Defending the Future: Women in Cyber

Our third national conference showcasing and celebrating the work of women in the cyber security sector.

Following the success of Securing the Future: Women in Cyber in 2024 and Resilient Futures: Women in Cyber in 2025, we are delighted to be hosting our third national cyber security conference for women and allies on 23rd March at the ICC Wales. The event will celebrate the work that women are doing in the sector, showcasing their talent across a breadth of different roles and demonstrating the importance of an inclusive workforce. Sessions will include current cyber security threats and challenges, skills development, growing your network, and an interactive cyber security activity, suitable for all levels.

There will be presentations from women working across different industries, talking about a range of subjects - further details will be released over the coming weeks. In addition, there will be opportunities to meet with a variety of organisations from across the UK including industry, government funded bodies and training providers.

We really hope you will join us for what is shaping up to be an exciting and inspiring day of talks, activities and networking.

Agenda

  • The international perspective, A Senior Representative from the NCSC
  • Security by Design, Millie Zah, BT
  • Crypt-Key Solutions, Home and Away, Kelly Davies, Airbus
  • Working together to build resilience, Steph Perry, Babcock
  • Panel - the wider side of cyber
  • UK Government, Cyber Action Plan, Bella Powell, Cabinet Office
  • BIAS, is it really all that bad? Sarah Bailey, Admiral
  • Innovate UK, Nuala Kilmartin
  • Panel - Building your community
  • Closing Keynote

Sponsors

We are hugely grateful to our generous sponsors, without whom this event would not be possible. They include Admiral and Airbus Defence and Space (Platinum), Wales Cyber Innovation Hub (Gold) and BT and Kocho (Silver). We still have space for one or two more, so if you are interested in supporting this important and highly regarded event, please get in touch at hello@womenincyber.wales

We are also supported by ADS and ITSUS Consulting, and a number of individuals who have kindly donated their time and knowledge to help shape the programme.

Tickets

Early bird tickets are available for £30 each, and once these have all been sold, there will be the option to purchase a full price ticket. Alongside these General Admission tickets, there is the option to Buy one Donate one, giving you the option of paying for two tickets and releasing one of those to someone who cannot buy one. For those that would like a donated ticket, please add your name to the Free Ticket waitlist and if a ticket becomes available you will be sent details of how to register.

If you are a public sector worker and would like to attend but cannot release the funds, please get it touch with us on hello@womenincyber.wales

About Women in Cyber Unlimited

Women in Cyber Unlimited started life as Women in Cyber Wales and is part of Cyber Wales and UKC3. Our meetings provide a valuable way for women working, or hoping to work, in the cyber industry to meet and support each other. Many of our events are hybrid, and you don't have to live or work in Wales to attend. We also send our regular mailings on items of interest such as training opportunities, jobs, CTFs, funding and much more.

https://www.womenincyber.wales

By signing up for this event you consent to your details being added to our database in order to receive information about future meetings.

This event is hosted by Dr Clare Johnson, Founder of Women in Cyber Unlimited and Cyber Capability Lead at ITSUS Consulting.

We'll be showing our sponsors here shortly

by Ben Oliver

Shaping a Healthier Cyber Security Industry

Talk Title: Shaping a Healthier Cyber Security Industry: Embracing Wellness and Good Mental Health

Synopsis: In the high-pressure world of cyber security, professionals are tasked with protecting organisations from ever-increasing and more sophisticated cyber threats. The constant vigilance, stress, and high stakes can take a serious toll on mental health and overall well-being.

This talk from Andrew Shaw and Lisa Ventura MBE explores the intersection of cyber security and mental health, highlighting the need for a healthier work environment that prioritises wellness alongside security. Through embracing mental health initiatives, reducing burnout, and promoting a culture of support, the cyber security industry can become more resilient and effective.

Lisa and Andrew will also share their stories and give an overview of their personal experiences with mental health, stress, and burnout, and will also share some useful resources including a tool called R;pple (created by Alice Hendy), which has saved lives and why it is essential at universities and in the workplace.

Key Takeaways:

  1. The Impact of Stress on Cyber Security Professionals: The talk will look at how the unique demands of cyber security—such as the 24/7 nature of the job, rapid response to threats, and high responsibility—can lead to chronic stress, anxiety, and burnout. Understanding these challenges is essential for addressing the mental health crisis in the industry.
  2. Promoting a Culture of Mental Wellness: Creating an industry-wide shift towards supporting mental health is crucial. This includes normalising conversations about mental health, providing access to wellness resources, and integrating mindfulness and stress management into the workplace.
  3. Preventing Burnout through Work-Life Balance: The importance of maintaining a work-life balance to prevent burnout will be covered, emphasising flexible work hours, realistic workloads, and encouraging time off to recharge. Strategies to create sustainable work environments that prioritise employee well-being will be explored.
  4. The Role of Leadership in Mental Health: Leadership plays a key role in shaping the mental health culture in cyber security. The talk will highlight how leaders can model healthy behaviors, offer support systems, and foster environments where mental health is normalised alongside professional excellence.

