In this session, our Youth Advisory Panel will be exploring how cyber security has become a profession that welcomes people from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and ways of thinking as well as work that still needs to be done to improve representation in some areas.

Our panel will share insights from national research, as well as their personal journeys, discussing what has helped them feel included, and why the profession can be particularly accessible for people from different educational routes, socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities, disabilities and neurodivergent communities.

Topics will include:

What does the latest workforce data tell us about diversity in cyber security?
Why does cyber security attract such a diverse workforce?
What makes cyber security particularly accessible for disabled and neurodivergent professionals?
What examples have panel members experienced of being actively included and supported within the profession?
What barriers still exist?
How can individuals overcome these barriers, and what support is available?
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in cyber security?

Who are our panellists?

Aparajita Parihar – Founder, CrowAgent; Computer Science Student, University of Reading.
Aurelia Brzezowska – Chair, Youth Advisory Panel.
Jana Jhaveri – ACSP, GRC Analyst & Assessor, Assurix.
Rei Surtees – Cyber Associate, CFC.
Shammas Hanif – Security Consultant, Cisco.

This session is designed for students, graduates, career changers and anyone interested in cyber security who wants to understand the opportunities available and hear authentic experiences from early-career professionals.