What International Women’s Day #BreakTheBias Means to Some of Our Members

What does this year’s theme of #BreakThebias mean to you?

Break the bias means a world where diversity, equity and inclusion are the standard, they’re normal.

What is one of the biggest barriers that exists for women in the cyber industry?

I don’t think there are any actual barriers but the perceived barriers can be very real. Cyber is a very new vocation and so there are very few people with decades of experience; I think many people don’t think they are qualified for roles, but actually the biggest attributes are actually the willingness to learn, bringing diversity of thought, creativity and problem solving.

What does a normal day at work look like for you?

It’s different every day! I could be addressing the Board, responding to media, deep diving into an incident, formulating our strategy, reviewing budgets, talking technology solutions, signing off on a culture program or talking to customers. The ability to switch between hats is really important, and so is having a great team who can support the many different demands placed upon us.

What advice do you have for someone starting out in a cyber career, or considering one?

Cyber is always going to grow and morph, and we’ll always need a broad richness of skills, knowledge and experience. You don’t need to be highly technical to achieve in cyber – some of my most clever people aren’t deeply technical but they bring a way of thinking that adds immense value to solving a problem. I’d also suggest people stay open minded. The roles and progression paths will change as the threat and landscape shifts. If you remain flexible and are willing to have a go, you’ll be really successful.

What is most fulfilling about your role?

I love our mission and our ability to make a difference. Everything we do impacts the lives of every Australian in some way – whether it’s tackling scam calls and SMS messages, or reducing the delivery of malware via email, or making sure the Telstra network is secure so we can keep Australians connected. My big vision is to transform the way my team embeds security into everything we do at Telstra, and share what we do more broadly so we can uplift the broader security posture of the Australian community – that really excites me! I also love that every day is different and I never quite know what will happen each day no matter how well I plan it!

What path did you take to your current role?

My career started many years ago as an officer in the Royal Australian Navy, where I eventually assumed the role of Navy Director Cyber Warfare. In 2016, after having my first child, change came my way and I left the Navy to pursue my next chapter in the public service where I was appointed the Chief Information Security Officer for the Department of Human Services. In this role, I transformed the cyber organisation, building a new state of the art Cyber Security Operations Centre and uplifting the capability from 25 to 250 personnel. After my second child, change once again came and I was approached to join Telstra as our Chief Information Security Officer.

I’m a lifelong learner, and my formal study includes:

Bachelor Arts (English and Information Systems)

Master of Science (Information Technology)  

Master of Systems Engineering

Graduate Diploma of Information Management

Graduate Diploma of Communications and Information Systems

Advanced Diploma of Maritime Studies

Diploma of Leadership and Management

Certificate IV in Government (Procurement and Contracting)

Certificate III in Maritime Business

I was awarded a Conspicuous Service Medal in the Australia Day Honours List 2016 for “meritorious achievement through her contribution to the development of the emerging area of cyberspace operations in the Australian Defence Force”.

I’m a member of the RSAC Advisory Board and the Executive Advisory Board for the Australian Information Security Association. I’m a Fellow of the Australian Information Security Association and an Adjunct Professor at Deakin University.

Do you think a mentor is important? If so how has having one helped you?

I’ve had some excellent mentors along the way, and not necessarily all of them have been from a cyber background. That variety has grounded me and given me a better view of the impact my decisions have – whether from a technical perspective or from a people perspective. I’ve really valued my mentors from outside of the sector as they’ve given me a different perspective on the art of the possible.

What advice would you give yourself at the start of your career knowing what you know now?

If you’d have asked me even 10 years ago, I would never have thought I’d be in this role. I probably didn’t realise the potential I had, and it took a few people to push me to realise that potential. Cyber, technology, people and leadership skills are hugely transferrable across industries!

What characteristics attribute to a successful career in your kind of role?

Finding good people and surrounding myself with them has been such an important part of my career. Cyber isn’t something we can do alone. There are so many facets to it, and it is a genuine team sport, both within your organisation and also in the wider industry. I truly value my team, the input of my peers in industry, and also my mentors, they’re all critical to success. I’ve also had the privilege of working for some incredible leaders. Their support, trust and belief – and sometimes the odd push – makes a huge difference! A great leader can also be a huge advocate, and clear the way for us to get on with our mission and achieve results.

I also think critical to success is having the strategic goal and vision, and the ability to clearly articulate it, so that the team are all working in the same direction and are united in our purpose.

Favourite resource ie. podcast, course, website, influencer?

I really enjoy the Cyberwire podcast!

What does this year’s theme of #BreakThebias mean to you?

Being a woman in technology, I have witnessed or felt a form of conscious or unconscious bias. Breaking the bias for me means acknowledging and addressing bias, including by calling it out when it happens and ensuring that all women, not just in technology, have a voice and feel supported.

What is one of the biggest barriers that exists for women in the cyber industry?

