Women in Identity Security: Adeline Chew

From video game consoles to education platforms, Adeline Chew, Engineering Manager, has had an eventful journey to identity security. In this Women in Identity blog, Adeline details her path to cybersecurity and shares how becoming a manager has been the most significant learning moment for her.

How did you come to your identity security career?

It has been a very long journey, both literally and figuratively, to arrive at my current role at SailPoint. I grew up in Malaysia, where I have debated several times about where I wanted to go to school and what to major in. I have worked in various industries – storage and networking, automotive, video game console platforms, and education.

Fast forward years later, SailPoint gave me an opportunity in the identity security industry, and I have been here since. I have been with SailPoint for more than seven years! SailPoint has supported me in my various roles within the company.

What are you working on right now?

I am the Engineering Manager for the Production Excellence team under Reliability Engineering. The team is separated into two sub-teams: development and performance. The development team’s mission is to develop tools, automation, frameworks, dashboards, and capabilities to enable engineering teams to measure, operate, and effectively ship new features while resolving defects. The performance team’s mission is to provide deep analysis of our services, establish baselines, and provide recommendations to keep SailPoint performance ahead of growing service demands.

My responsibilities include product management, scrum master, UI, UX designer, and most importantly, motivating and growing individual engineers. A goal I prioritize is enabling my team to function autonomously, run efficiently, and facilitate the delivery of best-in-class products for SailPoint.

What has been the biggest learning moment in your career?

The most significant learning moment in my career was when I transitioned to a manager. The switch from an individual contributor to a manager differs because you are no longer responsible for only yourself. The most important thing is now your team – the well-being of your team and individual team members. It is crucial to be empathetic to each individual, understand their motivations, and how to grow them in their careers best.

Who do you look up to as a woman in Identity?

Over the years, I have had various role models and mentors at SailPoint. Suchitra Hari and Becky Tran are both managers with years of experience. They are always ready to provide guidance and advice so I can be a better manager and person. I am also impressed with Hong Yang, an expert in performance engineering who can tackle any performance-related challenges. Additionally, I am always open to new mentors, especially women leaders, so I can continue learning and improving.

What can schools do to drum up women’s empowerment in the technology sector?

I think it is critical to introduce STEM to children early, and schools are the best place to start. In younger children, providing consistent exposure to STEM knowledge and projects with positive experiences will build their confidence for their future education and career. 

For higher education, schools should encourage girls and women to participate in tech-related projects and help them explore different areas within STEM that could spark curiosity and open new opportunities.