On International Women’s Day Only 10% Of Top Executives Were Female

International cyber security firms often do not appoint women to senior executive and managerial positions. Only 10% of board positions and 16% of management positions within the world's leading cyber security companies are held by women. 

Industry specialist PR agency Eskenzi  has analysed the websites of 138 leading cyber firms and found that women hold just 10 per cent of board positions and 16 per cent of management positions. Out of 609 board positions, only 60 were women, while out of 1700 management positions only 271 were women.

An earlier study Conducted by the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE), the report  ‘Closing the Engineering Gender Pay Gap’ shows that just 12 per cent of engineers in the UK are women and they earn around 11 per cent less on average than their male counterparts. The Eskenzi study also looked at the types of management roles women hold within cyber security organisations and it revealed that the majority hold senior roles in either marketing or HR. The RAE study concluded that the engineering profession had a similar problem, with women often “unrepresented at the highest levels”.

There were only eight female CEO positions held and only one security company has an entirely female management team, compared to 19 companies that have entirely male management teams.

The study also looked at the types of management roles women hold within cyber-security organisations and it revealed that the majority hold senior roles in either marketing or HR. There were only eight female CEO positions held and only one security company has an entirely female management team, compared to 19 companies that have entirely male management teams. 

Eskenzi PR founder Yvonne Eskenzi called for more women “in driving seats” and urged companies to make a conscious effort to recruit more women. “The challenges facing our society related to cyber-security threats are pervasive and will only get worse,” said Vanessa Pegueros, CSO at OneLogin. "We need talent not just from 50 per cent of the population (men), we need talent from 100 per cent of the population to tackle these complex problems." she said.

Men and women bring a different perspectives to cyber security and having a diverse mix of not just both but all genders is hugely important if you’re going to run your organisation sensibly. The UK is currently facing a severe skills shortage of engineers and it is estimated that an additional 59,000 will need to be added to the workforce every year to meet the growing demand.

Recruitment in cyber security has thrived in 2020 and according to a new global report from 'human layer' security company Tessian called 'Opportunities in Cybersecurity 2021', 94% of women in cyber security hired new staff members in 2020 to support their teams, with IT, finance and healthcare industries making the most hires. Nearly half (49%) of women cyber security professionals in the US and UK said Covid-19 had a positive impact on their career, with just 9% saying the pandemic negatively impacted their job. In addition, 89% of women working in cyber security said they feel secure in their jobs. 

There is much work to be done to encourage more women to join this thriving industry and change perceptions of the industry among potential female executives.  

Tessian:     SecurityOnScreen:   ESKENZI:    E&T:    ITSecurityGuru:      Forbes:     Image: Unpslash

You Might Also Read:

Five Reasons Why Women Should Consider A Career In Cyber Security:

 

« British Schools & Universities Suffer Attacks
Hacker Forums Hacked »

Infosecurity Europe
CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

Directory of Cyber Security Suppliers

Directory of Cyber Security Suppliers

Our Supplier Directory lists 7,000+ specialist cyber security service providers in 128 countries worldwide. IS YOUR ORGANISATION LISTED?

Infosecurity Europe, 3-5 June 2025, ExCel London

Infosecurity Europe, 3-5 June 2025, ExCel London

This year, Infosecurity Europe marks 30 years of bringing the global cybersecurity community together to further our joint mission of Building a Safer Cyber World.

MIRACL

MIRACL

MIRACL provides the world’s only single step Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) which can replace passwords on 100% of mobiles, desktops or even Smart TVs.

IT Governance

IT Governance

IT Governance is a leading global provider of information security solutions. Download our free guide and find out how ISO 27001 can help protect your organisation's information.

ZenGRC

ZenGRC

ZenGRC (formerly Reciprocity) is a leader in the GRC SaaS landscape, offering robust and intuitive products designed to make compliance straightforward and efficient.

ISACA

ISACA

ISACA is a global professional association and learning organization for members who work in information security, governance, assurance, rissk and privacy.

DLA Piper

DLA Piper

DLA Piper is a global law firm with offices throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. Practice areas include Cybersecurity.

BruCERT

BruCERT

BruCERT is the referral agency for dealing with computer-related and internet-related security incidents in Brunei Darussalam.

CSA Events

CSA Events

Cloud Security Alliance conducts a series of conferences around the world. This listing provides a link to details of upcoming events.

TUV Sud

TUV Sud

TÜV SÜD is a leading technical service organisation. We specialize in testing, certification, auditing, training, and advisory services for different industries.

Centre for Cyber Security (CFCS) - Denmark

Centre for Cyber Security (CFCS) - Denmark

The Centre for Cyber Security is the Danish national IT security authority, Network Security Service and Centre for Excellence within cyber security.

CSIRT-IE

CSIRT-IE

CSIRT-IE is the body within the NCSC that provides assistance to constituents in responding to cyber security incidents at a national level for Ireland.

Datec PNG

Datec PNG

Datec is the the largest end-to-end information and communications technology solutions and services provider in Papua New Guinea.

Cyber Security Africa

Cyber Security Africa

Cyber Security Africa is a full-service Information Security Consulting firm offering a comprehensive range of Services and Products to help organizations protect their valuable assets.

Cloudsine

Cloudsine

Cloudsine (formerly Banff Cyber Technologies) is a cloud technology company specializing in cloud adoption, security and innovation.

Clarabot Nano

Clarabot Nano

Nano is the secure file sharing tool to improve content search, data access and collaboration between multiple parties.

ITC Federal

ITC Federal

ITC Federal delivers IT cybersecurity assessment services to support agencies in meeting their security strategies and federal security compliance goals.

Salus Cyber

Salus Cyber

Salus is a provider of world-class cyber security services, enabling our clients to identify and manage their cyber risks proactively and effectively.

Rescana

Rescana

Rescana offers a cyber risk management platform with the vision to remove the security team bottlenecks, accelerating business processes that require risk assessment.

Barrier Networks

Barrier Networks

Barrier Networks are a Cyber Security Managed Service Provider that specialises in Network and Application security.

Gathid

Gathid

Gathid is a unique and versatile identity governance platform providing organizations with the ability to model, explore, audit, and track complex access-related scenarios.