Diversity & Skills Stage

 

This stage championed diversity and inclusion with dynamic keynotes, engaging panels, and hands-on workshops to sharpen your skills. Visitors connected with peers, discovered career-boosting strategies, and dove into initiatives that drive diversity in cybersecurity. From novices to pros, there were crucial resources to broaden expertise and foster a more inclusive cybersecurity field. Stay tuned for the 2026 line-up!

 

 

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10:20
  1. Diversity and Skills
    45 mins

    Cybersecurity careers are as diverse as the threats we face. This panel brings together hiring managers, educators, and security leaders to explore what employers are really looking for today—from technical skills to adaptability and AI literacy. Learn how certifications, hands-on experience, and non-traditional pathways are shaping the modern cyber workforce—and how to position yourself in a skills-first market. The session will include extended audience Q&A, offering a chance to gain personalised advice, guidance, and insight directly from seasoned professionals.

11:10
  1. Diversity and Skills
    30 mins
    Join Pentest People and Bulletproof for a panel session to discover how to launch your career in penetration testing. Cyber experts reveal the skills you need, the mindset that gets you noticed, and the opportunities waiting in this fast-growing field. Learn how diverse experiences fuel innovation and why the next generation holds the key to cybersecurity’s future.
11:50
  1. Diversity and Skills
    30 mins
    Cybersecurity starts with the basics. This session explores how community-driven education and foundational training help underrepresented groups gain access to the cyber industry, empowering future professionals while improving overall cyber resilience.

    Key Takeaways:

    Understand the importance of foundational cyber education

    Learn how to engage underserved communities

    Explore grassroots training and mentorship initiatives
12:30
  1. Diversity and Skills
    30 mins
    What does it take to build truly inclusive leadership in cybersecurity? This session brings together senior leaders to share success stories, breakthrough moments, and the systemic changes that are transforming our industry. Discover how effective allyship, sponsorship, and inclusive leadership practices are not just retaining diverse talent - they're driving better security outcomes. Through personal journeys and practical strategies, learn how to create breakthrough moments for others and build stronger, more effective cybersecurity programs.

    Key Takeaways

    Explore proven strategies for breaking through barriers and creating breakthrough moments in cybersecurity leadership

    Learn actionable allyship and sponsorship techniques that drive career advancement and team performance

    Understand how inclusive leadership visibility transforms team dynamics and delivers measurable security outcomes

    Gain practical tools you can implement immediately to champion inclusive leadership in your organization
13:20
  1. Diversity and Skills
    30 mins

    Whilst low-hanging terms like “master/slave” and “black/whitelist” are no longer as embedded in system architecture and team vocabulary, Franky Biles explores how your organisation can go further. By overturning legacy terminology, coding conventions, and everyday expressions in tech and cyber that perpetuate exclusion and bias in security design and recruitment, you'll leave with actionable insights to help build a more inclusive digital future.

    Have you ever giggled at ‘Penetration Testing’? Got a graphic sense of ‘male to female’ ports? How might you rephrase ‘Terminated User’ or ‘Repeat Offender’ so your colleagues become a stronger line of defence? And just how would you ‘kill two birds with one stone’?

14:00
  1. Diversity and Skills
    30 mins
    This session looks ahead to the future of cyber talent. What are the next challenges—and opportunities—for making cybersecurity a truly inclusive and skilled profession? Industry leaders weigh in on the road ahead.

    Key Takeaways:

    Anticipate future talent needs in cyber

    Learn how to scale inclusive practices

    Explore collaborative solutions for long-term diversity
14:40
  1. Diversity and Skills
    30 mins

    One of the world leading researchers on anonymisation (and related topics of Statistical Disclosure Control and data synthesis) discusses whether the concept and methods of anonymisation still have a role to play in the world including AI. He discusses his 2014 prediction that Anonymisation would cease to be useful within 15 years whether this looks likely to be true and if so, what do we need to do instead?

    Key Takeaways:

    • What is anonymisation?
    • Is it dead or about to die?
    • What do we need to do instead?
15:20
  1. Diversity and Skills
    30 mins
    Mental health is a critical part of cyber resilience. This session explores how stress, burnout, and isolation affect cybersecurity professionals—and what employers can do to build psychologically safe, supportive work environments.

    Key Takeaways:

    Recognise wellbeing risks in high-pressure cyber roles

    Learn strategies to support mental health in the workplace

    Understand the ROI of wellbeing on performance
16:00
  1. Diversity and Skills
    30 mins

    Most professionals are underpaid, overperforming, and quietly hoping someone will notice. According to Yota Trom, that’s not a strategy—it’s a trap.

    In this fireside chat, Yota shares the exact system she’s used to help over 500 professionals—from individual contributors to senior executives—get promoted, negotiate 6- and 7-figure salary increases, and finally speak about their value with confidence.

