Joining a female-only association can provide crucial support for women in cybersecurity as they provide opportunities for networking, mentorship, career development, advocacy, and access to resources. These groups can also help female cyber workers build confidence and develop leadership skills while sharing their experiences.
These associations also serve as platforms for women to support and empower each other in the male-dominated field of cybersecurity.
“In a November 2023 report, ISC2 revealed that women currently make up just 24% of the cybersecurity workforce, with lower percentages represented in some parts of the world,” says Debby Briggs, CSO at Netscout. “Being a part of women-focused cybersecurity groups and associations is meaningful to me, as I feel empowered to make a significant impact on female representation in the industry.”
Here are eight associations women in cybersecurity can go to connect, engage, and inspire each other.
Executive Women’s Forum
Founded in 2002 by Joyce Brocaglia, managing director and global practice leader, cybersecurity at Alta Associates, the Executive Women’s Forum (EWF) aims to help women advance their careers, build their businesses, and create better workplaces in information security, IT risk management, and privacy.
“I would consider us the premier membership organization focused solely on building women leaders at every stage of their careers,” Brocaglia says. “For the past 21 years, we’ve engaged more than 20,000 women from nearly every Fortune 100 company. The current active members are a few thousand but that number changes constantly.”
The EWF offers members a number of thought leadership programs to help them build their knowledge as well as their networks, she says.
“There’s also an amazing online community that these women are part of, and their companies host regional meetings all throughout the United States,” Brocaglia says. “We already have a presence in India and this year we will be moving into Europe.”
Negar Farjadnia, the cybersecurity solution area lead for Avanade in Canada, has been a member of the Executive Womenâs Forum for about two years.
“EWF stands out to me as the go-to group for women like myself who work in security, risk management, and privacy — fields traditionally dominated by men,” she says. “Iâve found EWF to be an incredibly supportive community where women in my field can connect and help each other grow regardless of what stage weâre at in our careers.”
Farjadnia says she’s also been able to benefit from numerous resources and support through such activities as mentorship, conferences, educational opportunities, and local events.
“I have found that this platform serves as an excellent forum for fostering both professional and personal development, and it has allowed me to further develop skills needed to serve as a mentor to newer cybersecurity professionals and other women who are embarking on their careers in cybersecurity,” she adds.
Holly Ridgeway, CSO for Citizens Bank, has been a member of the EWF since 2008.
“The Executive Womenâs Forum is a fantastic group for women in information security, IT risk management, and privacy to belong to,” she says. “The EWF provides a truly supportive environment to engage with other women in cybersecurity and form trusted relationships that can help you achieve your professional goals. This was the case for me.”
Ridgeway joined the EWF around eight years ago when she was working at the US Department of Justice. At that time, there was a limited number of women working in the cybersecurity field.
“The EWF gave me a place where I could get advice, find mentorship, and be able to discuss issues that were unique to women in this field,” she says. “This proved to be valuable and helped me break the glass ceiling as a woman in cybersecurity and grow my career. Now, I am in a place where I can pay it forward and support women in cyber, which is very important to me.”
Cost to join: Annual individual membership, $1,250.
FirstBoard.io
FirstBoard.io bills itself as a “curated collective of female tech founders, CXOs, and operating leaders working together to increase female representation on company boards” in a variety of industries, including cybersecurity, cloud, enterprise software, artificial intelligence, robotics, and internet of things.
Founded in 2020 by Rita Scroggin, an executive search partner, this organization aims to boost the representation of female technology leaders on the private and public boards of startups to post-IPO companies to help them perform better and enhance shareholder value.
In addition, FirstBoard.io advocates for gender-balanced boards and works to connect qualified, experienced leaders with organizations that understand the benefits of having women on their boards.
âAs an executive of an organization on the bleeding edge of cloud-native security, Iâm always searching for opportunities to connect with other female leaders in the space,” says Karen Walker, CFO at cloud cybersecurity company Sysdig. “I recently joined Firstboard.io, a curated collective of accomplished female executives who have experience in technology, operations, and company scaling and are ready to be placed on boards. Many of the Firstboard.io members have worked in cybersecurity, and some are CTOs, CIOs, and CISOs.”
Cost to join: FirstBoard.io doesn’t charge a membership fee. Rather, FirstBoard.io only recruits board-ready members and expects them to actively contribute to the organization’s mission in various ways from day one.
WOMCY, Latam Women in Cybersecurity
WOMCY, or Latam Women in Cybersecurity, was established in 2019 as a non-profit organization by cybersecurity professional Leticia Gammill. The goal of the organization is “to minimize the knowledge gap and increase the talent pool in cybersecurity.”
“I started WOMCY because there was a lack of suitable [non-governmental organizations] in Latin America dedicated to empowering women in cybersecurity,” Gammill says. “Faced with the challenge of finding an appropriate organization [where I could] volunteer my time and cybersecurity expertise in 2019, I took the initiative to create WOMCY and address this gap.”
The organization’s primary objective is to empower women to enter the cybersecurity field across Latin America, promoting diversity and inclusivity to close the cybersecurity gap, she says. Operating through three key programs — education, corporate, and talent — WOMCY provides training, networking opportunities, and career development to its members. WOMCY currently has 1,575 members from 25 countries, 95% in Latin America.
