The twenty four cyber security professionals selected to join the inaugural “Empowering Women to Lead Cyber Security” initiative have reconvened in Edinburgh this week for the second round of group activities which form the core of this new programme.
The initiative, designed to tackle gender diversity in cyber security and supported by industry body ScotlandIS, The Scottish Government’s Digital Directorate and the Scottish Digital Academy, aims to build a collaborative and powerful community of emerging women leaders in cyber security and information management/assurance roles across all industry sectors.
The 3-month Programme is free of charge to participants, with funding provided from partners including Adarma, Lloyds Banking Group, Morgan Stanley, NCC Group and the Scottish Government.
This latest gathering runs from the 11th to the 12th of November and is a key opportunity for the group to develop their skills, networks and to work on their collective solutions to the “Challenges” that have been identified for the cohort to tackle as part of the Programme. The group will also be hearing from a number of guest speakers who will share their own personal leadership journeys, with the first of these being Emily Beeney, Vice President at Morgan Stanley who was recognised as the “Outstanding Woman in Cyber” at the 2019 Scottish Cyber Awards.
Commenting on Morgan Stanley’s support for the Programme, Ms Beeney said, “One of Morgan Stanley’s core values is Commit to Diversity and Inclusion. Having a diverse and inclusive workforce has long been accepted as one of the differentiating components which contribute to success, and to enable that in the Cyber Sector we need to ensure that women enter and progress within the field. We are excited to partner with this programme to proactively drive this agenda by supporting women to progress their careers within cyber security and providing them with the tools they need to succeed.”
The Autumn cohort runs from September to November, with a joint graduation and Challenge presentation taking place at Our Dynamic Earth on the 2nd of December. Further cohorts in the programme have now been scheduled to run in Spring and Autumn of 2022.
For more details on the programme and stay informed on developments for future cohorts, go to the Empowering You website.