Supporting More Females into Cybersecurity: Promoting Greater Equality
Celebrating women's achievements in business while addressing gender imbalance through proactive hiring & highlighting inspiring female leaders in tech.
International Women's Day on March 8th is a time to celebrate the incredible achievements of women worldwide.
But it's also a crucial reminder that the fight for gender equality is far from over. Let's use this day to raise awareness about the ongoing discrimination women face and push for greater gender parity in the workplace and beyond.
The world of technology and cybersecurity is filled with inspiring stories, and we're excited to share some of them with you this week.
One of the most inspiring leaders I've had the privilege to work with is Jane Patel. During her impressive career at IBM, she rose through the ranks in various technology roles before leading the security business for the UK and Ireland. Jane's drive and leadership were truly remarkable, but what set her apart was her genuine empathy and dedication to mentoring other women in the early stages of their careers. She exemplifies the power of strong female leadership and the positive impact it can have on the tech industry.
Similar to many, my earliest inspiration was my mum. She reached new heights as C&A's (for those of you who remember this retail giant!) first female retail manager in the 1970s – a feat that even made the local news! Despite facing skepticism, she thrived, proving that talent and determination know no gender.
After dedicating years to raising my sister and me, she returned to the workforce, leading a charity shop to remarkable growth. Her work ethic and leadership undeniably influenced my sister and me. My sister, Clare, is a testament to this, having built a stellar career as a lawyer and recently being recognised as one of the top 50 most influential private client professionals for two consecutive years!
I'm incredibly proud of the strong women in my family who paved the way and continue to inspire me.
Whilst these are great inspiring examples, it’s important that we collectively acknowledge there is still a gender imbalance in cybersecurity and we all have a part to play in solving the problem.
It's a common refrain: "We want to hire more women, but we don't receive enough applications." While many male leaders in tech point to the low number of female candidates, I believe the solution is for companies to be more proactive.
As someone constantly seeking out top tech talent, I can confidently say that the industry is brimming with incredible women. The key is for hiring managers to take the initiative. We need to actively reach out to female candidates, showcase our company culture, highlight the role's impact, and emphasise why diversity is essential to our success.
Let's stop waiting for female talent to come to us. Let's go out and find them!
When we were looking for a new backend engineer in early 2024, that is exactly the approach I took, we actively sought out female talent. We were incredibly fortunate to find Larissa, who has significantly impacted our company and culture.
However, I also acknowledge we need to do more at ESPROFILER, we are actively looking to hire more females into our team and we are particularly keen to hire women into our leadership team.
I would however like to finish by recognising the incredible female talent we have been fortunate to hire at ESPROFILER, outside of Larissa we have also hired Tanvi who is making a fantastic contribution to the frontend team, and Tilly who is running our marketing function and has transformed our brand and digital presence. Their talent and dedication inspire us daily.
I am really looking forward to celebrating more incredible achievements of women in technology this week, and I look forward to playing my part in changing the gender imbalance.
