Meet Huxley Barbee, Director of Product Marketing at runZero Network Discovery #
“Marketing and cybersecurity have an inherent overlap,” said Huxley Barbee who is the Director of Product Marketing at runZero Network Discovery. Huxley has been at runZero since November 2021. Huxley used to have a security automation consulting practice at Cisco Systems before one of his mentors, Jared Blisten, recruited him to become a product marketer. Blisten was looking for people with domain experience and non-traditional marketing experience to become product marketers.
“Working with customers in consulting has helped me gain the customer empathy you need to be a good product marketer,” Huxley said. “As a product marketer, it is important to understand the triad of product value, competitive landscape and customer needs.”
At runZero, product marketing is multidisciplinary and runs the gamut of tactical to strategic. This wide breadth agrees with Huxley’s take on product marketing. Blisten once said to Huxley, “Product marketers are business leaders, you’re here to drive the business by going everywhere you are needed.”
Some advice from Huxley on becoming a product marketer, “Product marketing is a nascent discipline within marketing. There isn’t a prescribed path and everyone’s journey is slightly different. Most product marketers don’t have marketing degrees. It reminds me of 20 years ago when most of my fellow software developers did not have computer science degrees.”
Q&A #
What motivates you to get up every day?
Being a good team player, being a thoughtful leader, and being able to show value are my strongest motivations. A measure of success is if the people around me want to continue to work with me–whether it is at this company or at a future company.
Coffee, tea or hot chocolate?
Passion fruit juice.
What's one thing you want to do in the next year, personally or professionally?
Personally, I would like to see my family members excelling in their respective endeavors. Professionally, I want to alway be growing and learning, not doing the same thing year after year.
What's your favorite food?
滷肉飯 (Lu Rou Fan).
What's your favorite quote?
Mark Twain, “It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.”
What have you always wanted to try, but haven't been able to?
Go to space.
What's the last book you read?
For himself, Obviously Awesome by April Dunford, The Essentials by HBR, Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal. For his children, Llama Llama, Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney.
What is your opinion of pineapple on pizza?
I like pineapple on pizza, but I’ve never had it as a sole topping.
What is your ideal vacation, younger person vs now?
In either case it’s Australia, my last continent.
Why runZero? #
The reason Huxley joined runZero, “I was looking for a startup with folks that have a deep security background. [runZero's] leaders exhibit a high degree of transparency, which is something I value in company culture. Finally, there is a strong DEI focus here, debunking the myth that startups cannot leverage diverse talent and opinions in an inclusive way.”
runZero’s mission statement resonates with Huxley, “I have had hundreds of customers over the years. Two things that customers face in terms of cybersecurity are [one] they don’t know what they really have and [two] they have trouble bridging from policy and goals to effective implementation. At [runZero], we have a solution that could solve [one] for everyone.”
Interested in joining our team? Check out our open positions.
