Aaron Stanley on Balancing Control, Velocity, and Trust in SaaS

In this episode of the TPRM Podcast — Threats, Pitfalls & Risk Myths — host Nate Lee talks with Aaron Stanley, VP of Security at dbt Labs and former Head of Cybersecurity at Twilio, about what it really takes to scale security without slowing down your teams or your business. Aaron shares his approach to building security programs that keep up with growth — balancing innovation, risk management, and developer velocity. Together, they unpack what “secure by design” actually means in a fast-moving SaaS environment. They discuss: - How to align security goals with business outcomes - The trade-offs between speed and control - How to reduce friction between security and engineering - Building trust through automation and shared ownership - What modern security leaders need to prioritize in 2025 This episode offers clear, real-world insight for CISOs, security leaders, and SaaS founders looking to turn security into a growth enabler instead of a blocker. Listen and Subscribe Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/7JvPsyMJPgVLOKuJhkKfxA?si=80c2ae161f034833 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tprm-podcast-threats-pitfalls-and-risk-myths/id1848217699 YouTube → @TPRMPodcast About the Host Nate Lee is a B2B Scaleup CISO and Founder of Cloudsec.ai, helping SaaS companies build business-aligned security programs that increase developer velocity and strengthen trust. About the Show The TPRM Podcast explores real-world conversations with security leaders reshaping how we think about risk — uncovering the threats, pitfalls, and myths behind today’s cybersecurity challenges. Connect with Us LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/natetrustmind/ Website → tprmpodcast.com Instagram → @TPRMPodcast TikTok →@tprmpodcast #CyberSecurity #TPRMPodcast #AaronStanley #dbtLabs #NateLee #SecurityLeadership #RiskManagement #DeveloperVelocity #CISO #SaaS #SecurityCulture #Trust #StartupSecurity #BusinessSecurity #SecurityPodcast