More and more women are working in fields previously dominated by men. However, they are still the exception in the tech and IT sector, especially in leadership positions. One of these exceptions is Vicky, our Chief Information Security Officer. At the 2024 Global Cyber Security Summit in Sofia, she spoke about why this situation has to change and how we can all help promote women in the cyber security sector.
On 25th September, more than 300 people gathered on site in Sofia and via livestream for the 2024 Cyber Security Summit to exchange ideas on the latest developments in the field of digital security. The presentations and discussions covered important and highly topical issues such as how to manage cyber security for companies in a time of international digital conflicts as well as the challenges of artificial intelligence for the sector.
Amidst these technical contributions, our CISO, Vicky, stood out from the crowd with her topic. Rather than discussing the latest developments or challenges from the outside, she addressed a problem within the industry itself: The still dwindling, low percentage of women. In her keynote speech, entitled “Empowerment of women in cyber security”, she provided some valuable tips on how to not only make it easier for women to enter the industry, but also how to help them develop their skills and pave the way for successful careers.
Women in cyber security: Not a female-only issue
Vicky began her presentation with a brief round of questions for the primarily male audience. She asked simple questions: How many people work with a female colleague? How many have a partner or a wife? How many have a daughter? The goal of the exercise: To make the audience aware that the empowerment of women is not based on some rivalry between the sexes, but is intended to help all women, including the loved ones of those in attendance, to have more opportunities. Therefore, the issue concerns us all, women and men alike.
Vicky then recounted her own journey in the world of cyber security. Thanks to her brother, she became interested in computers and technology at a young age; nevertheless, she still started out in a professional sector traditionally populated by women. Later, she decided to follow her passion and pursued a career in IT, which paid off. In her role as Chief Information Security Officer at Kaufland e-commerce, she and her team ensure that our IT systems are always protected from threats and attacks.
Vicky has made an impressive career change into the world of Cyber Security and climbed the latter up to her position today. (Picture: Screenshot from livestream)
Why it is still difficult for women in the IT sector
Unfortunately, not all women are as fortunate as Vicky, with her tech-loving brother and her courage to change careers. Those who perhaps have the necessary interest and the right skills are still often hesitant to enter the IT world. Vicky explains the reasons for this:
- Modern field of work, old role models: The field of cyber security was created at a time that was still heavily influenced by role models from the 50s and 60s – when a women’s place was thought to be in the kitchen and not in the world of employment. These stereotypes continue to create a gender imbalance in demanding professions and are often still perpetuated today.
- A lack of female role models: Where there is little representation, there are also no role models. Young people, above all, often feel at home where they see people like themselves, people they can identify with and emulate. With too few visible and prominent women in cyber security, there are still very few young women and girls following in their footsteps.
- Education and career opportunities: For a long time, women did not have equal access to education, with family planning and housekeeping still presenting a barrier to taking advantage of important continuing education programmes. Also, balancing family and a career as well as seizing job opportunities is much more challenging for women than for men.
How female empowerment can work in a business context
Simply pointing out problems and their causes was not enough for Vicky. In her presentation, she offered some easy-to-implement suggestions for successfully empowering women in the workplace. These were first aimed at “man(agers)” – men in leadership roles – with the following three points:
- Be an ally and a mentor: We already touched on the fact that more female role models are needed. But because it is not just a question of taking your pick, men are currently needed to support women and act as good mentors. This can simply mean recognising and fostering their skills, but also involving them in meetings, praising their work in front of others and treating them as equals with valuable advice.
- Build networks: If networks do not already exist and it isn’t currently possible for women to organise their own networks in the company, a man in a leadership position can also create internal networking opportunities for women. If building a network within the company presents itself as difficult, women can be referred to networks such as Women4Cyber or She@ISACA and encouraged to network there. At Kaufland e-commerce, empowerment and networking events such as International Women’s Day and our format “Powerful Morning” are supported by management and men.
- Openness to career changers and mothers: Like Vicky, quite a few women put aside their interest in tech topics and start off in professions that have been traditionally held by women. A later career change, which is not built on a classic course of study, does not necessarily equate to fewer skills. This often brings valuable skills and new perspectives from another sector – combined with the courage and passion needed to make that type of change. Mothers should also not be overlooked – this role requires a great deal of planning, multi-tasking skills, patience, stamina and perseverance. These are all helpful skills in many professions. To be able to tap this potential, it is important to create structures in a company that are easy to combine with family life – a goal that is particularly important at Kaufland e-commerce.
At the end of her speech, Vicky also had a few tips for women in her field:
- Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want: In Vicky’s experience, women in particular must learn to demand more of what they want, as it will not simply be given to them. Girls are often raised to be polite and reserved. This has no place in the business world, especially in the field of cyber security. Ask for opportunities, tasks with high responsibility and leadership roles. Those who ask could quite easily receive a “yes” in response; not asking assumes the answer will be a “no”.
- Make yourselves and your difficulties visible: Get in touch with others, exchange information, share your stories, express your thoughts and find your voice. The path for women in the world of cyber security can be difficult, but if you don’t talk about the difficulties, others cannot change or adapt. When women speak, they can change the narrative.
- Look for role models and mentors: There may be few female role models in your sector, but they do exist. You can find them on platforms such as Mentoring-Club.com or possibly even in your own company.
Thank you, Vicky, for your clear message and for being a role model for women in the field of cyber security – true to our principle “Role Model At All Times”.