This discussion will empower cyber security professionals to not only defend digital systems but also safeguard their own mental health for long-term success.

Speakers

Andrew Shaw

Andrew Shaw is a software tester and is a speaker on a range of different subjects including neurodiversity, mental health, software testing, and career development. He is involved with the British Computer Society (BCS), as a Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the South Yorkshire BCS branch, and writes an online magazine called the Tester, for the BCS Software Testing specialist group, encouraging people from all walks of life to develop careers in testing, as well as tech. Andrew is also passionate about encouraging and promoting mental health awareness, following a family tragedy years ago, and has delivered talks about mental health to help professionals who may be finding things difficult, as well as encouraging organisations to promote a healthy mental health culture and to prevent burnout.

Lisa Ventura MBE – Founder, Cyber Security Unity
Lisa Ventura MBE is an award-winning cyber security specialist, published writer/author, and keynote speaker. She is the Founder of Cyber Security Unity, a global community organisation that is dedicated to bringing individuals and organisations together who actively work in cyber security to help combat the growing cyber threat. As a consultant, Lisa also works with cyber security leadership teams to help them work together more effectively and provides cyber security awareness and culture training, and training on the benefits of hiring those who are neurodivergent. She has specialist knowledge in the human factors of cyber security, cyberpsychology, neurodiversity, and AI in cyber. More information about Lisa can be found at www.lisaventura.co.uk.

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Bristol & Bath Cyber Conference

Cyber Con

The highly anticipated Bristol & Bath Cyber Conference is back for 2023. After connecting the most influential movers and shakers of the South West cyber sector at last year’s conference, we can’t wait to recreate the day with up-to-date industry knowledge.

With a blend of workshops, hackathons, panel debates and 20 industry-leading speakers, this is the region’s largest cyber collective. Bristol & Bath Cyber Con is designed to support people working in the industry and celebrate the most innovative cyber startups.

We believe Cyber conferences should be fun and engaging – and open to all regardless of experience. At the Bristol & Bath Cyber Conference, we will explore the industry through fun social engineering & gamification activities, encouraging everyone to participate through interactive events and real-world challenges.

Once again, Bristol & Bath Cyber Con will also be returning as part of the Bristol Technology Festival, taking place on Wednesday’s Awareness Day. We’ll be bringing together 350 delegates to the Watershed to learn, share and connect on all things cyber.

Whether you’re new to cyber and want to meet more of the community, or you’re an industry veteran looking to burnish your skills, as long as you have a keen interest in cyber, the conference will have something for you.

 

Bristol & Bath Cyber

If you’re in cyber in the South West, hopefully you’ve heard of the Bristol & Bath Cyber Cluster. In case you’re unfamiliar, the Bristol & Bath Cyber Cluster was formed to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and sharing of best practices across the cybersecurity sector in the area, with the objective to develop the ecosystem, promote innovation, and grow cyber skills.

Bristol & Bath Cyber is a not-for-profit community dedicated to connecting, educating, and strengthening the cyber ecosystem in the West of England.

It’s a platform for innovation and collaboration, working with startups, scaleups, and growth businesses, helping to drive economic growth through networking, knowledge exchange, and sharing of best practices. We connect teams across public, private sectors, and academia, and help them thrive through our networks and knowledge.

Bristol & Bath Cyber connects with dozens of companies and teams monthly, highlighting the best of what’s happening in our community and bringing people together through events and programmes.

 

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Cyber Warriors

DIVIDE AND CONQUER!

A strategy that has developed from the physical battlefield to the digital, and what better way to personify this than by learning about the latest hot tech in cyber security inside the castle walls of Core to Cloud. Join us for a hands-on workshop, where you will work as a team and develop battle plans to prevent cyber attacks and protect your most valuable assets from data to people. You’ll gain valuable insights into emerging trends in cyber crime and how to stay vigilant against them.

Featuring innovative solutions for every aspect of your digital defences from endpoint to cloud security, email defences, network segmentation and more.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to strategise with fellow industry experts and experience the majesty of this historic castle. Register now to secure your place at this must-attend event for anyone concerned about cyber resilience. We look forward to seeing you there!

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Cyber Tuesday

We've got two speakers this month:

Mark Peters from Horizon3.ai will give us the lowdown on the new frontiers of pentesting. Think you know everything there is to know about pentesting? How do you do yours: Manual, automated, crowd-sourced, autonomous? Not sure? Find out why Autonomous Pentesting may be your new best friend.

Demand for cybersecurity skills in the workplace is increasing, but the growth of the talent pool is not keeping pace. Your assistance could be crucial in the race to train our future cybersecurity talent.

