CYBERWOMEN 2022

Finally Cyberwomen could take place in person again! The event, founded in 2019 to create a platform for women in cybersecurity, took place again on September 22 this year. We are very proud to have been there again as one of the sponsors. We are even happier for our recruitment specialists Adriana Timme and Anne-Sophie Hufer, who had the opportunity to visit the conference last Thursday and exchange ideas in interesting and progressive discussions.

About 24% of cybersecurity professionals are women. While this is an improvement from 11% in 2017, there are still barriers for women looking to enter or advance in the global cybersecurity industry. In addition to the large gender gaps in cybersecurity, women are on average paid less than men in this field. In 2021, 29% of men reported making between $50,000 and $99,999, while just 17% of women reported the same amount.

Amidst all of this, the rise in cybercrime - particularly ransomware - is the number one threat for 2021. Of the ten countries with the highest ransomware cases, the US had as many attacks as the other nine countries combined. Despite the global attention cybersecurity has received in recent years, there is still a significant skills shortage.

Our consultant Anne-Sophie Hufer, who attended the conference last Thursday, explains her perspective on this topic and her experiences with Cyberwomen 2022 in general:

“It was a great event! I had a lot of fun and it was also very interesting! There were very competent cybersecurity experts like Jana Ringwald or Laura Kludas, who took part in the sales panel. In general the conference was well organized and all the speakers contributed a lot to the overall conference. I particularly liked the lectures on cyber agencies and innovation management, and the CxO panel on ransomware and its consequences. We also had the opportunity to make new friends and meet old ones. There were just so many interesting women that altogether make such a strong and inspiring group of people. From this, I learned that the presence of women in the cybersecurity industry will definitely increase in the future. Especially in Germany, where the topic of cybersecurity and women in IT is not discussed that much. But all in all, it was a great experience and I hope to be able to do it again next year!”

- Anne-Sophie Hufer, Information Security Consultant at Franklin Fitch

We are pleased that more and more women are interested in and participating in cybersecurity. This year, 240 people attended the conference, plus several people who were able to stream the conference from their homes. It is amazing to see how the event was made so inclusive and accessible to women who are able to attend and those who were unable to attend in person. Our Cyber ​​& Information Security recruiter Adriana Timme tells us more about her experiences with all the different women and participants and what cyber women mean to her:

“This is now my second time at Cyberwomen. Last year I attended the conference but because of COVID-19, everything was online. So I was very happy to be able to attend in person! The organization of the event was just great! The balance between panels, conferences, and time to exchange and meet new women in IT as well as the speakers were really good! I really liked the HR panel, in which exciting solutions to the shortage of skilled workers in the cyber area were discussed, because the shortage of skilled workers concerns me almost every day as a personnel consultant for cyber and information security. The speakers (Lydia L., Rebecca Z., Christine R., Anja Z., Dr. Nina G., and Anna K.) had a fascinating concept of how women work in and alongside intensive environments such as cybersecurity to have a balanced personal life. This concept of "job sharing" not only means new opportunities for recruiting but is also an exciting option for my personal development! I also liked other speakers like Katharina Maier and Jana Ringwald because they are both very talented speakers. They gave some fascinating insights into the areas of usable, information and IT security as well as law enforcement in cyberspace. But the most important thing I took away from the whole experience is that women are going to take a more prominent role in cybersecurity. It will be a long road to success, but it will come! This is also why I think Cyberwomen 2022 is such an achievement and a great opportunity to promote women in the cybersecurity industry.”

- Adriana Timme, Cyber ​​& Information Security Business Lead at Franklin Fitch

One thing is clear: Cybersecurity needs more women. To build a strong culture of cyber resilience around the world, employers should prioritize recruiting and developing talented female cybersecurity professionals. Women working in or aspiring to a position in cybersecurity represent untapped potential when it comes to filling the growing gap in the cybersecurity workforce. This is exactly why we need conferences like Cyberwomen. Here we discuss various topics, network, and learn more about cybersecurity and why it is important to bring women into the industry!

And we've already noticed a big difference over the years! We are already excited about the increasing participation of women and the growing interest in cybersecurity. As personnel consultants in the IT sector, we see unequal distribution every day. Because of this, we are determined to balance the industry in any way we can.