Greek Australian Mike Sentonas has been featured in Australian Financial Review (AFR) for his work at top Wall Street cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, where he has amassed a fortune of $225 million.

According to the AFR, Sentonas is arguably the most senior Australian in Silicon Valley, responsible for running the tech business and helping to defend its Western government clients from hostile state-backed hackers in China, Russia and Iran.

The 50-year-old was born in Melbourne and graduated from Perth’s Edith Cowan University.

In 2004 he met CrowdStrike’s billionaire co-founder and chief executive, George Kurtz, while working at cybersecurity group McAfee.

Since then Sentonas has climbed from vice president of technology strategy in 2016 to chief technology officer in 2019 and then president last year.

“You need an incredible work ethic and culture,” he told AFR.

“Our mission statement is to keep our customers safe, that’s our North Star.

“We’re successful because we haven’t lost that culture. When you work here you buy into that or you don’t – simple as that.”

Since going public in 2016, the company’s stock has surged to USD $80 billion (AUD $121 billion).

The Greek Aussie owns almost 383,000 CrowdStrike shares (USD $125 million), and has sold tens of millions of dollars in shares since last year.

But Sentonas said he’s not a person who looks back on the past.

“The analogy I’ve heard from George [Kurtz] is the windscreen you look through driving is a lot bigger than the rear-view mirror.”

“I focus on helping our customers and giving employees somewhere they can be successful and rewarded.

“We want a culture where people work here a long time, look back and think it changed their life.

“These are the things I get satisfaction from. I think we’re in the early chapters of this book.”

In 2016 CrowdStrike became the first to publicly warn about Russia’s interference in the US presidential election and became the focus of conspiracy theories – including from then-US president Donald Trump.

The company still provides security to the British and US governments.

Australia has recently seen high-profile hacks on the likes of Telstra and Nine Entertainment.

“The Australian government, like everybody else, has a challenge to keep the nation secure,” Sentonas said.

“In the press there’s talk of nation state actors trying to infiltrate the country, and we’re well-placed to provide assistance.”

Sentonas spent most of his time in Sydney and is now based in California in the US and his routine sees him shuttled between America, Europe and Asia Pacific.