Cybersecurity superstars; your schools need you! Chris Hotchin is going to explain why you should join him, and the team from the South West CyberFirst Schools Programme, at a CyberFirst Ambassador Recruitment event to support the next generation of cybersecurity experts through the STEM Ambassador programme.

THIS EVENT IS IN BRISTOL - Runway East, Bristol Bridge, BS1 6AA ///maker.metals.acute

Bristol & Bath Cyber Cluster has another fascinating networking event for you

6:00pm - Arrivals and networking

6:30pm - Welcome to Cyber Tuesday

6:35pm - Mark Peters from Horizon3.ai

7:00pm - Chris Hotchin from the CyberFirst Schools South West Programme

7:15pm - Networking and refreshments

8:30pm - Close

 

Sponsored by: Higos - We Love Different

Powered by: techSPARK uk - Dedicated to strengthening the digital cluster in the West

Supported by: Runway East - Great teams need a happy home

Register now!

by Ben Oliver

Cyber Tuesday Winter Networking

THIS EVENT IS IN BRISTOL - Runway East, Bristol Bridge

///feel.seats.buddy

Bristol & Bath Cyber Cluster is hosting another fascinating networking event. We'll be back in Bristol for this event.

 

Our agenda for the event will be one that you’re probably used to if you’ve been to a Bristol & Bath Cyber event before:

 

6:00pm - Arrivals and networking

6:30pm - Welcome Intros and something interesting to spark some conversations

6:45pm - Networking and refreshments

8:30pm - Close

 

Please get in touch if you have any questions - kerrianne@techspark.co

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Cyber Runway Online

Cyber Runway is the UK’s largest cybersecurity accelerator that’s being delivered by Plexal, Deloitte and the Centre for Secure Information Technologies and is backed by DCMS.

From budding entrepreneurs with an idea to growing startups and scaleups that dream big, Cyber Runway fast tracks the growth of innovators.

We’re hosting this online event from Bristol to bring the community closer together and to complement their newly-launched Grow and Scale programmes.

 

Look forward to

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Cereal and Cyber Security- breakfast with the SWCRC

This is a great opportunity over breakfast to learn more about cyber resilience, including a fascinating insight into ethical hacking

About this event

Hi there,

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.

When: Mar 30, 2022 08:15 AM London

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwqdOysrzgrGtTeSLxWskf2T8iHRjOp2hq-

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

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CyberFirst School Launch: Bristol & Bath

This event will provide schools and cybersecurity companies, a chance to hear about the plans for CyberFirst Schools programme in the area.

About this event

TechSpark are delighted to invite you to a CyberFirst Community event.

This short introductory event will provide schools, organisations, and cybersecurity companies in the area, a chance to hear about the plans to take the CyberFirst Schools Programme forward across the South West. It’s a great opportunity to find out how your school or organisation can be part of a collaboration that encourages young people to engage with computer science and the application of cybersecurity in every day technology.

There’s no obligation to sign up to anything at the event, we just want to share some information with you, and let you know how you can become a CyberFirst School, or a Cyber STEM Ambassador.

There will be a team of people ready and willing to answer any questions you have, so please use this as an opportunity network with other schools and organisations in the area, and to let us know what types of opportunities/activities you would like to participate in.

Refreshments will be provided.

If you’d like to know more about the CyberFirst Schools Programmeregister now!

We look forward to seeing you there.

 

Cyber First School Launch: Bristol & Bath image

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Bristol and Bath Cyber - Second Tuesday Cyber Networking

Bristol & Bath Cyber is getting ready to welcome you to our first (of many) in-person events that we are planning for you in 2022!!

Join us on Tuesday 8th March, 6pm, as we launch into the first of this year's monthly Cyber Cluster meetings that we'll be holding on the second Tuesday of the month. We'll confirm the venue shortly!

Our agenda for the event will be one that you’re probably used to if you’ve been to a Bristol & Bath Cyber event before:

6:00pm - Arrivals and networking
6:15pm - Welcome back intros
Panel discussion - Finding the right talent in 2022.
6:45pm - Questions from the audience
7:00pm - Networking
8:00pm - Close

We'e going to be joined by three panel members from local businesses and organisations:

  • Ian Johnson - Associate Head of Department Cyber Security and Business Computing at University of the West of England
  • Miranda Horseman - Director of Client Services at TechTalent Academy
  • A member of the Talent team at Immersive Labs.

The panel will be sharing their thoughts on securing future talent in the cyber sector. We'll uncover the challenges facing cyber businesses in recruiting and retaining staff in 2022. Particularly on the topic of inclusivity and diversity in the workplace, and what attributes should employers be looking for in their new recruits: hard or soft skills?

We'll also give you an update on the Bristol & Bath Cyber Cluster and some information on this year's CyberCon22.

Register now!

** If your company would be interested in sponsoring our monthly Meetups, get in touch. We'd love to hear from you! **

by Michael Harsley