The Industry Speaks: International Women in Cyber Day, 2026

It’s about ensuring organisations aren’t overlooking talent already equipped to help secure the next generation of AI-enabled systems.

An ISC2 study found 27 per cent of women reported having significant knowledge of AI and machine learning, compared with 17 per cent of men. Yet despite this capability, women make up only 17 per cent of Australia’s cybersecurity workforce.

At the same time, ISACA's latest research found 53 per cent of privacy professionals believe a skills gap exists, with almost half of organisations training non-privacy staff to meet demand. As organisations adopt AI for threat detection, response and automation, broadening the cybersecurity talent pipeline has never been more important.

Women continue to enter cyber security through non-traditional pathways, bringing experience from risk, compliance, law, psychology, and business. As cyber security expands beyond protecting networks to include AI governance, machine identities, and organisational resilience, these diverse perspectives are becoming increasingly valuable.

Organisations have a meaningful opportunity to strengthen their cyber capability by investing in flexible career pathways, on-the-job learning, mentoring, and leadership opportunities for women. Visibility also matters. When women are keynote speakers, panellists, and technical experts, it sends a powerful message that cyber security is a career where women can thrive and lead.

International Women in Cyber Day is about recognising women already working in the profession and acknowledging that diversity has become a strategic advantage. Organisations that attract, develop and retain women in cybersecurity roles will be prepared to navigate the complex risks created by AI while building stronger, more resilient security teams for the future.

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Lindsay Keating
Executive Vice President and General Manager APAC, Pax8

The cyber and technology industries are making significant strides in recognising and acting on the benefits of diversifying our workforces.

I’m proud to lead a team that has strong gender diversity across all departments and levels of the organisation in-region, including our leadership team. Unfortunately, we’re still an outlier in the sector, though, and there continues to be huge opportunities overlooked every day.

One of the ongoing issues is the persistence of severely outdated gender stereotypes. We’re still regularly hearing women who speak their mind and have a straightforward approach being labelled as aggressive or difficult to work with. Other times we hear there are “too many” women in certain teams, even if those teams have barely reached a 50/50 split in gender balance.

At times, it can be almost unbelievable that these harmful, regressive conversations are still being had in 2026, but they are, and we need to continue speaking up to ensure the progress being made by some organisations rapidly expands to becoming the industry-wide norm.

Tiffany Shogren
Senior Director, Services Enablement & Education at Optiv

We’re at a rare inflection point where the skills map of cyber security is being redrawn by AI, and redrawn maps mean new territory nobody owns yet. Women in cyber shouldn’t just adapt to the agentic era; we should be the ones designing how the workforce gets there. I spend my days reskilling security professionals for roles that didn’t exist two years ago, and I want more women writing that curriculum, not just taking it.

Kathryn Hall
Senior Vice President of Services at Optiv

Our industry still has an opportunity to evolve. International Women in Cyber Day isn't just about celebrating women already in this field. It's about challenging outdated perceptions of who belongs at the table, because the most complex cyber problems of our time demand inclusion of different thoughts, experiences, and leadership styles.

Lina Dabit
Executive Director, Office of the CISO, Optiv Canada

In cyber, authenticity is viewed as an advantage that drives innovation. When women are empowered to stand up, be bold, and approach challenges from their own perspectives, we generate successes that benefit both women and the wider community.

Jennifer Cheng
Director, Cybersecurity Strategy, APJ, Proofpoint

This International Women in Cyber Day, let’s consider what more we can do to build a resilient industry and thriving workforce. As AI reshapes cyber security and the future of work, we have an opportunity to rethink not just the technology we use, but the talent and perspectives we bring to the table.

Cyber security, in practice and in principle, must remain human-centric and collaborative. AI can help us detect threats and make decisions faster, but at its core, cyber security is ultimately about protecting people. Human judgment, empathy, and diverse perspectives must remain central to how we make decisions. This is where women have an important role to play. Different experiences and mindsets help us challenge assumptions, see problems differently and make better decisions. Diversity makes us stronger at solving complex cyber security challenges.

To women in cyber: don't be afraid to take your seat at the table. Put your hand up for the bigger role. Don't let imposter syndrome tell you that you're not ready. And when you get there, bring someone else with you. Share what you've learned. Sometimes, creating change starts with something as simple as opening a door for someone else.

Cyber security has always faced a talent shortage. We cannot afford to leave capable women on the sidelines.

David Rajkovic
Regional Vice President A/NZ, Rubrik

While it’s important to celebrate events like International Women in Cyber Day, advancing equity in the industry needs to be championed every day.

At Rubrik, we promote equity and inclusion across the organisation 365 days of the year with active mentorship, fair hiring practices, and a culture that cultivates strong female leaders. Our Women at Rubrik (W@R) is just one example of how we’re creating a more equitable workplace where everyone feels empowered to grow, thrive, speak and be heard.

