The awards celebrated the achievements of women working in cybersecurity around the globe – whether recognising personal achievements, efforts to close the gender divide in the industry or those mentoring the next generation of women in cyber.
The award ceremony was organised by Eskenzi PR, sponsored by BT, ThinkCyber and Plexal, in partnership with the IT Security Guru, Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) UK & Ireland Affiliate, and Assured Intelligence. Due to the international nature of the awards, the event was also live streamed for those who were unable to attend in person.
Alongside the top 20, five exceptional ‘Ones to Watch’ were crowned at the ceremony, as well as a Cyber Marketeer of the Year – won by Laura Reilly, Head of Digital Marketing at LT Harper.
This year’s winners were selected by an esteemed panel of judges, who had a difficult task whittling down a list of over 100 accomplished women down to just 20. Amongst the winners were Blessing Usoro, Information Security Manager at Cyber for School Girls; Illyana Mullins, Founder of WiTCH (Women in Tech and Cyber Hub); Jennifer Fernick, Senior Staff Security Engineer and Encryption Lead at Google; Dr Andrea Cullen, CEO and Co-Founder of CAPSLOCK and Lianne Potter, Head of SecOps at Asda.
The evening also included an informal panel discussion, covering everything from how the panellists entered the cybersecurity industry to how leaders can champion and encourage allyship within their organisations. Chaired by Yvonne Eskenzi, Diverse Journeys in Cybersecurity panellists included: Aurorah Cheney, Security Strategy & Growth Director at BT, Stephanie Itimi, Founder and CEO of Seidea, Jessica Moffatt-Owen, Innovation Lead at Plexal, Lucy Finlay, Client Delivery Director at ThinkCyber, and Zoe Mackenzie, Volunteer Affiliate President of WiCyS UK & Ireland.
Speaking about the evening, Yvonne Eskenzi, Director and Co-Founder of Eskenzi PR & Marketing said, “It was such an honour to be in the company of so many incredible women at this year’s Most Inspiring Women in Cyber Awards at the BT Tower.”
“I am continually blown away by the achievements of women in this industry and our ability to come together as a community to celebrate and empower one another time and time again.”
“Every woman nominated was exceptional and every winner thoroughly deserving. Congratulations all!”
Named as one of the top 20, Dr. Andrea Cullen, CEO and Co-Founder of CAPSLOCK, added, “What a fantastic event full of energy, support and positivity.”
“I feel it is important to showcase the successes women have in the sector and how much they continue to bring.”
“This visibility is so important for women at all stages of their career.”
“The event was a chance to meet many of my role models and I came away feeling really inspired.”
“It was an honour to be nominated amongst such amazing women and very humbling to win.”
