When SentinelOne went public in June 2021, Denise Taylor was there.
By then, she had already partnered with the team to help steer the company through one of the most intense periods in its history. When she joined, SentinelOne had 450+ employees. The infrastructure required for a public company did not yet exist. There were multiple HR systems, compliance frameworks to build, and governance standards to implement. Scaling would require discipline.
Denise stepped into it, taking on projects beyond her usual scope and gathering the right people around the table to make them happen. When SentinelOne closed strongly in its New York Stock Exchange debut as the highest-valued cybersecurity IPO at the time, Denise was honored to be invited and she watched with pride.
“What drives me forward,” Denise said, “is not being afraid to take on new challenges and put in the work.”
For Denise, now SVP, People Operations, Global Learning & Technology Solutions, that milestone in New York was not just a corporate achievement. It reflected a lifetime of discipline. For much of her childhood, her extremely hardworking mother provided for six children on her own. Settling was never an option in their household, and neither was waiting for opportunity to arrive.
“Education and getting your degree are important. You will focus, work hard and put in the hours,” she recalled her mother saying. “No one’s going to knock on your door and give you the opportunity. You have to go after what you want. Roll up your sleeves and dig in.”
Those lessons carried into Denise’s career. She does not describe herself as the loudest voice in the room or the most polished executive. She describes herself as transparent and willing to step in and help her team be successful no matter the project.
Leadership, for Denise, is not about titles. It is about responsibility and standing firm when it matters. She traces that philosophy to mentors throughout her life, especially her current leader, Divya Ghatak, SentinelOne’s Chief People, Places and Corporate Engagement Officer, whom she credits for her ongoing guidance and mentorship.
“If something doesn’t align with my values, I won’t compromise,” she said. “At the end of the day, I have to stay true to who I am.”
With family roots in England and Barbados, Denise is open about the influences that shape her. She speaks plainly about her faith and her background. Authenticity, she believes, is not something to compartmentalize.
“If someone doesn’t appreciate me for who I am, then they’re probably not the type of people I want in my life anyway,” she said.
Black History Month is less about ceremony and more about standards for her. It is about honoring the resilience and sacrifices of Black people and of those who came before her through the work she does today.
“For me, it comes down to excellence, integrity, and discipline,” Denise said. “And holding onto the belief that opportunity is something you step into versus something you wait for.”
There’s That Moment
For Wadson Fleurigene, Senior Solutions Engineer, Black History Month is about remembering the tenacity and innovation that shaped American culture and about bridging the past and the future.
“It’s all-encompassing,” Wadson said. “When I think about Black History Month, I think about the culture, the music, the food, but also the discipline and the inventions, the things that came from people of color and shaped what we are and what we have today.”
Wadson’s own path into cybersecurity was not linear. He spent six and a half years in law enforcement before transitioning into tech after a hiring freeze changed his plans. Adaptability, he says, became essential.
“In law enforcement, you have to make rapid, accurate decisions under extreme pressure,” he said. “That composure never left. Whenever there’s a problem or I’m in a tough spot, I don’t panic. I strip the noise and focus on immediate solutions.”
The pressure he describes is not only technical. As a Black professional in a field that remains largely white-dominated, Wadson admits he still feels an additional layer of scrutiny.
“My customers hear me on Zoom and don’t always know I’m Black. Then we meet in person, and there’s that moment sometimes,” he said. “You feel added pressure because of that, and you want to prove that cybersecurity isn’t limited to one kind of person. We all belong here.”
What has helped him navigate that space, he says, is not performance theater but authenticity, something Denise also emphasized.
“Your word is your bond,” Wadson said. “Integrity and honesty are everything. If I can help, I help. If I can’t, I say I can’t.”
He is equally direct about representation.
“I’ll be honest, I haven’t seen enough people like me in tech, especially in leadership. But equality is not about optics. It means equal opportunity,” he said. “If you’re qualified, you should get the job. But different cultures bring different perspectives. All those minds working together move things forward much faster.”
He is particularly vocal about mentorship. Early in his career, guidance helped Wadson move into cybersecurity. Now he receives the same questions from other Black professionals trying to break into the field.
“I don’t like to gatekeep,” he said. “If someone asks for help, I’m going to guide them. It’s a small field. Your name is your reputation.”
Standing Prepared
Yann Lounguidy, Senior Solutions Engineer, sees Black History Month through a distinct cultural lens. He was born and raised in France, with family roots in Guadeloupe, a Caribbean island shaped by a complex colonial history.
“In France, it’s generally treated as business as usual, there is no ‘Black History Month,’” he said. “It’s more of an American tradition.”
Still, Yann recognizes the history and the ongoing struggle it represents and values the connection across geographies fostered through SentinelOne’s Black Inclusion Network. For him, representation is less about ceremony and more about presence and contribution.
Early in his career, Yann was often the only Black voice in the room.
“There was pressure,” he said. “But I learned to focus on what I could bring to the table and let the value of my ideas speak.”
Over the past two decades in tech, he has seen change. When he first entered the field, he was the only one among his friends drawn to it. Today, he notices more engagement and greater visibility.
But progress, he believes, must be paired with professionalism.
“You treat people as individuals first,” he said. “Cultural connections can be valuable, but they should not override professional objectives. In cybersecurity, especially, the mission is bigger than any one of us.”
For Yann, the mission is first and foremost about protecting people — their businesses, their privacy, their ability to operate freely in a world that is increasingly digital. Identity may shape perspective, but credibility is earned through consistency.
“Trust is built by delivering, by staying focused on the mission, and by showing up prepared,” he said.
That mindset extends beyond work. As a father of two young boys, Yann teaches cultural awareness through travel and exposure to different perspectives. Identity, for him, is something to understand and respect, never something that limits ambition.
“Being a Black professional in technology is not about standing apart,” he said. “It is about standing prepared.”
The Standards We Share
Denise, Wadson, and Yann took different roads to get to SentinelOne: through executive leadership, law enforcement, across countries and cultures. Their experiences are distinct, but the standard they operate by is the same.
Excellence without shortcuts. Integrity that holds under pressure. The discipline to prepare, to deliver, and to stand by your values when it counts.
At SentinelOne, that foundation matters. Our strength does not come from uniformity. It comes from the range of experiences, backgrounds, and viewpoints that shape how we think and how we solve problems. When every voice is encouraged to contribute — when people are empowered to speak plainly, challenge thoughtfully, and deliver confidently — we build stronger teams and better outcomes.