Leading Cyber founders tackle UK cyber sector's biggest challenge

With more women leaving the industry than ever before due to poor management, former reseller chief Annabel Berry, and business partner Danielle Phillips aim to reverse that trend with their new mentoring and leadership platform

Just 17 per cent of the global cybersecurity sector are female, compared with 24 per cent in the Middle East, and a brand-new mentoring and leadership training venture is hoping to boost those numbers, foster stronger connections, and stop people leaving in their droves.

Currently in beta, the Leading Cyber platform is the brainchild of former Sapphire CEO Annabel Berry (pictured, left) and comms consultancy Inside Out MD Danielle Phillips, who met at a cybersecurity event several years ago.

The aim is to build a global mentoring ecosystem of people at all stages of their career, from top-level CEOs, to students looking for their first step on the career ladder. This service, combined with cyber leadership programmes and offsite cohorts, make up the core offerings of Leading Cyber.

A recent CIISec report listed ‘bad or ineffectual management' as a key reason for cybersecurity professionals leaving their jobs, along with poor pay and poor work environments.

"There is a huge challenge in the cybersecurity industry from the perspective of leadership," explains Berry. "Around 82 per cent of managers have no training on how to manage remote or disparate teams, and while some can manage people who are already doing the job, they don't know how to manage someone who is new to the industry. People want the whole workforce to be engaged, but have no idea how to get them engaged. We can help with that.

"But it is not about just sending somebody on a leadership course and ticking some boxes, it is about giving people the skills and development to help them manage new employees and build a more inclusive and diverse workforce," Berry added. "Danielle and I have been working together for several months already delivering leadership cohorts and building our mentorship network to tackle this issue. We can put like-minded people in touch with each other, get them talking and help to drive change in the industry."

But while a key aim is to encourage more women into the cybersecurity industry, the issue is not exclusive to women, Berry said.

"We are looking to support women and career returners, but this is not just a female issue, we want to give all people the skills and confidence to succeed in leadership roles and learn from each other. There are people out there who know how to configure a firewall, but have no idea how to guide their people."

Phillips explained with such a small percentage of women making up the cybersecurity industry in the UK, diversity is a real issue.

"Cybersecurity is a people business and we need to think about how we are bringing people into the sector - we currently have 14,000 UK job vacancies that need filling. Just 17 percent of the industry are female, compare that with the Middle East which is 24 per cent female and you can see what a challenge we are facing to encourage more women into the industry," she said.

"Our mentoring platform really helps put people in touch. Most people don't have a family history of relatives in cybersecurity like they would have done with more traditional jobs, most are coming at it from a newcomer perspective, so we are helping them see the opportunities in the industry. You can't be what you can't see."

To register as a mentor or mentee, find out more here.