Summary
Overview of CyberUK 2025: Women in Cyber Breakfast
A room full of women chatting, plotting, laughing and discussing cyber security. That’s not something we see very often, but at the Women in Cyber Networking Breakfast at CyberUK it’s exactly what we got. On day two of the National Cyber Security Centre’s flagship conference, this year held in Manchester, around 180 women and allies got together to join the growing communities that are helping women to connect with others, find mentors and friends, and progress their careers.
The event first took place in the ICC Wales. As founder of the Women in Cyber Wales network, I took the plunge and asked a representative of the NCSC whether I could possibly run one of my networking events as a fringe event at CyberUK 2022. I can remember taking the call confirming that a breakfast slot had been allocated to me, all I needed to do was provide a bit of narrative and our logo for the online programme. I was absolutely delighted.
That first event had around 65 attendees, and has grown year on year, and it is now established as a core part of CyberUK. As the Women in Cyber Wales network has grown into ‘Women in Cyber Unlimited’ so has the event grown, indicating that there isn’t just a desire for communities like this, there is a definite need. Women still make up just 17% of the cyber security workforce, so it’s important to provide opportunities for us to meet and build our networks. Not only that, it demonstrates the breadth of skills and experience women have in this space, and amplifies the importance of having a diverse workforce.
The theme of CyberUK this year was ‘Transforming Resilience, Countering Threats”and we can do that by being a more inclusive industry. I think organisations are much more aware of the importance of diversity now, but that still isn’t reflected in the numbers, particularly at senior levels.
The event itself was uplifting, warm and full of talent. After a couple of short presentations from Clare T, NCSC, Kirsty Miller from our sponsors, Lockheed Martin and myself, the room erupted into a buzz of noise. I was also thrilled that we were joined by Richard Horne, CEO and Felicity Oswald of the NCSC, and Anne Keast-Butler, Director of GCHQ. A number of people came up to me afterwards saying they had come to the conference alone, and now felt less isolated, that they had made a new connection, or that they had hatched some business collaboration, and that’s what it’s all about. Bringing people together, celebrating their contribution to the sector, whatever that might be, growing friendships and ultimately building a more resilient nation. It was a wonderful way to start the day.