Across the globe, the cybersecurity industry faces a well-known talent shortage. In Australia, recent data revealed more than half of Australian government agencies are already experiencing critical cyber security skills shortages. No country is immune. As cyber attackers scale their operations through the use of AI, it is more important than ever to bolster the defenders’ ranks.

Jade Meara
Regional Marketing Director, APCJ, F5

I think it’s worth looking at where the industry stands as a whole. ISC2’s 2025 research found that women make up 22 per cent of the cyber security workforce, which is no surprise. The same research found something less expected as well: women in cybersecurity report high levels of job satisfaction and workplace happiness, despite this gender gap.

The satisfaction seems tied to how work has changed rather than representation itself. Hybrid and flexible working – which became standard during the pandemic – are cited as key drivers. Remote and flexible practices matter in particular for women. It’s disappointing to see some employers scale these practices back post-pandemic, as it risks undoing progress that has directly benefitted women in the sector. However, on a more positive note, women’s participation in cyber security has grown steadily since 2013, from around 10 per cent then to 22 per cent in 2025.

Structural inclusion – getting more women into the sector, and cultural inclusion – making the sector a good place to work, are separate issues, and progress of the second seems to be running ahead of the first. If flexible work keeps making cyber security a more attractive career, it could help close the gap further as satisfied employees promote the sector to others.

AI will be the next big test, and its impact will be harder to predict. It could automate repetitive tasks and create new entry points for people without traditional cybersecurity backgrounds. It could also widen the gap further if automation-driven job cuts hit roles that females often occupy. Conversely, it could also wave in a new era where advanced soft skills are in higher demand: empathy, collaboration, communication, user-centric design, and diverse problem-solving perspectives, to name a few. Tracking this shift will matter as much as tracking the representation itself.”

Dr. Renée Burton
Vice President of Threat Intel at Infoblox

Women are underrepresented in cyber security for a variety of complex reasons.

We need to address this because diversity in this field is a strategic advantage, not a social initiative. Defending networks and users has always been difficult, but those challenges continue to increase with the adoption of AI by attackers. This means we need more brain power and different perspectives to combat them. But AI is also an advantage to defenders: Girls can be introduced to these technologies through gamification that catches their interest. Women interested in joining the field can learn faster and cross-train more quickly to join the forces.

As cyber security gains a critical mass of women, more will want to join in – it's just a matter of getting to that point. While everyone fears AI, we can also use it to our advantage to grow talent in different fields like this one.

Siti Chen
Senior Regional Manager - Enterprise Sales Engineering at Datadog

Today matters because it forces a moment of honesty. It's easy to celebrate the women already succeeding in this industry, and we should. But it also prompts us to ask if we are actually building the industry we say we want, or just talking about it.

I've watched cyber security shift from a narrow, technical discipline into something far more human. Threats today aren't just about code and infrastructure; they're about people, behaviour and trust. That's why we need a wider range of voices in the room and why this industry was never meant to be exclusive. Different backgrounds surface different blind spots, and that diversity is a genuine advantage.

Culture plays a big part too. At Datadog it's genuinely okay to ask questions and admit what you don't know, which matters more than people realise. Our Women of Datadog community, mentorship programs, and inclusive hiring practices all turn good intentions into actual opportunities. In my own team, people are encouraged to share from their experiences and technical perspectives, helping build stronger teams.

What I find genuinely exciting is how open the future of this field still is. AI, cloud, and observability are still being shaped – creating new roles, more entry points, and different disciplines we've never had before. I'd love to see more of that opportunity reach women, who can help define what cyber security becomes. It’s a rare position to be in.

And as women continue to join the industry, my hope is that they stay in it, are supported, and lead it. When that becomes ordinary rather than notable, we'll know we've actually got somewhere.”

Sujatha S Iyer
Head of AI Security at ManageEngine

Women in cyber security are already shaping the future, and with ongoing support, the possibilities are limitless.

The gender imbalance we often see in cyber security is more a reflection of historical trends that haven’t been fully addressed yet, rather than what I believe is the industry’s true nature. Despite the industry still being predominantly male in many areas (particularly in leadership roles), I firmly believe that the field of cyber security is making promising strides in inclusivity and gender balance.

And with the rise of remote work helping to bridge gender gaps, the future is bright.

But the road ahead is not without challenges. The importance of mentorship and visible female role models cannot be overstated. To the young women entering this field: stay curious, seek mentorship, and don’t fall for the myth that cyber security is a man’s game. Lean in and claim your seat at the table. There is room for everyone, the industry benefits from diversity of experience, skills, and perspectives, and women’s voices are essential to shaping the industry’s future.

To the incredible women already in this field: keep speaking up, keep backing your judgement, and keep making space at the table for the women coming up behind you. The industry is stronger for every new voice.