FinTech Female Fridays: Meet Sharon Ko, Chief Product Officer at Armor Defense

Like any typical fresh graduate, Sharon had a solid 1-, 3-, 5-, 10-year mega plan prepared. Naturally, life had its own ideas but in ways far better than Sharon could’ve imagined. She stumbled straight into cybersecurity and fell in love with the problem space and community, so much so that she never left. Over the years Sharon has grown across different functions within the industry from Product Management, to Corporate Strategy, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Solution Consulting – working with different companies like Singapore Telecommunications, Trustwave, Microsoft and now Armor Defense. Along the way, her scope and reach expanded: starting in Singapore, then advising some of the Asia Pacific region’s largest enterprises, and eventually relocating to the US to serve the global market.

One of the best career decisions Sharon made along this journey was joining – and later leaving – a Fortune 50 company. Experiencing life in such an organization provided tremendous learning, exposure, and the chance to work with amazing colleagues, partners, and customers. Yet, stepping away from that environment was equally transformative. It forced her to reflect deeply on the kind of impact she wanted to make, taught her to take risks, and reaffirmed her readiness for new challenges. 

Sharon now serves as the Chief Product Officer at Armor Defense, where she leads both Product Management and Marketing. Armor’s mission is to stand between you and the threat, protecting mission-critical workloads and securing what organizations simply cannot afford to lose. The company's competitive advantage comes from combining deep cloud security expertise with proprietary innovation. Rather than throwing technology at the problem, Armor adopts a tech-enabled managed service approach, helping customers reduce risk and drive outcomes. The culture at Armor is collaborative, innovative, and customer-focused. The people run fast and operate like a startup, with every team member empowered to make a meaningful impact. 

Through cybersecurity innovation, Sharon believes FinTech companies can build stronger defenses and focus on driving innovation without the fear of cyberattacks. The FinTech space is notable in that it is highly regulated, yet the security guidance is often vague and difficult to interpret, making compliance certifications cumbersome and complex to achieve. By understanding the unique threats and challenges FinTechs face, Sharon shapes product strategies and solutions to close critical security gaps in a way that aligns with operational realities. Over the years, Sharon has found it fascinating to watch how FinTech attack patterns evolve – sharing broad global trends coupled with local nuances – and to cross-pollinate insights between these diverse markets.

Throughout her career, Sharon challenges herself by taking on projects that push her far beyond her comfort zone, even when they feel intimidating at first. She recalls how nerve-wracking it was to do her first customer sales pitch, especially since it was for a major client. As an introvert, she worried about all the curveball questions she might be asked and whether she could handle them. But the encouragement from her colleagues, combined with thorough preparation and deep product knowledge, helped her rise to the occasion. That experience gave her confidence and set the foundation for future milestones, such as delivering keynotes at major industry forums.

What differentiates Sharon is also the breadth of functional experience she has built throughout her career. She made it an intentional decision to go deep within the industry while moving across functions to get a better understanding of how different parts of the organization connect and operate. This experience has been invaluable in unblocking challenges, driving alignment, and delivering impact.

Looking back, Sharon has also learned the importance of defining success on her own terms. Growing up in Singapore, she was raised within a very rigid definition of success – one that emphasized perfection, excellence, and constant pressure. For two decades, she stayed on that “perfect track” until a misstep forced her to reassess everything. What seemed like a setback at the time became a defining moment. It taught her flexibility, resilience, and the freedom that comes with choosing her own version of success, opening doors she might never have encountered otherwise.

This year, Sharon is excited to continue to see the explosion of AI's application across FinTech. Yet as a cybersecurity professional, she’s deeply aware of the implications, both known and yet to emerge. The rapid adoption of AI raises critical challenges around data security, model integrity, and adversarial attacks. Sharon sees a growing need for FinTechs to implement rigorous AI governance and privacy-first architectures to stay compliant and to protect customer trust.

More About Sharon

Where you currently live: New York City, Manhattan

Hometown: Singapore

Favorite hobby: Being active 😊 hiking, yoga, working out, snowboarding

What is one piece of advice someone told you that resonated with you that can give to other women in FinTech?     

I still remember the words clear as day – “I think you already know what it is that you want, you’re just talking yourself out of it.” It’s a double-edged sword being logical and introspective – it’s great to make sure you have all your bases covered but there’s also a chance you fall into analysis paralysis. I was wrestling with a big decision and, when I talked it through with someone, they immediately saw the energy and passion in my voice – it was clear that this was what I truly wanted. Yet it’s so easy to let fear and overthinking hold you back. Often, you already know the right path; you just need the courage to follow it.

Do you have any productivity hacks?  What keeps you motivated? How do you maintain a work/life balance? 

I keep a list of tasks (no matter how big or small) so it doesn’t clutter up my mind and stress me out, it helps me feel less overwhelmed and reduces mental fatigue. I draw motivation from feeling challenged and doing meaningful work, there are definitely days when burnout or frustration sets in but that’s where discipline helps me push through. To maintain balance, I make time to disconnect, whether it’s spending time in nature or working out. These moments allow me to reset, recharge, and return to work with renewed energy. Staying organized, disciplined, and intentional about self-care keeps me productive and focused.

Daily Diary 

7 am: Gym

8 am: Coffee (an absolute must) and breakfast

8:30 am – 12 pm: Meetings

12 pm – 1 pm: Lunch

1 pm – 4 pm: More meetings 😊

4 pm – 6 pm: Focus time to work on things

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Social events or a quiet evening in to unwind

9:00 pm – 10:30 pm: Meetings