Ideas for solving the diversity crisis in cyber security


AISA Board member Rebecca Thomas opens Diversity event31 October 2016

Marketing may have been responsible for excluding young girls from careers in technology but could just as easily be the solution to the diversity crisis, according to one of CBA’s female tech leaders. 

Tabitha Bauer, EM Digital Assurance in the Digital Protection Group, told a cross-section of security industry professionals last week to lift the “cloak of cyber security” and tackle the misconception that cyber security is purely technical and an impossible field of work to break into.

Ms Bauer spoke at AISA’s Diversity event hosted by the CBA’s at their Innovation Lab on Oct 18 to address the challenge of promoting diversity in Cyber Security. Bauer emphasised that statistics show that, when it comes to diversity, the biggest challenge Cyber Security faces is encouraging women to enter into the sector.

With women making up 48% of Australia’s overall workforce but only comprising 10% Cyber Security professionals the industry clearly needs to consider how to better attract and retain women. Bauer also emphasised the role marketing and the media has played in influencing women’s perceptions of cyber security and IT in general.

To exemplify this she shared technology marketing ads from the 80s and 90s that almost exclusively targeted male consumers. She postured that this narrow focus discouraged women and young girls from identifying with the bourgeoning computer age thus making it less likely that they would become interested in a career in technology.

Bauer suggested that updating imagery to be more inclusive could encourage more women to become interested and ultimately employed in the industry. Following the keynote a panel discussion, moderated by Martha McKeen, CBA’s Cyber Security Outreach Portfolio Manager, considered how the industry can work to include individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds. 

 The panel included the following diversity champions:

  • Diversity PanelJane Frankland, CEO of KnewStart and a champion for gender diversity in cyber security
  • Miriam Lane, Manager, IT Governance, Risk and Compliance at the Reserve Bank of Australia
  • Jasmin Harvey, Head of Group Cyber Strategy and Governance at Qantas
  • Tabitha Bauer, EM Digital Assurance, CBA
  • Nicola Belton, UNITY Champion, Executive Program Manager, Retail & Wealth, CBA
  • Paul Franklin, Co-Chair of Enable, GM Payment Process Architecture, CBA
  • Stephen Norton, Mosaic Champion, Executive Director International Operations, CBA

The session was well received by attendees and AISA members and strongly set the stage for deeper discussion at the Annual AISA conference. The session was a great demonstration of Digital Protection Group and CBA’s commitment to supporting diversity and inclusion.

Keep an eye out for AISA's next Diversity event planned for early 2017.

Find out more

  • See the details of this past event here
  • Read a wrap from AISA's first Diversity day here