S1E2: Haroon Meer | Founder of Thinkst: A Method to the Madness

Haroon Meer grew up in the tail end of Apartheid South Africa, but his future was far from bleak. After almost two decades in information security (and playing a lot of pool!), Haroon founded Thinkst, a start-up responsible for bringing Canary to the world, a cyber-security honeypot used by some of the biggest tech giants in the world including Slack and Etsy. In this interview we reflect on Haroon’s journey that saw him consulting NATO, sleeping on the Quantico base, and everything in between. What does it take to become an authority in one field? Haroon’s experience draws us closer to answering that question.

The Transit Lounge chronicles the journeys of people who’ve had a considerable impact on the Muslim world. In season 1, we hear from successful entrepreneurs, academics, scholars and politicians. Hosted by Mohamad Zaoud, each episode explores the highs and lows of our guests, and tackles the question of our time - what does it take to find balance when living a contemporary Muslim life.

Mohamad Zaoud is a brand enthusiast and consults businesses and NGOs on brand & growth strategies. He’s currently the Manager of Digital Growth – EMEA, and formerly Head of Marketing MENA, at Al Jazeera Media Network where he’s worked on flagship brands including Al Jazeera and AJ+.