Did you enjoy school?
Yes, I loved school, loved seeing all my friends, and loved learning. But, when I was at school would I have wanted to study cyber? No. I thought it was too ‘clever’ for me. I assumed you would have to be good at maths – and that wasn’t me. But I’ve always been fascinated by computers, which I’m sure played some part in my ultimate career choices.
What qualifications do you have?
I liked biology at school so intended to study biomedical science at university – I dropped out after day one and took a gap year, which then turned into 12! I just knew immediately it wasn’t for me.
However, I recently completed my PhD with the University of South Wales, which Thales sponsored. It was great to do this alongside my role at Thales – it helped to be working in the field in which I was studying.
That being said, you don’t necessarily need a degree to do well. There’s a lot to be said for hands-on experience that you glean throughout the years. In fact, most of my friends don’t work in the field that they hold a degree in!
Has your career path been a smooth transition, a rocky road or a combination of both?
I wouldn’t say any of these; I believe it was about hard work and good timing. It was partly about being at the right place at the right time, but mainly about taking the opportunities offered. Welcoming these opportunities with open arms has really propelled me forwards in my career – it’s all about throwing your hat into the ring in the first place, and putting the effort in.
I didn’t have what you would class as a typical route into cybersecurity though – if such a thing exists. I started my career working for the NHS as a part of their call centre. Although my day-to-day was very different to what I do now, there was definitely crossover. The WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017, for example, was a prime example of how cyber can impact the critical infrastructure we rely on daily. This, in part, fuelled my interest in cyber – cyber really is everywhere, and it impacts us all. I think my personal journey into cyber just goes to show that there really isn’t one ‘go-to’ approach to enter the industry.
What specific challenges do you see women facing in the industry?
The industry is very male-dominated still, and while it’s improving, we still need to see a shift in attitudes. Because of this fundamental challenge, it’s easy to see how women, or anyone beyond the ‘typical’ cyber candidate, could develop imposter syndrome in these scenarios. Women should not just feel like they are hired to fill to diversity quotas, but because they have earnt the right to be there based on their ability and merit, and for what unique attributes they can bring to the table.
The future of the cyber industry is also dependent on securing a sustainable pipeline of future talent, which represents another challenge. An integral part of this stems from inspiring young people from all walks of life to join the field – including women – and ensuring that the talent pool is diverse from all perspectives. However, many girls and young children generally do not have adequate exposure and opportunities to learn about practical or engineering career paths, making it an industry-wide challenge.
What is the best career advice you can give to others?
To any women or girls who are passionate about a career in this sector – let that passion shine through and pursue it. Invest in yourself and seek out any training opportunities that you can. There’s also a large community of women in cyber groups where you can join, network, and ask questions.
And remember, if you ever feel like you are a ‘tick’ box – just know that you are there because of your own skills and merit, and you deserve to be there. It’s all about self-belief and putting yourself out there in the first place.
From where do you draw inspiration?
For me, personally, I am consistently reminded of the inspiring women in the industry – especially those that I work alongside at Thales. They do great work and are worthy role models for future generations.
It’s been great to work with young children and girls at the NDEC centre (National Digital Exploitation Centre) at Ebbw Vale. We engage with schools to bring cyber to life in the hope that it will raise aspirations and open potential career paths to children in the local area. It also helps us as a business to identify future talent and secure a talent pipeline for the sector. In the space of one session, I’ve seen a few little girls decide that when they grow up, they want to be an engineer. It just shows that sometimes exposure is all girls need – I’ve found this experience to be very inspiring and rewarding”
What is the biggest challenge you have faced to date?
Generally speaking, I am lucky to have not faced too many major challenges across my career. I would say that fact my route to cyber was a ‘non-traditional’ one meant there were some learning curves that I had to face. This was of course challenging at the very beginning. That being said, I would say that my experience in the NHS equipped me with many transferable skills that were well suited for my new journey into cyber.
What qualities do you feel makes a good leader?
Supporting and listening to your team, including their ideas in plans, always being humble, and having no ego. These qualities have led me to the position I am in today. I hope I can inspire another generation of women to become leaders in whatever sector they work across – hopefully cyber though!
From a work viewpoint, what has the last 12 months been like?
I got my PhD in September 2023, so that was a major personal milestone for myself over the last year. Beyond that, I have spent much of my time engaging in multiple different customer demonstrations and representing Thales in front of global clients.”
What would you say are the biggest tech-based challenges we face today?
At this current point, the threat of cyberattacks has never been more prevalent, making our industry extremely important. With emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, dominating the conversation, it is increasingly important we ensure such technologies are implemented in a safe and secure manner.
Companies have to balance staying one step ahead with technological innovation with striving to maintain a level of trust between themselves and their consumers. It’s no easy feat, but ensuring there are transparent, responsible and ethical considerations to their implementation will help to maintain or build up this trust, while reaping the rewards they offer.
What can be done to encourage more women into the industry?
From a recruitment perspective, we need to stop gender classifying and generally stereotyping certain job roles or entire sectors that discourage female applicants. We need to revisit job descriptions and create a welcoming atmosphere where women can thrive.
Due to the limited exposure to such career paths, STEM education within school curriculums is more important than ever. Rather than being taught to simply pass an exam in a subject, which can often feel like a tick-box exercise, young people need to be inspired for their long-term careers and know all the options – including routes into STEM and cyber roles specifically.
Raising future talent ultimately requires a collaborative approach from education, industry, and government. It needs to be a joined-up approach.
Give us a fact about you that most other people wouldn’t know
I was pregnant whilst completing my PhD and also working full time. It was difficult but a massive accomplishment that I’m incredibly proud of. I am actually expecting baby number two now – a little girl – so hope both of my little ones will follow in my footsteps one day!