“For the last four years, WOMCY is also the organization responsible for creating and executing Top Women in Cybersecurity, Latin America, awarding the top 25 cybersecurity professionals in the region,” Gammill says. “This prestigious award has helped elevate and recognize prominent women in cybersecurity who have advanced the industry and shaped the path for future generations of professionals among other vital contributions.”
Cost to join: Students, free with a minimum donation of at least $1; CyberMaster, $25 annually; CyberNinja, $50 annually. Each level offers different member benefits.
BlackGirlsHack
Founded in 2019 by Tennisha Martin, who is also the group’s executive director, BlackGirlsHack is a training-focused organization created to help increase diversity in cybersecurity. The organization aims to help close the gap between what’s taught in educational institutions and what’s necessary for careers in cybersecurity.
The organization represents the industry as it wants it to be by being inclusive and reflective of its community. The vision of BlackGirlsHack is to create a diverse and inclusive cyber industry where Black women are represented in technical, leadership, and executive roles. However, despite its name members don’t have to be Black or women to join.
“We provide hands-on training, training programs, mentoring, resume review, study groups, and opportunities to attend conferences,” Martin says. “BGH Foundation (our legal name), which includes BlackMenHack and We Got Next Cyber (9th through 12th grade students). is working to help increase representation in the pipeline to employment in cybersecurity. We also have a conference called SquadCon each year to highlight the research and work of underrepresented communities within cybersecurity.”
Cost to join: $49 annually for a full membership.
Women in Cybersecurity
Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) was founded in 2013 by Ambareen Siraj through a National Science Foundation grant awarded to Tennessee Tech University.
A nonprofit organization, WiCyS aims to recruit, retain, and advance women in the cybersecurity field. The association provides networking opportunities, mentorship programs, and resources for professional development to support and empower women in the industry.
Since 2012, WiCyS has grown to become a global community with chapters in several countries. WiCyS also hosts an annual conference for women in cybersecurity to connect, learn, and share their experiences. The organization strives to increase diversity and inclusion in the cybersecurity field and promote equal opportunities for everyone.
“I have been a mentor for WiCyS throughout my time in tech because I think it’s extremely important that women are represented in the field,” says BlackGirlsHack’s Martin. “I have been a member in the past and am a supporter of this organization.”
Netscout’s Brigg is also a member of WiCyS.
“This organization focuses on recruiting and retaining women in cybersecurity careers to build a robust, diverse workforce,” she says. “I regularly participate in local events, webinars, mentorship, and networking programs, which allows me to network with seasoned veterans of the industry and those eager to start their careers.”
Cost to join: $20-$95 annually.
Chief
Chief was founded in 2019 by Lindsay Kaplan and Carolyn Childers to connect and support women executives. The organization welcomes leaders who identify as women, transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming. Chief’s leadership vets applicants for executive seniority to ensure its members can get support from true peers.
Chiefâs network of senior executive women represents 10,000 companies. Seventy-seven percent of Fortune 100 companies have an executive in Chief, and 40% of Chief members are in their companies’ C-suites. Chief was recognized as one of TIMEâs 100 Most Influential Companies in 2023.
“Chief is the private network that executive women rely on to maximize their leadership impact through access to a vetted executive community and valuable insights,” says Avani Desai, CEO of cybersecurity compliance firm Schellman. “I enjoy and take pride in being a member of Chief because of the value and connections it offers women, including expansive opportunities to network with other driven, intelligent, and motivated women. [Chief has] commitments to diversity and inclusion and are redefining what power should look like in corporate America.”
Cost to join: Annual fees range from $5,800 to $10,900, depending on the level an individual selects.
Australia Women in Security Network
Started in 2014 by Jacqui Loustau, the Australia Women in Security Network (AWSN) is a not-for-profit association and network of people whose goal is to educate women and girls living in Australia on security and increase the number of women in the security community.
“I started the informal group in 2014, when I came back to Australia after 14 years working in cybersecurity in Europe,” says Loustau, who is also the groupâs executive director. “I walked into my first security event and was shocked to be the only woman in the room.”
After realizing that there was only one other woman at the event, Loustau decided it was time to gather women together for informal breakfasts/lunches to connect them to one another and build a strong support network.
Currently, the AWSN has 2,817 members across Australia, with chapters in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Tasmania, and soon the Sunshine Coast.
“We have put more 1300 professionals through AWSN programs in the last three years,” Loustau says. “We have programs targeted at every stage of our members’ career journeys, including mentoring, leadership, technical skills and more.”
Cost to join: Individual security professionals, $66.
Breaking Barriers Women in Cybersecurity
The Breaking Barriers Women in Cybersecurity (BBWIC) Foundation began as a Lean-In Circle that was founded in January 2021 by Aastha Sahni to bring together women aspiring to enter the field of cybersecurity. The circle aimed to facilitate networking, plan educational sessions, organize training, and strategize leadership development.
“Within six months, the circle experienced an overwhelming response, leading to a doubling of its membership,” Sahni says. “Recognizing the potential impact, I took the initiative to formally register us as an official non-profit organization under the Canadian Not-For-Profit Act in October 2021. Our community, now global, spans members from various parts of the world.”
The community has evolved into a supportive network for new immigrants to the US and Canada as well as a trusted circle for women worldwide.
“Our overarching objective is to promote leadership development and raise awareness among women and students about abundant opportunities for upskilling, conferences, job interviews, visa processes, scholarships, and career growth,” Sahni says. “We provide a safe space for sharing challenges, with a focus on overall personality development.”
Cost to join: Free.