​Creating Opportunity.​

By Abigail Moss

IWD

​​​This International Women's Day, I interviewed Lisa Ventura, Founder of Cyber Security Unity,and she shared her thoughts on how we can #EmbraceEquity.Equity can be defined as giving everyone what they need to be successful. The IWD 2023 campaign theme seeks to forge worldwide understanding about why equal opportunities aren’t enough, and a focus on gender equity needs to be part of every society’s DNA.International Women’s Day belongs to everyone, everywhere. Collectively, we can all help create a diverse, equitable and inclusive world.1. How can companies strive for more equitable talent attraction? ​For them to strive for more equitable talent attraction, organisations must be intentional about creating a culture of inclusion and belonging that recognises and values diversity. Such a culture needs to come from within, so there are a few steps they can take to embrace equity. Firstly, they should examine their recruitment practices to identify any potential barriers to diversity. They should ask themselves if their job postings are inclusive, if they are recruiting from diverse sources, and make sure they are using diverse interview panels. Organisations will also need to expand their outreach, this could include partnering with community organisations that serve diverse populations, attending job fairs and conferences that attract diverse candidates and leveraging social media and other online platforms to reach a broad audience. This isn’t enough to embrace equity though, and to ensure that change comes from within, organisations need to ensure their hiring managers have had adequate training on diversity and inclusion. This can include unconscious bias training, cultural competency training, and other resources to help them identify and mitigate their own biases. A culture of inclusion should also be fostered by creating a work environment where all employees feel valued, respected, and supported. This can include providing employee resource groups, mentorship programs, and other initiatives that support diversity and inclusion. If organisations take these steps they can create and foster a much more equitable and inclusive recruitment process that attracts a diverse pool of talented candidates. 2. Within your market/industry sector, what progress have you seen businesses take to progress gender equity?Within the cyber security industry, I’ve seen great progress towards gender equity, but I’ve also seen some organisations take some backwards steps. The gender pay gap in cyber security still exists, and I’ve had first-hand experience of this. I was offered 15k less than a male counterpart for an equivalent “Head of” role, and this practice has got to stop. Employers will also miss out on incredible talent by not recruiting from a diverse talent pool, and this is especially so with those who are neurodiverse. Studies have shown that those who are neurodiverse are well suited to careers in cyber security.3. What is your top advice for making job descriptions more inclusive?  Job descriptions can have a significant impact on the diversity of your candidate pool. Organisations should ensure they use gender-neutral language, as gendered language can create unintentional barriers for candidates of different genders. Use gender-neutral terms and avoid using pronouns like "he" or "she" to describe the ideal candidate. They should also focus on essential qualifications for the role and avoid including unnecessary requirements that may discourage candidates from applying. For example, if a certain level of education is not essential for the role, consider making it optional. Also, make sure inclusive language is used that reflects a culture of diversity and inclusion. For example, consider using terms like "diverse" or "inclusive" in the job description to signal your commitment to building a more diverse workforce. 4. What advice would you give aspiring women in the industry you work in?Identify your transferrable skills. Unlike other professions, cyber security experience is often not needed to get into the industry, but many will come from roles that have similar skillets. IF you can demonstrate relevant existing experience, your transferable skills as they are known, there is no reason why you can’t get a foot on the ladder in cyber security. Also, network and make as many industry connections as possible. Meeting people is a great way to hear about opportunities when they become available. Attend as many cyber security events and conferences as you can, even if you have to do them remotely at the moment due to the pandemic. Gaining a qualification is another way to get a foothold in the industry. Which ones you need will depend on your career path, but you should seek out a course that covers general topics and gives you a good oversight into cyber security and what it entails. Also, don’t be afraid to ask about opportunities, the worst that can happen is that the answer is no. One of my favourite mantras is “fortune favours the bold”; women often tend to feel that their knowledge isn’t good enough and put themselves down – impostor syndrome is rife in cyber security. As the industry is vast and constantly changing and evolving, it is very easy to fall into this trap of self-doubt. My advice is to stay confident about the skills you bring to the table and be just as assertive about your thoughts. Cyber security is a great line of work with a lot of varied opportunities. Knowing that you work in an industry that makes someone’s life a little safer will keep you going for a long time in this career. 5. International Women’s Day is also about celebrating women and their achievements. What woman/women inspire you?I’m inspired by many women and their achievements in the cyber security industry, but some of the main ones I look up to include Lisa Forte (Partner, Red Goat Cyber Security), Jenny Radcliffe (Podcast creator and host), Lindy Cameron (CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre) and Professor Lisa Short from L&P Digital.6. What do you think is the most significant barrier to female leadership?There are many barriers that can prevent women from reaching leadership positions, both in the workplace and in other areas of society. But I think the biggest barrier is a combination of a lack of work/life balance along with unconscious bias. Women often face greater pressure to balance their work and family responsibilities, which can make it harder for them to pursue leadership positions that require long hours or extensive travel. And when it comes to unconscious bias, even well-intentioned people may have biases that can impact their decisions about who to hire or promote. For example, they may assume that women are less committed to their careers because they have families.