The inherent gender bias and stereotypes that are still present in the dynamics of society and in industry. The 'boys club' mentality remains prevalent and can often lead to women's opinions or experience not being taken seriously.

What does a normal day at work look like for you?

The cliché answer is that all my days are look different, but they do typically involve: meeting with clients, internal meetings, workshops, analysis, report writing, research, all depending on the type of job I am working on.  
What advice do you have for someone starting out in a cyber career, or considering one?

Your willingness to learn will take you further than having to feel like you need to know it all straight away. There are so many aspects of cyber that you can’t possibly know it all before you start. I’m constantly learning something new all the time.

What is most fulfilling about your role?

I love the collaboration with different types of people and clients, the flexibility, and the variety of work.

What path did you take to your current role?

My path is convoluted to say the least. I first attempted to do a Bachelor of Journalism (which I ended up hating), undertook an internship in Marketing and Publishing but decided to switch to International Relations and Law, then decided law wasn’t for me once I started working in a law firm.

I ended up graduating with a Bachelor of International Relations, then went overseas for a few times, and completed a Master of Cyber-Security, Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism while working in various administration roles to support myself during study. I undertook an internship at the Australian Embassy Indonesia with the Australian Border Force and was then fortunate enough to obtain a graduate position at KPMG.

Do you think a mentor is important? If so how has having one helped you?

When I first started out, I actually didn’t have a mentor. I found it particularly hard here in Adelaide to find someone who was willing to help me. That was possibly on me not knowing where to look! I fumbled my way through, I wish I did have a mentor though. Now I am lucky enough to be surrounded by supportive and encouraging individuals who I regularly go to for advice.

What advice would you give yourself at the start of your career knowing what you know now?

You don’t have to be complacent with the way people treat you. You deserve to be in the room just as much as everybody else.

What characteristics attribute to a successful career in your kind of role?

The ability to communicate with a wide range of people and being able to adapt - soft skills are just as important as the technical skills.

Favourite resource ie. podcast, course, website, influencer?

Australian Strategy Policy Institute!

What does this year’s theme of #BreakThebias mean to you?

I think it is an opportunity to think of any bias, stereotypes, and discrimination that still exist in our society, and become conscious of our bias so that we don’t block other people from accessing their opportunities.

What is one of the biggest barriers that exists for women in the cyber industry?

I think the biggest barrier is negative stereotypes, things like ‘women can’t be technical’ and ‘men are better in technology roles’. Negative stereotypes can influence mental health and performance, as well as negatively affect an organisation’s culture, because those stereotypes create real and perceived boundaries that lead to women believing they don’t have the skills or qualities that a job requires – which isn’t true!

What does a normal day at work look like for you?

I attend a stand up meeting every morning to discuss tasks that have been finished, are in progress, or are about to be started. Then, I check my tasks for the day, plan for them, and have a quick meeting with my senior teammate to check if I’m on the right track. I do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions get everything down, and take notes the things I have learned.

What advice do you have for someone starting out in a cyber career, or considering one?

Find a good mentor! I am very fortunate that I have amazing mentors who have guided me to choose my career path and help me everyday to identify opportunities for personal and professional growth. They encourage me and guide me to achieve my goals and give me hope and confidence that I can do it.

What is most fulfilling about your role?

The most fulfilling thing about my job is developing my skills. I’m learning how to design, develop and deploy cloud-based systems in accordance with company security policies and industry best practices in cloud security. There are a lot of things to learn, and the job is never boring.

What path did you take to your current role?

I studied a Master of Cyber Security at Edith Cowan University and I undertook an internship at Retrospect Labs (which was part of a working integrated learning component in my last semester of study). I attended a lot of conferences and networking events where I met my current teammates and got my internship. I learned a lot during my internship and enjoyed my work so much that I chose a career in cloud based engineering – something I hadn’t originally planned on! I was very lucky that after I finished my internship, I got an offer from Retrospect Labs to stay on as a fulltime Graduate Cloud Engineer.

Do you think a mentor is important? If so how has having one helped you?

A good mentor is very important. I have excellent mentors both men and woman, and they helped me to choose my career path. When I was starting out, I didn’t know there are lots of roles in cyber and many different career paths to choose from. I had no idea which career path I wanted to take. With mentoring, I learned about the different jobs in cyber and I was able to find which field I’m most interested in. I love my current job and I have no regrets that I chose this career path!

What advice would you give yourself at the start of your career knowing what you know now?

Don’t be scared of what you don’t know and don’t let self-doubt get in the way. I was very scared when I started out because I didn’t have any IT background, I was one of the few girls in my class at University, and everyone seemed very technical and like they knew everything there was to know about cyber - everyone except me that is! I wasn’t confident and I had a self-doubt that I wouldn’t be able to get a job in this field. But now, I know that I can learn, that I can apply those skills and learnings, and that I can also be a ‘technical person’, working in a technical role in a cyber security company.

What characteristics attribute to a successful career in your kind of role?

