Every hour, 1 000 cyber-attacks occur around the world on the average, most of which are directed against individual users. On the other hand, already since the 1980s, there has been talk of cyber-terrorism, i.e. actions that can be a threat to state defence systems.
On the other hand, in Poland we can clearly see a global trend demonstrated: there is a shortage of cyber security specialists. And among those who are or will be working in this area, there is a constant lack of women. According to data (e.g., The Global Information Security Workforce Study conducted by (ISC)2 and the Centre for Cyber Safety and Education), women account for only 11% of all cybersecurity professionals. We definitely felt the lack of female role models in this area when preparing the Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit 2019.
This situation calls for some decisive action, which is why we want to distinguish, appreciate and, above all, promote women who specialise in various areas of cyber security and inspire the younger generation with outstanding role models, who, after all, are not in such a short supply, even in a field strongly dominated by men. Hence the idea of TOP20 Woman in CyberSecurity in Poland – a list of outstanding Polish women in the field of digital security.
- IZABELA ALBRYCHT, CHAIR OF THE KOŚCIUSZKO INSTITUTE CHAIR OF OC OF EUROPEAN AND POLISH CYBERSEC FORUM
Since 2010 the Chair of the Kościuszko Institute, she specialises in cybersecurity since 2012. She co-created the CYBERSEC brand (an international forum focusing on strategic cybersecurity challenges, the biggest conference about cybersecurity in Poland). Since September 2014 the Chair of Organisational Committee of the European and Polish Cybersecurity Forum – CYBERSEC. One of the creators of Women4Cyber – an initiative connecting European female cybersecurity leaders. - AGNIESZKA BESIEKIERSKA, LAWYER SPECIALISING IN IT AND CYBERSECURITY
She provided comments on the bill on the national cybersecurity system. As a lawyer, she has been advising entrepreneurs and the largest companies in the IT and new technology sector for more than a dozen years, providing support with legal problems related to such things as personal and non-personal data protection, ecommerce and telecommunications law. - IZABELA BŁACHNIO-WOJNOWSKA, GOVERNANCE AND CYBERSECURITY PROGRAM BUREAU DIRECTOR, BNP PARIBAS BANK POLSKA
For more than 15 years she has been involved in information security, ICT security, risk management, business continuity management, and quality management. Currently she has been associated for more than 5 years with BNP Paribas Bank Polska, where as the Director of Governance and CyberSecurity Program Bureau she is responsible, among other things, for information security management, managing and coordinating the Cybersecurity Program based on NIST requirements, managing IT and Security risks. - MAGDA BOROWIK, ADVISOR TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FINANCIAL SUPERVISION AUTHORITY
An expert well-known in the modern financial technology environment (since December 2016, she was responsible for financial technology and blockchain at the Ministry of Digitalisation, and since November 2018, she has served as a plenipotentiary of the Minister of Digitalisation for financial technology – fintech). Currently also a director of the fintech department at the Financial Supervision Authority. Digital transformation strategist, technology researcher and innovation management expert. - OLGA BUDZISZEWSKA, CYBERSECURITY EXPERT, ACCENTURE
An ardent supporter of digital transformation – she has been actively promoting it for over a dozen years. Her professional passion is educating about cyber security – in business, in the public sector, and education sector. She helps companies and organisations in building and developing security systems and specialises in data and information security in cloud computing. In recent months, she has also been actively supporting clients in complying with GDPR requirements. - ANNA CHALUPSKÁ, IT RISK MANAGEMENT AND INFORMATION SECURITY EXPERT, IT AUDITOR
Expert involved in numerous information security and data protection consulting projects as well as IT system audits. In her daily work, she is responsible for verifying the correctness of security and business continuity processes in businesses and advising on improvement of information security management systems through effective risk management and ensuring regulations compliance. Member of the Board of the ISACA Warszawa Association. Member of the Programme Board of the XIII IT Security and Audit Forum – SEMAFOR and member of the Programme Board of the Security PWNing conference. Holds multiple industry certifications, such as: CISM, CISA, CISSP. - PAULA JANUSZKIEWICZ, INTERNATIONAL CYBERSECURITY EXPERT, FOUNDER AND CEO OF CQURE
Outstanding cybersecurity expert, one of two people in Poland in the Microsoft Security Trusted Advisor programme. She shares her knowledge at numerous international conferences (such as BlackHat USA 2019, TechEd North America, TechEd Europe, CyberCrime), where she is often rated as the No. 1 speaker. She received the BusinessWoman of the Year award in 2018 and has her own company, CQure. - JOANNA KARCZEWSKA, IT SYSTEMS AUDITOR
In IT for more than 40 years, currently an active member of ISACA, she also participates in consultations of Polish legal acts on personal data protection, information security, and cyber security. She has worked in state institutions and in Polish and foreign companies. She specialises in audits in the public finance sector. Expert for the Supreme Chamber of Control. Promotes (e.g., at conferences) the participation of women in the area of cybersecurity. - ALEKSANDRA KOPCIUCH, IT PROCESSES SECURITY EXPERT, COMCERT
At ComCERT SA, she is a specialist in IT processes security. An expert in the implementation of information security systems and incident management in the process and organisational dimension. Certified lead auditor in accordance with the ISO/IEC 27001 standard. In cooperation with the Safe Cyberspace Foundation, she comprehensively implements projects in the cyber security area. She is a graduate of the State Defence speciality at the Faculty of Logistics of the Military University of Technology. Her research interests focus on cybersecurity, new technologies, and information operations. She authors publications and articles and has appeared as a speaker at industry conferences. - KLAUDIA KRAWIECKA, SCIENTIST, CHAIR OF WOMEN IN COMPUTER SCIENCE, OXFORD UNIVERSITY
