I love off-roading. I have traveled all over my country of Brazil and various countries in Latin America in my 1996 Land Rover Defender, which has more than 400,000 miles on it. My trusty Land Rover might not be the fastest or most comfortable, and it does not have electronic gadgets like GPS, Bluetooth or electric windows, but it is reliable, and it always takes me where I want to go. It is not a question of reaching a destination; it’s about being on the road, enjoying the moment.
My favorite trip of all time was to Ushuaia in the extreme south of South America, passing through the Andes. It was a 20-day, 9,000-mile round trip that took me 13,000 feet above sea level. The scenery on these trips can be beautiful, but what I really enjoy about them is similar to what drew me to ISACA – the opportunity to connect with like-minded people and build relationships.
I have volunteered for ISACA in numerous roles, including serving as a global board director from 2015-17. Earlier, I was among the founders of the ISACA São Paulo Chapter. It was a challenge to build a culture of volunteering in our local chapter, but it has been well worth it to be part of creating a strong professional network at the local level. I have also been highly involved with the development and translation of various version of COBIT, a framework that is so valuable for organizations to get the most out of their technology and processes. And I was recently named the 2020 ISACA Harold Weiss Award for Outstanding Achievement – a true honor.
In this pandemic year, both of my major professional roles – as an information security and GRC consultant to large organizations in Brazil and Latin America, and as a university professor of governance – have become full-time remote. My home office has been updated with a new monitor and an internet bandwidth upgrade, but if I am being honest, I am not the type of person who enjoys always working from home. I much prefer the company of people – shaking hands, face-to-face conversations, enjoying a good cup of coffee with my students. And I also worry about some of my students who do not have reliable internet or equipment to study from home.
For these reasons, this pandemic year has been difficult, but one great outlet I still have is to take a road trip in my Land Rover Defender. How many miles does it have left? Only time will tell.