Did you enjoy school?
I did enjoy school, but I was a very energetic child and that sometimes got me in trouble. I was never able to sit still for too long. Sometimes I talked too much in class, but I was never afraid to give my opinion. As I got older I learnt how to channel that energy and excitement into passion for my work and the people I work with, and continued to use my voice with confidence. Today, I think these are some of my strongest attributes as a leader – even if it did get me in trouble back then.
What qualifications do you have?
I have an MBA from UC Berkeley (Haas School of Business) – I’m actually a lawyer by training and specialise in labour law.
Has your career path been a smooth transition, a rocky road or a combination of both?
You could say from my background that my journey into the world of cybersecurity has been an unconventional one, but I think the tech sector is becoming more like that in the sense that people from lots of different backgrounds and training are finding their place in the industry. Having studied law originally, I never originally thought of becoming part of the world of technology – it was by pure chance.
I have always been open to learning new skills and I think my curiosity has also helped me to build my path. I have done many different things, from technical support, to sales, to financial risk management, investment, and cybersecurity – all of which I found fascinating! So in that way I would say I have transitioned from very different paths to others but have always walked into roles confident in my ability to add value to each of those teams. Focus and mindset are sometimes the most important things.
What specific challenges do you see women facing in the industry?
Unfortunately, representation in the cybersecurity and broader tech space is still a big problem. In the UK, women make up only 17 percent of the total cyber sector workforce, and this lack of representation can make it more difficult for women to envision themselves in technology roles. And this starts at a young age, with fewer girls encouraged to study computer science or IT subjects. However, what I’ve learnt is the tech sector, and cybersecurity especially, doesn’t only require technical profiles.
It’s easy to default to thinking of cybersecurity as taking place in a dark room with men in hoodies hunched over laptops. But the industry is still a relatively new sector and there is so much opportunity and growing areas that need different skills and perspectives.
My background isn’t technical, but I’ve found that my skill set has enabled me to approach things with a fresh perspective, and see problems or solutions that maybe my peers might have missed. Cybersecurity is still a fairly young and growing sector, and there’s a demand for all kinds of people. We need to encourage more women from different backgrounds to explore and pursue careers in cybersecurity, because their unique perspectives can significantly contribute to building a more secure and resilient future for everyone.
What is the best career advice you can give to others?
Give your best regardless, make great connections wherever you are, and be accountable for your actions.
If you had to pick one mentor that had the biggest influence on you, who would it be?
Adaire Fox-Martin – the former president of Google Cloud Go to Market and Head of Google Ireland. I have learnt tremendously from her experience and from her leadership. She is an incredible role model for all the females in the tech industry and she always has offered me fantastic advice.
From where do you draw inspiration?
From other people, seeing their achievements, or hearing stories and experiences is always extremely inspiring to me. Seeing other women in the industry thrive is something that makes me want to do better, and to inspire others. We should all be doing more to raise up other women in the industry and celebrate each of our successes. Learning from others and watching other women thrive has always inspired me to pursue my own career – it still does.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced to date?
I have moved around a lot throughout my career, and living in a different country sometimes made it difficult to balance work and family life. Moving abroad, I struggled for a period not having my extended family or support network around to help me – especially with raising young kids. It always seemed they got sick or called with problems as soon as I had to travel or present in a big event. Eventually though, I found my feet and built up my network again to help me juggle my different commitments but that initial period was difficult, and was something I was really proud to have got through.
What qualities do you feel makes a good leader?
Integrity, passion, courage, transparency, communication and delegation.
From a work viewpoint, what has the last 12 months been like?
It’s been a whirlwind! Over the last twelve months we’ve seen a dramatic shift in the way organisations think about cybersecurity, which is now a priority for the majority of companies and governments around the world; they understand the importance of cybersecurity to protect and are ready to take action. Companies know they need to focus on modernising their security operations, but a lot of them don’t know where to start, so the demand for expertise and assistance is high.
What would you say are the biggest tech-based challenges we face today?
It’s got to be AI. AI is changing the game, and learning how to combat attackers’ potential use of AI, as well as leveraging its benefits as defenders is what’s important to focus on right now. We’re already seeing the advantages AI can bring to the defence side of things, with faster and more efficient threat detection and incident response, but we need to keep an eye on how threat actors start to use this technology to enhance their campaigns. It’s important to remember that as developers of this technology, we have the home advantage. Over time we’ll see AI be tailored and developed to respond to more and more specific use cases as we continually look to stay one step ahead of malicious actors.
Of course at the centre of all this is making sure defenders, businesses and governments are equipped with the right training. According to a Forbes Advisor report, 93 percent of UK businesses say they lack digital skills in the job market, which can be impacting growth. It’s so important for businesses to become more proficient in these technologies, especially AI, as they become more integrated into our lives and work. To address this challenge and empower people with AI training, we recently launched the AI Cyber Defence Initiative. This includes the expansion of Google’s Cybersecurity Seminars Program to cover all Europe, offering AI-focused modules at universities to train the next generation of cybersecurity experts from underserved communities.
What can be done to encourage more women into the industry?
Better representation. This is so important for young women and girls to start pursuing careers in tech and cybersecurity. This starts with raising the visibility of female leaders and encouraging more women to consider careers in the industry, even if they have a totally different background in terms of training. It’s a fast paced environment to work in and we’re always in need of more fresh thinkers and people with different skills they can bring to the table. That’s the way we innovate and tackle industry issues head on. Creating a more digitally secure world starts with hiring a diverse array of talent.
Give us a fact about you that most other people wouldn’t know.
I directed a Symphony Chorus for two years from the age of 16. I was the youngest director ever at that point, and the members of the Chorus nicknamed me the “kid maestro”!