Her master's thesis, “Improving Web Security Using Trusted Hardware”, received in 2017 prestigious accolades, including an award from the Finnish Computer Society (Krawiecka was the first woman to be honoured with this award). Currently a PhD student at the Centre for Doctoral Training in Cyber Security at the University of Oxford. She is a recipient of the Women's Cybersecurity Scholarship and has been the chair of the Oxford Women of Computer Science Society since 2018. - BEATA KULAWIK, CYBER SECURITY MANAGER AT DELOITTE POLSKA
She is currently a cybersecurity manager at Deloitte Poland, having previously worked at, among others, the Royal Bank of Scotland. She has been active in the cybersecurity field for 10 years. She is involved in promoting cybersecurity among women. She gives this advice to girls seeking their path in technology: ‘learn, don't be afraid to ask, look for your area, find a good mentor and have your passions.’ - BEATA LĘGOWICZ, CYBERPROFILER
She has several years of professional experience in the field of information security, gained while working at the Police Headquarters and the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau. She is a graduate of the Faculty of Informatics at the University of Warsaw. She also completed postgraduate studies at the Warsaw School of Economics in the fields of Cybersecurity Management and Internal Audit and Management Control in Public Finance Sector Units. Her areas of interest include white intelligence and social engineering, as well as profiling modern cyber criminals. Currently a security officer at a Polish financial institution. - KATARZYNA MAJEWSKA, MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, CITI HANDLOWY
At Citi Handlowy, as a member of the Board of Directors, she is responsible for operations and technology. She is a passionate advocate of the Polish business being more receptive to women. She speaks about cybersecurity in the context of the financial sector at prestigious conferences (e.g. at the Banking Forum 2019, she participated in a panel entitled ‘Cyber-security – a key risk in the age of digitalisation’ and pointed to the vast experience of Citi Handlowy in this area). - JUSTYNA ORŁOWSKA, PROGRAMME DIRECTOR, GOVTECH POLSKA
Managing the GovTech Poland programme, she engages start-ups, as well as small and medium-sized IT companies in such things as building systems to fight cybercrime and online phishing. She ensures that the opening up of the public sector to innovation does not come at the expense of our data security. She not only supports technologies to defend citizens from cybercriminals and fraudsters, among others, but also makes sure they use the latest solutions. She has also served as an advisor to the Prime Minister on innovation and finance. - EWA PIŁAT, GLOBAL CHIEF INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER, WILLIS TOWERS WATSON
‘From my point of view, cybersecurity has always been important and loudly articulated. Having a low appetite for risk, I invest in testing innovative security methods and look for people for whom security is a passion.’ - JOANNA RUTKOWSKA, COMPUTER SYSTEMS ARCHITECT
A recognised expert in computer security. Made a name for herself internationally after presenting (2006) at the Black Hat conference two new methods of bypassing Windows Vista's security mechanisms. For her discoveries, she was named one of the Five Hackers who made their mark in 2006 by eWeek Magazine. She founded the Invisible Things Lab and led the Qubes OS project there. Since 2018, as Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Security Officer, she has been working on the Golem project. - ANNA STREŻYŃSKA, MINISTER OF DIGITISATION IN 2015–2018, CHAIR OF UKE IN 2006–2012
As Minister of Digitisation in Beata Szydło's government, in 2016 she established the National Cyber Security Centre, which aimed to improve cooperation and exchange between different sectors and actors involved in cybersecurity. In 2017, the industry organisation CIONET Poland awarded Anna Streżyńska as Minister of Digitalisation, along with her team, the Digital Excellence Award 2017 for digital transformation. After stepping down (2018), she became CEO of the newly established technology company MC² Solutions, dealing with, among other things, blockchain technology and artificial intelligence. She is the co-founder of the Carrotspot platform. - AGNIESZKA SZYMAŃSKA-KWIECIEŃ, SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGIES EXPERT
Head of the Project Maintenance Team at the Wrocław Centre for Network and Supercomputing at Wrocław University of Technology. She works as an expert on software applications and technologies. She has participated in many national and international projects concerning things such as network security. Currently, she is, among other things, the deputy project manager of the national Regional Cybersecurity Centre and operational coordinator of two IATI competence centres: the ‘Security in Cyberspace’ Competence Centre and the ‘Multimedia Networks, Devices and Services’ Competence Centre. - JOANNA ŚWIĄTKOWSKA, PROGRAMME DIRECTOR OF THE EUROPEAN CYBERSECURITY FORUM CYBERSEC
Programme director of the European Cybersecurity Forum (CYBERSEC). As a cybersecurity expert, she is permanently associated with the Kościuszko Institute. In 2017, she was included in the prestigious New Europe 100 Challengers 2017 list compiled by Financial Times Res Publica, Google, and the International Visegrad Fund. - ALEKSANDRA WISZ, PROGRAMMER, INTEL
A computer scientist, currently leading a team dealing with implementing a system to remotely verify the trustworthiness of IoT devices at Intel. She is a mentor of the It for SHE programme. Her day-to-day activities include dealing with cryptography issues. - MAGDALENA WRZOSEK, HEAD OF THE STRATEGIC ANALYSIS AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES TEAM AT NASK PIB, NLO AT EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR CYBERSECURITY ENISA
She has worked at NASK (a leading cybersecurity research centre) since 2016 – she is, among other things, an editor-in-chief of “CyberPolicy Rewiev” and head of the Centre for Strategic Analysis team. In 2017, she was accepted among the external experts of the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA). Coordinator of the European Cyber Security Month in Poland.
