Encore: Breaking Through: Securing the advancement of women in cybersecurity. {Special Editions]
Mar 8, 2024
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A panel discusses career journeys, mentorship, and challenges for women in cybersecurity leadership. They explore the importance of mentorship and allyship in propelling women into leadership roles. Strategies for promoting gender diversity in cybersecurity teams are shared, along with insights into the evolving role of women in shaping the future of cybersecurity leadership.
Creating more opportunities for diversity and inclusion is crucial for a highly skilled cybersecurity workforce, requiring diverse leadership for continuous innovation and resilience.
Supportive ecosystems, mentorship, and allyship are essential in propelling women into cybersecurity leadership roles, with a focus on promoting gender diversity and closing the gender gap.
Deep dives
Evolving Role of Women in Cybersecurity
Increasing representation and educational initiatives are positively impacting the evolving role of women in cybersecurity leadership. Supporting networks and platforms like WhatsApp groups facilitate access to cybersecurity career paths. Encouragingly, current industry trends such as remote work flexibility enhance opportunities for women to excel in cybersecurity leadership roles.
Structural Support for Women in Cybersecurity
Institutional knowledge is invaluable for bridging organizations' understanding of their vulnerabilities and business requirements, making women with diverse career backgrounds assets in the cybersecurity industry. Companies are encouraged to redefine job descriptions that prioritize technical skills over experiential value. Supporting policies like remote work, parental leave, and childcare arrangements are crucial for enabling women to succeed in cybersecurity leadership.
Advancing Gender Diversity Metrics
Organizations must measure and track progress in advancing gender diversity in cybersecurity leadership. Holding leaders accountable for workforce retention and implementing supportive policies is key. Metrics should align with retention rates, talent development initiatives, and mentorship programs to ensure gender diversity and inclusion are actively promoted.
Future of Cybersecurity Leadership for Women
As women increasingly hold key cybersecurity leadership positions, the focus shifts towards sustaining their presence and expanding opportunities for young women in the field. Strategic initiatives like talent development, mentorship programs, and supportive policies aid in retaining women in cybersecurity leadership roles. Women's evolving roles are pivotal in shaping the future of cybersecurity leadership and driving innovation within the industry.
In honor of International Women's Day, please enjoy this encore of our 2023 Women in Cyber panel.
In the dynamic field of cybersecurity, it’s well established that creating more opportunities for diversity and inclusion is essential for developing a highly skilled workforce. As an industry, we are starting to see the fruits of that labor, but there is a growing need for diverse leadership to nurture continuous innovation and resilience in cybersecurity.
As part of N2K’s 2023 Women in Cyber content series, we’re excited to host an engaging virtual panel discussion moderated by N2K's President Simone Petrella featuring insights, experiences, and strategies for advancing more women into leadership roles within the field.
This virtual discussion explores different areas including:
Navigating the Cybersecurity Landscape: Gain insights into our guests' career journeys, including mentors, challenges, and success, and how the evolving landscape may present different challenges and opportunities for women.
Building a Supportive Ecosystem: Explore the importance of mentorship, allyship, and a strong network in propelling women into leadership, and how to create an environment where everyone can thrive.
Closing the Gender Gap: Delve into actionable strategies and best practices for organizations to promote gender diversity in their cybersecurity leadership teams.
The Future of Cybersecurity Leadership: Gain a forward-looking perspective on the evolving role of women in shaping the future of cybersecurity.
This panel discussion is a must-listen event for professionals, leaders, and aspiring cybersecurity experts who are committed to promoting diversity and empowering women to excel in cybersecurity leadership. Don't miss the opportunity to be part of this inspiring conversation and drive positive change in the industry.
Panelists:
Abisoye Ajayi, Cyber & Analytics Manager at Tulsa Innovation Labs
Koma Gandy, VP, Leadership & Business at Skillsoft