Breaking the code

Mads Howard at Sage describes how women are redefining cyber-security

 

Although International Women’s Day is over, we still need to continue celebrating our progress toward a future where technology empowers and protects everyone equally, with women leading the change.  We must be unwavering in recognising that their impact goes far beyond a single day; women are driving progress every day, shaping a more inclusive and secure digital future.

 

Today, women constitute just 22% of the UK’s cyber-security workforce. While this marks significant growth from 15% in 2020, there’s clearly more work to do. Despite this stat, it’s important not to overlook the fact that women are already crushing it in the industry, setting exceptional standards and paving the way forward for innovation in this field. A diverse cyber-security workforce isn’t just equitable; it’s essential for innovation, resilience and comprehensive digital protection.

 

Historically, cyber-security has been perceived as an exclusive, overly technical domain represented by a narrow demographic. Yet, the most robust cyber-security strategies are fuelled by human ingenuity, empathy and collaboration, qualities abundant in diverse teams. It’s high time we unlock this potential fully.

 

Culture is power

Building an awareness of what cyber-security is and ensuring the industry has the correct culture is critical. A few ways businesses can achieve this is by: 

• Leading with empathy: When security policies resonate with personal values, compliance increases by up to 70%, according to behavioural research. Policies that align with employee motivations and everyday experiences transform security from a task to a meaningful commitment.
• Championing open dialogue: Only 45% of UK organisations currently have open forums for cyber-security discussions. Encouraging safe spaces for dialogue means the topic of cyber-security is demystified and accessible.
• Recognising proactive security behaviours: A recent government survey revealed that companies celebrating proactive human-led cyber-security practices report 60% fewer breaches. Rewarding vigilance significantly strengthens organisational resilience. 

 

Improving access to cyber-security careers

Beyond culture, bridging the skills gap is one of the biggest challenges. The UK cyber-security sector faces a shortfall of approximately 56,000 skilled professionals annually. By broadening our approach to recruitment and valuing diverse backgrounds and unconventional paths, we can better address these shortages and build stronger, more innovative teams. We need to make cyber-security careers accessible.

 

Empowering women is not merely about filling vacancies but about harnessing untapped potential. Knocking down traditional barriers will pave the way for enhanced innovation, fresh perspectives and more effective cyber-security solutions. Believe me, it’s about way more than diversity - it’s about reshaping the industry mindset entirely.

 

Industry needs to collectively commit to breaking down stereotypes, by highlighting the pioneering women already transforming cyber-security to inspire the next generation of leaders. We must ensure that inspiration is accessible to all and is not kept hidden for those with privileged access to it. Young people, career changes, career returners: whoever the next generation are, they need to see the roles available to them and feel the energy and passion of those in the roles.

 

Shaping the digital future

To any woman considering cyber-security, my advice is not to dwell too much on the fact that there aren’t as many of us in the industry as we’d like. You’d be joining a trail already beautifully blazed by brilliantly inspiring women making extraordinary strides.

 

Your skills, passion and perspectives will build on this success and are precisely what we need to secure our digital future.

 

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Mads Howard MBE is Manager, Office of Chief Information Security Officer, at Sage

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and skynesher