AGH University supports active participation of women in cybersecurity

Women4Cyber Poland is a branch of the international Women4Cyber initiative established by the European Cyber Security Organisation, which aims to increase the number of women in the cybersecurity industry by supporting, inspiring, and educating them. Izabela Albrycht, Director of the AGH University Cybersecurity Centre, who first co-created this European initiative and has now initiated the establishment of the Polish branch, highlights that the objective of this endeavour is to bring to life a Polish community of experts, practitioners, and aficionados of the cybersecurity industry, who are involved in promoting the idea of equal opportunities in this important field of knowledge, economy, innovation, and security. During the event, the organisers presented the goals and plans of the Women4Cyber Poland initiative and discussed the issues related to the current situation in the job market in the cybersecurity sector.

The following speakers took the floor to share their experiences during the meeting:

• Dr Joanna Świątkowska – Chief Operating Officer at the European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO), talked about the European dimension of cybersecurity
• Magdalena Rabiej – Engineering Manager at the Krakow Google Office, AGH University alumna, talked about the issues related to software security
• Zuzanna Wieczorek – President of the Board of Tekniska, a company dealing with industrial data transmission; initiator of the CyberTeck Tech Festival
• Professor Marek Kisiel-Dorohinicki – Director of the Institute of Computer Science, talked about the actions taken by the AGH University in supporting the skills necessary to build a secure digital world.

As the initiators of the event emphasised, Women4Cyber Poland is a non-profit initiative supported by the AGH University that belongs to the European Women4Cyber foundation established in 2019 by the European Cyber Security Organisation and based in Brussels.

The primary goals of the initiative include the expansion of Polish digital staff and the development of digital competence, the support and encouragement of women at all career levels to engage in professional, scientific, and research activities in the fields of cybersecurity and new technologies, and the implementation of educational projects. The initiative will soon make its Polish and European debut.