I think having a curious mind. With a curious mind, you have a desire to know how and why things are done. You want to know and understand everything there is to know and understand. For me, at Retrospect Labs, that means understanding the IT infrastructure, how cloud-based systems can be integrated, and how to develop a cloud system that is secure.

Favourite resource ie. podcast, course, website, influencer?

I like Microsoft training. Microsoft provides a lot of free training that help develop in-demand technical skills and learn current trends in security. Microsoft offers a Women in Cloud program which is a free 6-month program that helps women to learn Microsoft Azure cloud solutions, develop cloud skills and get into the industry.

What does this year’s theme of #BreakThebias mean to you?

To me it means opportunities without boundaries for all women - in all aspects of life. I think we need to break the bias inside of ourselves as women as much as we need to address it around us.

What is one of the biggest barriers that exists for women in the cyber industry?

I think it is the perception that to be a cybersecurity professional you need to have technical qualifications as a prerequisite e.g. engineering or computer science. These have typically been the pathways more travelled by our male counterparts. But in fact, cybersecurity is a vast field and there are many different kinds of roles that require skills like problem solving, creative thinking and effective communication, and we have had men and women come into our sector from legal, performing arts, and medicine.

What does a normal day at work look like for you?

I wear a few hats so my day is pretty diverse. I do everything from running CISO advisory boards and developing thought leadership content, to presenting to community groups and educators on our Cyber Safe Kids education program.

What advice do you have for someone starting out in a cyber career, or considering one?

I think a great place to start is to reach out through your network to connect with people who work in cybersecurity. Either through your career counselor at high school, your tertiary institution or through the events hosted by A3C and AustCyber. I think that cybersecurity professionals on the whole are very approachable because we all have a common goal to attract more talent to our industry - we need more people!

What is most fulfilling about your role?

I love knowing that my work is meaningful, and I have completely bought into our mission which is to protect our digital way of life and to make each day safer and more secure than the one before. I can’t think of a more rewarding place to be right now and to know that I am part of helping kids to learn life skills to look after their digital health and welling - is just gold! I love it.

What path did you take to your current role?

I have been in the tech industry my entire career. I have done everything from working in nimble start-ups to large enterprise firms. I have a Bachelor of Business and a Bachelor of Arts and I started out specialising in international business which landed me in my first job in Japan. When I came to Palo Alto Networks, I didn’t have deep knowledge of the cybersecurity space, but I’m a fast learner and I like the pace of innovation and disruption here - it keeps me on my toes!

Do you think a mentor is important? If so how has having one helped you?

Yes I think a mentor is important whether you are 25 years old or 45 years old. I have always had a mentor and sometimes several. You need a safe soundboard sometimes and you need someone who will nudge you out of your comfort zone while also being empathetic to your journey and your own bias/fears. I would tell myself it is ok not to know everything and not to have all the answers - and to have faith in myself and my path. I would also tell myself to pause more often and to really take in the successes rather than run off to the next thing waiting for me.

What advice would you give yourself at the start of your career knowing what you know now?

I would tell myself it is ok not to know everything and not to have all the answers - and to have faith in myself and my path. I would also tell myself to pause more often and to really take in the successes rather than run off to the next thing waiting for me.

What characteristics attribute to a successful career in your kind of role?

To be honest, I think it really all comes down to my favourite four letter word - grit. To have the patience and focus to play a long game, keep people on the journey and to know how to push through the tough moments while also looking after yourself and those around you…that takes grit. There are many other attributes that are important too but that one is core for me.

Favourite resource ie. podcast, course, website, influencer?

Ted Talks is a favourite when I’m out on my walks. I’m a huge Simon Sinek fan (Start with Why) and I am in awe of Ally Watson from Code Like a Girl.

What does this year’s theme of #BreakThebias mean to you?

#Breakingthebias means to me is being in a world where gender doesn’t matter, where diversity is celebrated and we create a workplace that is equitable and empowering

What is one of the biggest barriers that exists for women in the cyber industry?

This is a very complex topic, in my experience that I feel comfortable speaking on it. It can be a lack of mentors and seeing women in the field, having a bias against women in tech as it is mainly seen as male industry. I also think sometimes that women don’t know that cyber security can be a viable career for them.

What does a normal day at work look like for you?

My day varies a lot. Sometimes it's where I am doing consulting work where I give advice to businesses on how to uplift their security model; other times, it is deploying a vendor solution for a customer. If I have some downtime, I like to network with other cyber security professionals. Having a network where I can reach out for a chat or even bounce ideas off is an invaluable resource.

What advice do you have for someone starting out in a cyber career, or considering one?

The advice I would give anyone who would want to start in cyber or even consider is to simply give it a go and don’t be discouraged if you are met with failure. Develop the ability to be resilient, I have found that this has been immensely beneficial in my career more so than my technical skills on an occasion or two. Build a network find the champions and people who will encourage you to have a successful career.