Member Interview with Haifa Bouraoui

Tell us a little bit about you and your role in identity? 

I’m responsible for Identity and Access Management at GRTgaz the leading gas distribution company in Europe. As a product owner. I lead 2 teams: one for digital identity, looking after passwords, access controls, all that sort of thing. The other team works on active directories – whether it’s on premise or in the cloud. In total, we have about 5,000 people working for the company. We’re a business to business seller so our customers then distribute gas to their own customers. The global conversation about optimizing use of energy is really important, so we have a lot of innovative projects on going as we work out how to tackle climate change and become more efficient.

 

How did you end up in the world of identity?

I studied at university at Telecom Sud Paris. There were only a few girls in my year as, at that time, cybersecurity didn’t attract many women. I am so happy to see more and more women working in this field. Since then I’ve always worked in cybersecurity. I started out assisting our cybersecurity officers with IAM, and then got super interested in the technical side of Azure AD and how SAML and OIDC work. So I dived in and got to grips with them so I could then simplify it to teach back to my non-technical colleagues!

 

At work, the most important thing is the people, the culture and how everyone works together, rather than the technology that you’re using to build your organisation

 

Everyone I worked with had a contagious enthusiasm for IAM. So, 4 years later here I am! When I started out here, there were loads of smaller teams that specialised in different areas of IAM – from multi-factor authentication to customer support to architecture.  Everyone had their own objectives so it was hard to break down the silos and work together. My role was to get everyone to cooperate in delivery in order to get the maximum value for our customers. Introducing self-service was super challenging as we had to change user behaviour stopping them from always contacting the Service Desk! When I was offered the opportunity to lead a team here, I thought “Why Not??!” There are always new challenges, whether it’s new protocols or technologies, to keep me interested and busy.

 

What does a normal week look like?

Working across two teams I have a good mix of work. A big part at the moment is the global strategy to migrate to cloud from our on-premise infrastructure so I’m working out how to adapt our current processes, documentation and environments. I also create a lot of training videos for users and colleagues to help them use our products more efficiently. It also helps business leaders make informed decisions when investing in IAM.

 

Why is Women in Identity important to you?

Women are as competent as men so it’s not really a question why women are important in this field. We think through details in different ways and can challenge assumed user needs. Women in Identity provides a great opportunity to gather many voices and listen to the diverse range of experiences that women have in the IT and identity space. It’s so important to support girls to get access to training in IT – it enables them to take advantage of opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise.

 

What book/film/piece of art would you most recommend to readers?

cover of 7 Habits of Highly Effective PeopleWhenever I have a problem I read this book 1 more time – 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. It really helps with personal development and being more efficient in everything you do, whether it’s work or relationships. It’s not just about relations with colleagues but also maximising your time in all elements of your daily life. At work, the most important thing is the people, the culture and how everyone works together, rather than the technology that you’re using to build your organisation. You’ve got to understand that to be successful.

 

 

If you were CEO of a company, what one thing would you make compulsory?

Aside from making Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) compulsory and banning shared accounts (they’re super risky!) I’d make sure I didn’t introduce change until I was sure we had explored all the alternatives. I would rather introduce changes progressively to end users. Covey’s habit “Seek first to understand than to be understood” would be my mantra: e.g. WHY do teams use shared accounts so that before banning, an alternative could be suggested.

 

And where would we find you when you’re not working?

Paris is such a beautiful city. I feel very lucky to live . I love cooking (and eating :) ). When we are allowed to do so again, I can’t wait to chill with friends in the many great bars and restaurants here in Paris. We can literally try food from kitchens from all over the world.

 


 February 03, 2021