    Listeners will discover:

    • How to uncover their true market value (and back it up with data)
    • A step-by-step approach to asking for a raise or promotion—without the cringe
    • How to build visibility with personal branding that feels authentic, not salesy

    Packed with real stories, scripts, and mindset shifts, this conversation goes far beyond typical career advice. Whether you’re early in your career or already leading teams, Yota’s insights are a wake-up call, a confidence boost, and a practical guide to owning your ambition and asking for what you deserve.

    Get ready to stop waiting for recognition—and start getting it.

16:40
  1. Diversity and Skills
    30 mins
    In high-stakes security environments, cybersecurity teams require inclusive leadership for effective decision-making and team resilience. This session explores how inclusive leaders navigate the personnel challenges in the cyber landscape: building trust during security incidents, exploring diverse perspectives for stronger threat detection, and creating teams where everyone can contribute their best work when it matters most. Learn why inclusive leadership strategies strengthen both your security posture and your people.
11:05
  1. Diversity and Skills
    30 mins
    • Overview – Evolving Threat Landscape
    • Why Ai skills matter
    • Where will Ai in cybersecurity take us in the next 10 years
    • why Ethical Hacking and pen testing need Ai skills today
    • how EC-Council helps to enhance Ai skills,
    • Why continuous learning in Cybersecurity and Ai is important.
11:40
  1. Diversity and Skills
    45 mins

    As cyber threats grow in scale and sophistication—driven by automation, geopolitical tensions, and evolving attacker tradecraft—resilience strategies must keep pace. This panel brings together leaders in national infrastructure, cyber defence, and policy to explore how organizations are adapting to a threat landscape where disruption, not just data theft, is the goal.
    The discussion will move beyond AI hype to focus on practical resilience measures, including dynamic risk response, Zero Trust integration, and intelligence-led defence. Drawing on current and emerging frameworks and regulations like NIST CSF The Cyber Resilience Act, panellists will share real-world insights into defending critical systems under sustained and advanced attack conditions.

12:30
  1. Diversity and Skills
    30 mins

    Building inclusive pathways into cyber requires intentional design — from outreach to executive development. This session explores how to attract and grow diverse talent without relying on outdated models.
    Key Takeaways:

    Create frictionless entry for untapped talent

    Promote equity in career progression

    Align hiring with long-term capability

    Enhace your USPs

13:10
  1. Diversity and Skills
    30 mins
    Cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the UK, yet women remain significantly underrepresented across all levels. This panel explores the ongoing challenges that deter women and young girls from pursuing careers in cyber, as well as gaining insights from our speakers who have progressed within the cybersecurity industry and how they entered the industry. We'll highlight practical initiatives, partnerships, and outreach programmes that are inspiring the next generation of female cyber professionals, and discuss what more industry, educators, and government can do to build a more inclusive cyber workforce
13:50
  1. Diversity and Skills
    30 mins
    The global shortage of cybersecurity professionals is one of the most pressing risks facing organisations today. While the threat landscape grows ever more complex, many businesses struggle to recruit and retain the skilled talent needed to protect their systems and data.

    This talk will explore how UK businesses can turn the challenge into an opportunity by leveraging the Government Apprenticeship Levy to fund the training and development of the next generation of cybersecurity experts.
     
14:30
  1. Diversity and Skills
    30 mins

    At today’s crawl, cyber won’t hit parity until 2075, while we face a 4.8 M‑person talent gap and teams with 30 % women see 40 % fewer breaches. Yet just 17 % of CISOs are female.

    Ukraine’s Fast‑Track Proof: War drafted the men; thousands of women pivoted into cyber and tech roles in months, showing parity can happen at warp speed when survival demands it.

    Session Promise: In 30 minutes, we’ll torch the “slow progress” myth, steal Ukraine’s playbook, and slash 50 years to five.

    Key Takeaways

    Data > Diversity Talk: Use stats to win board buy‑in.

    Mid‑Career Hinge: Sponsor & retain women where the pipeline leaks worst.

    Live‑Fire Training Hack: Practical, real-world education (Ukraine‑style) to upskill twice as fast.

15:10
  1. Diversity and Skills
    30 mins

    Here’s the hard truth: doing great work is no longer enough.

    If people don’t see your impact, they can’t benefit from it.

    Yet most professionals still shy away from personal branding , thinking it’s about bragging, self-promotion, or being “louder” than everyone else.

    That misconception doesn’t just stall careers, it silences leaders and it robs workplaces of the authentic role models they need.

    In this talk, I’ll show you why personal branding is the skill every professional needs, whether you’re just starting out or already leading at the top. You’ll discover:

    • Why visibility is now as important as performance
    • The mindset shift that makes branding authentic, not cringey
    • Practical tools to uncover your unique value and communicate it with confidence
    • How investing in your brand translates directly into promotions, pay rises, and accelerated career growth

    This isn’t about turning yourself into something you’re not. It’s about making sure others see the full value of what you already bring — and amplifying your ability to lead, influence, and open doors for yourself and others.

    If you want to future-proof your career and your leadership impact, this is a session you won’t want to miss.