Life and Path to Cybersecurity w/ Flavius Plesu, Hosted by Fred Menachem

In his Engage & Secure premiere, host Fred Menachem sits down with our very own Flavius Plesu , Founder & CEO of OutThink, to dive deep into his extraordinary life story that shaped his journey to cybersecurity and OutThink’s groundbreaking approach to cybersecurity human risk management.

From growing up in Communist Romania, where scarcity was the norm and resilience was a necessity, to becoming a leading voice in cybersecurity, Flavius' story is one of both ambition and transformation. As a child, he discovered technology through a Romanian-made computer and taught himself how to code without speaking English. Inspired by his father’s competitive spirit and mother’s deep empathy, he developed a mindset that would later define his leadership in cybersecurity.

His journey was far from linear. From hustling as a young entrepreneur in Romania (his first business venture? Reselling gum in school) to kickboxing, dropping out of university, and working as a police officer, a salesman, and a bouncer, Flavius took an unconventional path to cybersecurity leadership. But it was through these experiences - learning how to fight, both in the ring and in life - that he discovered his true purpose in life: to secure digital life, everywhere by addressing its biggest vulnerability, human behavior.

As the world’s first AI-native cybersecurity human risk management platform, Flavius built OutThink to prevent human-initiated security incidents by treating cybersecurity as a human challenge, not just a technical one. OutThink doesn’t just train and engage users, it empowers them to become Security Champions and their organization’s best line of defense against cyber threats.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• From Communist Romania to Cybersecurity Human Risk Management Pioneer – How growing up under communism shaped Flavius’ resilience, resourcefulness, and innovative spirit.
• Overcoming Challenges & Finding Purpose – From dropping out of university to finding purpose and meaning in life, Flavius shares the defining failures and pivotal moments that forged him and led to the founding of OutThink.
• The Human Side of Cybersecurity – Why cybersecurity isn’t just about technology but about human-centric security and behavioral risk management.
• Mental Health & Cybersecurity Leadership – The toll of mental health stigma and how self-care, self-awareness, and discipline fueled Flavius’ transformation fuel and success.

Timestamps:

(0:00) - Intro (3:14) - Expecting a child as a founder(4:23) - Growing up in Communist Romania(6:02) - Parental influences(7:42) - Early exposure to Romanian computer(9:30) - Further formative experiences and focus(12:18) - Path in university, dropping out, and early struggles(16:03) - Experiences of failure and becoming a police officer(21:03) - Feeling lost, move to UK, and pursuing cyber(24:40) - Sense of purpose and addressing the people element in cyber(27:40) - Mental health realizations and growth(38:19) - Company culture and work/life integration(42:15) - Importance of empathy and self-awareness(46:30) - How his wife grounds him(50:55) - Conclusion

Keep an eye out for our next episode, in which Fred and Flavius unpack cybersecurity human risk management and Flavius’ vision for transforming the industry!

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