Building Women in Cybersecurity This International Women’s Day
by Hilda Perez, CIO, Co-Founder & Board Director//2 min read/
Originally published by InsightJam.com
Since co-founding Brinqa 17 years ago, the biggest lesson I have been taught is that talent is the hardest asset to build and the easiest to lose. In the early days of starting a business, every hire shapes not only the product but the culture and long-term trajectory of the organization. In the cybersecurity industry particularly, an industry-wide challenge has been made clear: cybersecurity is not struggling to bring women into the field nearly as much as it is struggling to keep them.
Women represent roughly 22% of the security workforce, and only 7% of them are in senior roles. The drop off happens mid-career, just as experience should be launching women into leadership roles, not shutting them out. From a business perspective, that is more than a representation gap. It is a loss of expertise at a time when the industry can least afford it.
The strongest security organizations understand that capability grows with time, trust, and opportunity. Retaining experienced talent through clear career paths, mentorship and flexibility is not about optics. It is about building stronger and more resilient teams, with the products to match. Cybersecurity does not lack capable women, it needs to do a better job ensuring they stay long enough to lead.
- Hilda Perez, President and Founder of Brinqa