CEO, Steven, in which you have the freedom to make your own dreams reality, because we are working on that dream together. This is also why working in a company that has one owner–without any investors–is very important to me. We can all live that dream instead of just having an eye on the money. It’s not all about the money, it's also about TLC, as we always say in the Red Team: tender, love and care.
Tell us about your life outside of Northwave.
Fuelled by caffeine and curiosity, I do my best thinking with a strong cup of coffee. Ideally somewhere sunny, in an all-inclusive resort, where even being a couch potato feels just productive enough.
Running is my go-to sport. It’s simple to get started, it’s freeing and a great way to clear the mind. But learning to snowboard is on my bucket list.
I’ve always been fascinated by things you can’t touch; everything within computers and the digital world. I enjoy creating from scratch, adapting quickly, and making smart decisions–even before my morning coffee. Blending tech with people and purpose is where I thrive.
For my mental health, I ride horses. To become better in my job, I’m studying the blueprints of people through the knowledge of Human Design. And, of course, I love gaming when I want to break stuff after a long day of work.
