Q&A with Merritt Group’s Newest Practice Directors – Part 2: Michelle Schafer

June 24, 2009 | Posted by: Melissa Chadwick

Earlier this week, Merritt Group promoted Jared Adams and Michelle Schafer to Practice Director of the Security Practice Group. In the second of this two part Q&A series, I sat down with Michelle to learn a little more about her new role and what's to come for the Security Practice Group.

Q: What are you responsible for in your new position?

A: I'm excited about the opportunity to continue growing the Security Practice at Merritt Group and focusing on delivering exceptional client results. Merritt Group's Security Practice has built a strong reputation since its inception the early part of this decade with big industry names such as PGP Corporation, Cyber Security Industry Alliance, Fortify Software, VeriSign, Qualys, Check Point Software, SPI Dynamics (now HP) and others. I'm always amazed to hear from other vendors at tradeshows and industry events that they're familiar with and impressed by the good work we do. I've also been lucky that Merritt Group has a dedicated Security Practice Group that has allowed me to stay focused on security for over 5 years. This agency practice model has allowed me to uniquely build deep expertise in the field, which I get to leverage on behalf of my clients every day.

Q: How did you first get interested in security PR?

A: I first started at Merritt Group when the Security Practice Group was newly formed in August 2003. My background was primarily in marketing communications and PR for telecom companies, so I came from a fairly technical world of switches, routers, mobile and wireless that also gave me an understanding for security. What I like most about the industry is that security is truly dynamic and ever-changing. It's exciting to be able to take breaking news, make it relevant to our clients and quickly respond to the needs of my media and blogger friends. With security, there's never a dull moment!

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?

A: The joy of my job has evolved over the years. I used to be driven by the thrill of getting a great client press hit. Today, I get a lot of satisfaction in seeing my staff achieve their goals. It's great to have the opportunity to coach others so that they can improve their pitching skills and then see them get those big wins as a result. Aside from all the mentoring, nothing still comes close to rolling up my sleeves and getting in the trenches with the media outreach - which I do on a daily basis!

Q: What do you see as the biggest trend impacting the security market?

A: Everything now is focused around cybersecurity, Obama and the 60 day review. Everyone is holding their breath wondering who will be named the so-called "Cyber Czar." Never in history has there been such a focus by the government on cybersecurity and I'm glad that the White House has finally given the issue, which our clients have been pressing on for years, the attention it deserves. These policy issues and the appointment of the new top U.S. cybersecurity official will also open up a myriad of opportunities for vendors to make waves in the market and keep our nation more secure from emerging threats.