Eskenzi PR, organisers of The Most Inspiring Women in Cyber Awards, are proud to announce the theme of this year’s event panel discussion: Keeping DEI on the agenda: progressing, not regressing. The panel topic, informed by ideas submitted by nominators, will be discussed at the event to be held at The BT Tower, London, on Wednesday 26th February 2025.
This year’s event is sponsored by KnowBe4, BT, Bridewell, Mimecast, Varonis, Pentest-Tools and AI Dionic.
In 2025, aided by a turbulent global political climate, DEI initiatives are under threat from falling off the agenda. This could prove very regressive for under-represented talent, especially in industries like cybersecurity, where diversity is already a significant issue. So, how can we keep the conversation going forward without necessarily having the policy in place to back it? And how can we make sure organisations don’t regress in their attitudes to diverse hiring? These are the questions the industry leading panellists will be discussing.
In 2025, The Most Inspiring Women in Cyber Awards expanded its partnerships with industry leading community groups, including WiCyS UK&I Affiliate, CyBlack, WiTCH and InClusive InCyber. Representatives from each of these groups will sit on the panel. Each of these groups bring the unique experiences of their thousands of members to the panel, reflecting the state of the industry from those who experience it first hand.
This year’s panel will be moderated by Yvonne Eskenzi, Co-Founder of Eskenzi PR, the cybersecurity PR agency, and will include speakers, such as:
- Dr.Iretioluwa Akerele, Founder of CyBlack (and 2024 winner)
- Aymun Lashari, Community Manager at LT Harper, who run the popular InClusive InCyber initiative
- Illyana Muillins, Founder of WiTCH (2022 ‘One to Watch’ and 2024 winner)
- Danu Sivapalan, Senior Product Manager, Identity & Access Management, at Sainsbury’s, and Head of Partnerships at WiCyS UK&I Affiliate
- Dr. Runli Guo, Founder and CEO of AI Dionic, who are sponsoring this year’s awards,
As well as discussing DEI, the panel members will also talk about their own experiences in the industry, as well as their career journey so far.
Dr. Runli Guo, Founder and CEO of AI Dionic, said: “As a CEO & Founder who has worked in Cybersecurity for over a decade and half, my journey has taken me from a security analyst to a Global Head of Cybersecurity role in a Fortune 500 company and 2 subsequent CISO roles. Sponsoring this event is a great opportunity to give back, to share my journey and also to provide support and encouragement to others. I believe that increasing the visibility of women in cybersecurity, as well as women in tech, provides essential role models for girls and young women, encouraging them to pursue careers in the field.”
The Most Inspiring Women in Cyber Awards received over 250 nominations this year, the highest number of nominations since its first year in 2020. The winners of the awards will be revealed at a ceremony on Wednesday 26th February 2025 at The BT Tower, London.
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