Lisa Ventura - Cybersecurity, Autism & Women in the industry

Welcome to the latest episode of the ZeroHour Podcast and I’m your host Karl Sharman. Today we are joined by Lisa Ventura. Lisa is an inspiring woman in the industry of cybersecurity and was recently in the top 50 women of influence. Currently the CEO and Founder the Cybersecurity Association, Lisa has been through a lot of great and testing experiences in her life including autism. We run through her rollercoaster story till 2019 where she was the winner of “Cybersecurity Personality of the Year” at the Cyber Security Awards. Key Minutes 1:10 Lisa’s Italian heritage 2:45 Education in writing 4:30 Managing Chris Tarrant 7:20 Practising your negotiating 10:00 when did you first hear about cyber security? 11:50 your first role in the industry 14:58 Going through a divorce & multiple losses but still keep on track 18:00 getting diagnosed with autism 19:05 Moving past the mountains 21:50 managing your time in a challenging time 24:32 Focusing on cybersecurity within SME 26:20 Working for yourself within cyber security 28:15 Why is there momentum towards getting women in security? 31:15 how will publications, events and book help inclusion? 32:40 what can we do to help recruit more women? 34:28 what real initiatives can company do to enhance more women into security? 35:20 what one area would you focus on to improve participation? 36:20 Lisa’s new book 38:25 Getting diagnosed with Autism 42:40 Approaching social situations with autism 44:00 How should people change their approach to hiring when considering autism? 45:10 Linking autism to women in security through promotion 45:55 Not looking too far ahead 49:15 Quickfire questions Key Findings - More women need to come forward to share positive experiences to help get others into the industry - There is still such a head in the sand approach to cybersecurity - Getting the diagnosis of autism helped Lisa to handle her previous loss and challenges. You can find Lisa at: Personal Website: www.lisaventura.co.uk Company Website: https://cybersecurityassociation.co.uk Blog: www.cybergeekgirl.co.uk Lisa is also available at Twitter and LinkedIn Follow us: Twitter: @zero_hourpod Instagram: @zerohourexperience Website: www.beechermadden.com This podcast is sponsored by: BeecherMadden - www.beechermadden.com Cyber Security Professionals - www.cybersecurity-professionals.com