Celebrating cyber security industry trailblazers, Plexal is pleased to reveal we’ve joined BT as sponsor for this year’s Most Inspiring Women in Cyber Awards, which is hosted by Eskenzi PR. In a show of ongoing relations with our startup community, we’re delighted to see NCSC For Startups alumnus ThinkCyber, the company promoting measurable secure behaviour change with its Redflags software, is also a sponsor.
In a year where reports are suggesting that diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives are falling by the wayside, events like the Most Inspiring Women in Cyber are more vital than ever.
This year’s panel discussion is Active Allyship: Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is and aims to shape the conversation around accessibility for women in cyber security and creating an industry that works for all, not just some.
So far, speakers on the panel, which will be chaired by by Eskenzi PR’s co-founder Yvonne Eskenzi, include:
- Diane Gilbert, Innovation Ecosystem Lead at Plexal
- Stephanie Itimi, Founder and Chair at Seidea CIC
- Aurorah Cheney, Security Strategy and Growth Director at BT
- Lucy Finlay, Client Delivery Director, Secure Behaviour and Analytics, at ThinkCyber
Diane Gilbert, Innovation Ecosystem Lead at Plexal, says: “A key element of my role requires relationship building, closing the opportunity gap between founders from across the UK-wide cyber ecosystem for them to equitably make the right connections to achieve growth.
“Ensuring our talent pool is diverse is important to me personally and professionally and it’s a core focus through Cyber Runway, which we deliver on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Therefore, I’m proud that a third of the more than 200 companies to join the programme have been female-led and I’m incredibly excited to extend our support to women in the cyber security space even further through the Most Inspiring Women in Cyber Awards, an event that’s sure to be a celebration to remember. I look forward to talking all things allyship with my fellow panellists on the night and wish the nominees all the best!”
Tim Ward, CEO and Co-Founder of ThinkCyber, says: “At ThinkCyber we have the pleasure of seeing first hand, in the more people centric side of cyber, the significant value of diversity in the industry. We have previously found ways to support WiCyS in their great work and now I’m genuinely excited to be part of this hugely important event celebrating women in cyber. The event creates a high-profile forum for women in cyber and their allies to come together and network. But even more importantly it offers us a chance to recognise and celebrate some incredible people and their inspiring achievements.”
On the night, 20 inspiring women and five ones to watch will be honoured. A special award, The Paula Brici: Cyber Marketeer of the Year, will be given to an exceptional in-house cybersecurity marketeer, in honour of Eskenzi PR colleague, Paula Brici.
After the panel discussion and subsequent awards ceremony, guests will be invited up to the top of the BT Tower for networking and refreshments. Nominees are encouraged to bring someone with them who they feel may benefit from networking at such an esteemed event.
Other media partners of the event include the IT Security Guru, Assured Intelligence, and Women in Cybersecurity UK & Ireland Affiliate (WiCyS).
