lululemon | Leaders in Technology - Meet Crystal Bulda

Crystal Bulda is our Senior Technology Manager, Tech Security & Compliance, who is based in Seattle, WA.

Crystal is sharing more about what she does at lululemon, what drew her to lululemon, and a passion she carries outside of her role at lululemon. Read on below! 

1. Tell us about your career journey?

Prior to joining lululemon, I ran the Azure global security triage team for North America at Microsoft. My cybersecurity and IT security experience spans over 20 years and across multiple industries, including the federal government - where I served in the US military, a tech company, and now a retail company. Each industry has had unique challenges & complexities, which has contributed to my growth and ensured I keep my skills sharp.

2. What do you do at lululemon?

What don’t we do? I say, ‘we’ because it’s a team effort. I am responsible for the

Security Operations Center (SOC) which handles the triage and investigation of all security events,

the Incident Response (IR) function for all security incidents,

the Cyber Threat Intelligence team, who provides insight into threats to lululemon, and

building out an extension of our SOC in India.

3. Why lululemon? What drew you to join?

One of my former coworkers joined lululemon and after working here for a few months, mentioned the Cybersecurity team was growing and had an open role that may interest me. I applied and had an opportunity to interview with my now, Director. From that first conversation I was hooked - I aligned with her vision and how she operated, so it was an easy decision to make the jump to the CDIR team. Additionally, knowing how quickly the CDIR team had grown, there was the opportunity to mentor analysts and managers and build out teams and functions to support the security operations at lululemon. Building and growing teams has always been a love of mine.

4. What is something you are passionate about, either in your career or outside of it?

I am passionate about mentoring veterans who are separating from service and entering into the work force. Being in the military is a way of life and leaving the military is a life-altering event and can be scary. I really enjoy speaking with veterans, helping them with their resumes, helping them find internships and support their transition to the civilian sector. Speaking from experience, veterans have a hard time translating what they do in the military to language in which an employer will understand. Helping veterans and employers understand the value a veteran can and will bring to an organization will always be a passion of mine.

5. What has been your greatest lesson so far since joining the Technology team at lululemon?

Those who have worked with me in the past know that I like to focus on the fundamentals. Ensuring we have solid processes in place, that we are collecting the right data points, and that we focus on receiving and actioning feedback is critical to the success of a team. A lesson recently learned is growing and expanding our team is great BUT with all that growth, comes growing pains. Focusing on the fundamentals, while providing purpose and direction, will help reduce such pains and anxiety that can be caused by change. We must make sure our house is in order before we can properly support the organization.