'It's something we should celebrate' - new awards spotlight Canberra women in cyber

With a decade-long stint in engineering for the military, followed by technology and cyber security consulting and project management for the likes of Deloitte, IBM, PWC and HP, Kylie Watson is accustomed to being the only woman in the room.

Now positioned as DXC Technology’s Head of Security for the Asia Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa, Kylie has seen firsthand the benefits of gender diversity when it comes to tackling cyber threats.

“I’ve worked at security operation centres at the coalface of an attack when operations have stopped and everyone is looking at each other and the pressure is on to figure out what to do next, and it’s always interesting to see how my perspective differs to the men in the room – a perspective I have learned is just as valid,” she says.

“When I first started I was nervous about the value I brought to the table, but I know now it’s critical. We need more of it, and when we see it, it’s something we should celebrate.”

Canberra Cyber Hub, in partnership with Fujitsu Cyber Security Services, aims to do just that next month when they stage the inaugural International Women in Cyber Day – Canberra Awards.

These awards were designed to recognise and represent female leaders, businesses and organisations who create environments that embrace the unique talents of all individuals in the ACT.

Head of Fujitsu Cyber Security Services (FCSS) Laura O’Neill, who leads a team of about 300 across Oceania overseeing the full spectrum of cyber security services, says not only is working towards better diversity the “right thing to do”, it’s important to performance.

However, she acknowledges certain barriers.

“It takes a lot of guts to be the ‘only woman’ or ‘only queer person’ or ‘only person of colour’ in an industry like cyber security,” she says.

“We want to build an industry where you don’t have to have guts to get to the starting line and probably feel quite alone, you just have to be yourself.”

In 2021, Laura won the Australian Information Security Association (AISA), Cyber Security Professional of the Year award and recognises this as a turning point in her career and the importance of awards for recruitment and retention of women in male-dominated industries.

“What I don’t talk about a lot is that the year I won that award I’d just been through an exceptionally challenging time at work, as I had just walked away from a job because of how I was treated. I’d taken a chance on a small business that better fit with my values, but I’d taken a big pay cut, left a senior job and started over,” she says.

“I wasn’t sure as a young woman in cyber whether I’d get another chance. So the affirmation of my peers who awarded me what I think is Australia’s top cyber security award meant everything. I’m very grateful to all the AISA members across the country who voted for me to win that award because it dragged me out of a dark place and helped me get back on track.

“If I could tell the women of Canberra one thing about careers in cyber, it would be to do it. Apply for the job. Get the training. Ask for advice. Find the mentor. Australia is desperately short of cyber professionals, and you deserve to be one of them. It won’t always be easy, but once you find your people you’ll not look back.”

Kylie says the awards will hopefully help promote the idea of more women in Cyber – and not only to women coming up in the ranks.

“I find most women I work with haven’t actively put themselves forward for their job – they’ve often been shoulder tapped,” she says.

“I would love to see more male allies in tech reaching out and helping the women they see, to coach and include them in options, to dive deeper in the recruitment pool, or pull these women up for a promotion, or to address gender pay gaps.

“We need people in the industry to actively lean in and think of ways to recruit, coach and mentor women to join in.”

Laura says she’s grateful Canberra Cyber Hub has partnered with Fujitsu Cyber Security Services on these awards as 50 per cent of their cyber division are women – well and truly bucking the industry average of 17 per cent.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to sponsor an event that aligns so well with our culture and the difference we are trying to make in the industry,” Laura says.

“For us, diversity isn’t a ‘nice to have’ thing that we do. It is where we start. It is who we are. I hope we can inspire others to follow our lead and make the cyber industry a safer, more inclusive and diverse space for us all.”

Tying into International Women in Cyber Day on 1 September, the International Women in Cyber Day – Canberra Awards will take place on Tuesday 3 September. To make a nomination or find out more about attending, visit Canberra Cyber Hub.