intelligent

There is a glaring gender disparity across the cybersecurity industry , with women representing only 16.8 % of the cybersecurity workforce and only 2.1 % of global cybersecurity companies having female CEOs . Connie Stack , CEO at Next DLP , is leading the charge on changing this disparity . She explains a multi-faceted approach to levelling the field .

HE CYBERSECURITY

SECTOR is currently riding a major growth wave , with its value set to grow from US $ 172 billion in 2023 to US $ 425 billion by 2030 , according to industry analysis . At the same time , the sector is grappling with a workforce shortage of nearly 4 million people – a gap that seems certain to increase as the market booms . A major root cause of this issue is the glaring gender disparity across the industry with women representing only 16.8 % of the cybersecurity workforce , with only 2.1 % of global cybersecurity companies having female CEOs .

This stark disparity not only highlights a gender gap but also underlines a deeprooted issue within the industry that , despite recognition of the need for greater female representation and its efforts to address this , industry progress remains painstakingly slow . This is especially frustrating when considering that whilst the presence of women in cybersecurity is limited , it is marked by exceptional achievements and resilience .

While this is a huge problem for the industry , the global workforce shortage also presents a unique opportunity to address gender disparity head-on , by actively encouraging and recruiting women into cybersecurity roles . By doing so , cybersecurity organisations can not only fill the growing demand for skilled professionals but also benefit from the diverse perspectives and approaches that women bring to the table , which are essential in combatting a broad range of cyberthreats .

Diversity requires daring decisions

A big part of the problem is that the typical career journey of women in the field of cybersecurity generally runs against the grain of traditional norms and cultural expectations . These women have had to navigate a landscape where their skills and contributions are often underestimated or

Connie Stack , CEO at Next DLP