‘Evolution, Inclusion and Belonging: The barriers for women in tech and how to foster inclusivity.’ with Diane Abela

In this episode, I speak to CISO at Accurx Diane Abela about her experiences as a woman in cybersecurity - this is an open and frank discussion as well as being solutions-driven. We also chat about the evolving role of the CISO, the increasing demands it presents and how self-management is the key to success. Diane is a Chief Information Security Officer of a health technology organisation, with over 10 years of experience working in the information security space. She has spent the past 6 years building and leading information security, and more recently data protection functions, for engineering-first organisations. Diane is a big believer that information security and data protection, or what she calls Digital Trust, are enablers of the business. As consumers are demanding that their data is protected and their privacy respected, companies taking these areas seriously will definitely reap positive benefits through their customers’ trust. Within the space of health tech, Diane believes that digital trust can take this positive a step further as it can enable more equitable and accessible care through the increased sharing of data that is foundational to health research, decisions and care. Working in tech for most of her career, Diane is used to operating in environments where women were in the vast minority. She acknowledges, through first hand experience, the challenges and impact that inequality, gender discrimination and sexual harassment can have on ones professional journey and life. As such she seeks to champion women in cyber security through speaking up; representation; mentoring and through always seeking to challenge the status quo.