Page 6 - Cyber Defense eMagazine - October 2017

What a humble, grounded, focused amazing guy. You must understand his beginnings
to see how he got where he is today and where he’s headed with Herjavec Group.
He’s a pleasure to speak with and very sharp. Not just about business but about the
state of infosec and the latest threats.

Like most great salesmen he is an excellent listener. As a result, he has as much
InfoSec knowledge as his best customers CISOs. Robert really knows what’s going on
in the industry and what drives his customers to need his services – it’s about data
protection, business continuity, regulatory compliance and risk reduction.

But let’s look back so then we can begin to look ahead. Robert’s humble beginnings
began in Varaždin, Croatia which is formerly Yugoslavia, and grew up in Zbjeg. As the
story goes, Robert’s dad, a free-market thinker, would drink a little too much after a hard
day’s work and then speak out against Communism. After being thrown into jail 22
rd
times for being Anti-Communist and being warned there wouldn’t be a 23 time,
Robert’s dad packed a single suitcase and headed for freedom, landing in
Halifax,Canada with only $20 in his pocket.

The family settled in in Toronto with the help of friends. They say all great stories start
either in a basement or a garage. In Robert’s case is was in this family friend’s
basement in Toronto, where he and his family lived until they could get on their feet.
Robert said one of his most important influences came not only from these tough times
but from his father’s advice to never complain, which sparked his sense of
perseverance.

He has remained driven, since his humble beginnings and is an innovator. He was the
first to offer managed services for his firewall customers in Canada many years ago.
Robert founded Herjavec Group in 2003, a security solutions integrator, reseller and
managed service provider and remains CEO. It became one of Canada’s fastest-
growing technology companies and the country’s largest MSSP.

With hundreds of millions in revenues, Robert took a leap and expanded the company
into the US and UK markets. He personally moved to Los Angeles, California and as he
said to me “I’m not just going to stare at four empty walls from an LA office,” so he went
out and began building on his vision of becoming a leader in the cybersecurity services
market globally.

What I like the most about Robert is that he didn’t just hire a bunch of sales guys and
said ‘go do this’ – he came here with nothing but a plan (and great success in Canada)
and executed it himself, first. He paved the way for Herjavec Group, personally. Of
course, the fame of being on an incredibly successful TV show - Shark Tank didn’t hurt
(and later Dancing with the Stars where he met his soul mate, but that’s a story for

6 Cyber Defense eMagazine – October 2017 Edition
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