Additional format that will take place during CYBERSEC CEE
on 30 October 2019 at International Congress Centre, Katowice, Poland.
in partnership with European Cyber Security Organisation and Women4Cyber
CHALLENGE TO BE ADDRESSED:
Inclusiveness is a key factor in security issues. Diversity in cybersecurity contributes to the efficacy of teams and sustainability of solutions, making it both a national security and a business imperative. The representation of women in cybersecurity has an alarmingly low rate of around 11%, this critical gender imbalance has prevented cybersecurity from developing full scale. A growing number of companies and organizations are recognising the importance of having inclusive and diverse teams in order to tackle current digital threats. But there is still a limited number of universities offering careers in cybersecurity or encouraging a greater participation of women in engineering careers. Therefore it is much to do and the strong advocacy of women and men is a key element to diminish this gap and achieve a more equal and thus a more effective cybersecurity field.
RESPONSE BY CYBERSEC:
That is why two years ago we launched the CYBERSEC WOMEN initiative and this year we will introduce it in a revamped CYBERSEC CEE format, in the centre of the region where the spirit of great women can be felt like nowhere else. Marie Skłodowska-Curie once said: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more so that we may fear less”. Now the European Commission initiatives focus on boosting participation of women in digital and technology sectors by recommending actions to create national strategy blueprints. The EC is also supporting ECSO’s Women4Cyber Initiative which was founded by one of CYBERSEC originators - Izabela Albrycht.
Digitization, which is an inseparable element of our reality, ranging from everyday life to the economy, the state and society, poses challenges that we must answer together. That is why it is so important that this process takes place with the commensurate participation of women whose representation in the cyber security sector is currently at an alarmingly low level of 11%. This disproportion prevents full use of the opportunities that cyberspace brings.
Because of the issues described above and in admiration for all the great women that participated in the previous editions of CYBERSEC, like Melissa Hathaway (former cybersecurity advisor in George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations), Despina Spanou (Director of Digital Society, Trust & Cybersecurity Directorate at the European Commission), Mary-Jo de Leeuw (Co-Founder and Vice President of Women in Cyber Security Foundation) and many more, CYBERSEC organisers have decided to launch a new format dedicated to the issue of women shortage in cybersecurity and ICT and which aims to support efforts for increase women’s participation in the cyber ecosystem.
CYBERSEC WOMEN SPEAKERS
AGENDA
| 30 OCTOBER 2019 | |||
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| 10:00 - 10:15 | OPENING | ||
| Izabela Albrycht – Chair, The Kosciuszko Institute; President, Organising Committee of the European Cybersecurity Forum – CYBERSEC; Co-Founder, Women4Cyber Joanna Świątkowska – CYBERSEC Programme Director; Senior Research Fellow, The Kosciuszko Institute |
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| 10:15 - 11:30 | Panel discussion: SHORTAGE OF WOMEN IN THE CYBERSECURITY SPHERE |
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| speakers: – Lise Fuhr – Director General, European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association – Anett Mádi-Nátor – Deputy CEO responsible for Strategic Business Development, Cyber Services Plc.; Co-Founder, Women4Cyber – Justyna Orłowska – GovTech Poland Program Director, Chancellery of the Prime Minister – Luigi Rebuffi – Secretary General and Founder, European Cyber Security Organisation – Rahav Shalom-Revivo – Fintech and Cyber Innovations Manager, Israel Ministry of Finance – Nicole Wajer – Technical Solutions Architect, CISCO moderator: Bianka Siwińska – CEO, Executive Director, Head of the Research, Perspektywy Education Foundation; Director, Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit |
Already low numbers of women in ICT are further diminished by the ‘security’ aspects of cybersecurity field. Globally, the proportion of women in this field has been found to be lower than that of other ICT professions, currently at only 11% as compared to 26% in all IT professions worldwide. Disparate backgrounds of experts is needed to tackle wide variety of cyber challenges. Also the global demand for knowledgeable professionals is currently detrimentally high. With a substantial rise in the number of women in the cybersecurity field (predicted to 20% of workforce by the end of 2019) trends are slowly moving into the right, balanced figure but the industry needs to continue pushing for more women in cybersecurity. | ||
| 11:30 - 13:00 | Presentations: SUCCESS STORIES AND ROLE MODELS – WHO CAN WE LOOK UP TO? part I |
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| speakers: – Bianka Siwińska – CEO, Executive Director, Head of the Research, Perspektywy Education Foundation; Director, Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit – Merle Maigre – Executive Vice President for Government Relations, CybExer Technologies – Zuzanna Wieczorek – CEO and CTO, Tekniska – Teri Marlene Prince – CEO, Terida System Ltd – Kersti Piilma – Counsellor, Cyber Diplomacy Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia – Katarzyna Pąk – Head of Marketing & Communications, Ericsson |
This part includes presentations (15 min each) of outstanding women’s stories through the cyber world. Speakers will share with the audience when they discovered cybersecurity and tech interests, what the main challenges were they had to overcome to become who they are now, and what the milestones that changed their lives were. The presentations will show examples of the possible career opportunities that might open door to the cyber world and unlock women’s potential. Sharing experience is fundamental to provide visibility and help the community to raise the voices of women. | ||
| 15:30 - 16:30 | Presentations: SUCCESS STORIES AND ROLE MODELS – WHO CAN WE LOOK UP TO? part II |
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| speakers: – Bonnie Butlin – Co-Founder & Executive Director, Security Partners’ Forum; Co-Founder, Women in Security and Resilience Alliance – Līga Raita Rozentāle – Director of EU Governmental Affairs for Cybersecurity Policy, Microsoft – Olga Budziszewska – Technology Advisory Consultant at Capability Network, Accenture – Alicja Skraburska – Head of EMEAR SOC, CISCO |
This part includes presentations (15 min each) of outstanding women’s stories through the cyber world. Speakers will share with the audience when they discovered cybersecurity and tech interests, what the main challenges were they had to overcome to become who they are now, and what the milestones that changed their lives were. The presentations will show examples of the possible career opportunities that might open door to the cyber world and unlock women’s potential. Sharing experience is fundamental to provide visibility and help the community to raise the voices of women. | ||