By Vincent Yao

IWD

​​This International Women's Day, I interviewed Shamane Tan Chief Growth Officer at Sekuro, and she shared her thoughts on how we can #EmbraceEquity.Equity can be defined as giving everyone what they need to be successful. The IWD 2023 campaign theme seeks to forge worldwide understanding about why equal opportunities aren’t enough, and a focus on gender equity needs to be part of every society’s DNA.International Women’s Day belongs to everyone, everywhere. Collectively, we can all help create a diverse, equitable and inclusive world.1. Within your market/industry sector, what progress have you seen businesses take to progress gender equity?​There’s definitely more awareness and recognition of the need for diversity. More businesses and hiring managers have become more cognizant of the gender gap, especially in the cybersecurity and tech industry. I’ve seen many security leaders targeting their recruitment and awareness efforts, focusing on attracting talent via their organisational culture, career progression, leadership and mentorship initiatives, as well as their diversity and inclusion program with family-friendly benefits, wellness care packages and flexible work arrangements. 2. What is one action companies can take to further balance their talent attraction strategies?I’m going to list a few key actions. But first, a quick-win action for companies would be to review their current recruitment and hiring process and check if any particular group would be unfairly disadvantaged. Focus on removing biases, this means taking steps to ensure that job postings are intentionally inclusive and the language used is gender neutral. Having a diverse interview panel (not just across gender, but in experiences and cultural backgrounds) also helps. Finally, instead of just relying on job applicants, have a process where the talent team actively seeks out diverse candidates. 3. What is your top advice for making job descriptions more inclusive? Check and see if your job requirements are overly restrictive and if it’s just a checklist. Prioritise the specific skills and qualifications needed for the role while keeping any non-essential requirements as broad as possible. Avoid overly restrictive criteria, such as setting a minimum number of years of experience, which could discourage younger applicants or those who have taken time off from work for caregiving. I need to also highlight, I’ve heard many similar stories where people were deterred from applying for jobs as they self-disqualify upon seeing gender-coded languages. 4. Do you think that more companies adopting a hybrid working pattern has helped to shift pre-conceived conceptions about flexible working for women, and why?Definitely! Hybrid working patterns have helped normalise flexible work arrangements and showcase its feasibility and productivity. This shift has made it easier for those with caregiving responsibilities to participate without the traditional stigmatisation.5. What does being an effective ally for women look like to you?Lala, and no, it’s not the seafood clams. LALA: Listen, Affirm, Learn, Advocate. Listen, affirm your peer’s ideas by amplifying their voice, take time to learn different perspectives and experiences, and then advocate for diversity by supporting inclusion initiatives, mentorship, and championing their career advancements and progress. 6. What advice would you give aspiring women in the industry you work in?Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for mentorship! People are more willing to help and share their experiences, more than we might realise. Also, let’s continually challenge ourselves in overcoming all the different syndromes, such as the imposter syndrome all the way to the tall poppy syndrome. I was invited to share my personal journey and growth at the TEDx stage (https://www.ted.com/talks/shamane_tan_the_imposter_syndrome_of_the_tall_poppies) and yet, constantly have to remind myself of the same as well.

By Jasper Ang

EamesInsights

The data industry has well and truly emerged over the last few years, with it having a distinct place within the wider digital economy. Data plays an increasingly important role in our lives, and as we continue to create data and realise it’s important, we also need to keep an eye on how it’s growing and where it’s going.I spoke with leaders in the sector from, The Coca Cola company, Singlife with Aviva, Bank of Singapore and Qicstart to share their thoughts on the current and future data landscape, as well as workplace transformation.How would you describe the current data landscape?There are a few key trends in data now, namely cloud and hybrid datalake, ML & AI an automation. Mass adoption of the internet and the digitization of the economy since 2010 have seen a significant shift in our data practices and processes. While there are hundreds of tools and frameworks popping up in a rapidly evolving data landscape, architects and technology leaders find it extremely difficult to navigate the plethora of technologies that are all positioned as the "next silver bullet." Vibhanshu Singh - Director of Analytics & Insights, The Coca Cola CompanyI believe, with recession upon us, we are looking at a focus on delivery and ROI of projects opposed to just a “growing as fast as we can” approach. Data is becoming an integral part of business processes. Instead of being available just in dashboards, it will start to get integrated with internal backend applications. The current trends I am seeing are with data applications such as chatGPT, and many more. Nikolay Novozhilov - Head of Data Science, Bank of SingaporeCurrently there is an increase in the amount of data, online platforms that can analyse large datasets, and an increasing sophistication on the use of data within the enterprise. It has become a necessary function to compete within all industries. In terms of trends, there is some emphasis on AI and data governance along with issues of fairness and ethics within the data space. There is also a need to monitor model performance, with more and more data being stored and processed on the cloud. So, there will be an increase in automation of various data processes to improve the efficiency and effectiveness in providing relevant insights. Senior Data Scientist, Reinsurance SectorI see companies heading into DDOM (data driven operating models) with hybrid cloud brands and a marketplace of tools for data talents to just buy, download and use. We have the leaders in data such as Google, Amazon, Netflix and Facebook, but most companies are only getting started with data. They are building a data team and doing data projects, however, eventually they get stuck, either because they don't know what they don't know or they cannot scale because they don't understand that building a data platform should be a hybrid cloud strategy (not one cloud brand but many) with many tools (data ingestion, data cleaning, data engineering, data modelling, data communication, data management, model management, reporting, data shift detection etc.) Most end up lost in the jungle. Andrew Liew – Data Science Partner, QicstartData is a common thing when a business requires strategic and tactical initiatives. Every organisation will need someone who can turn data into actionable insights. Data-driven culture is inked in people’s mind when they are looking for answers. Alongside this, AI has grown faster than people initially thought. Current trends being ChatGPT, AI in arts and AI in transportation, with ChatGPT having tremendous focus. Ge Bin - Manager, Data Scientist, Singlife with AvivaWhat does the data landscape look like in 3-5 years?In the future, we will continue exploring innovative uses of data and settle on useful use cases which will become business-as-usual. Organisations may experiment on how they wish to structure their data teams, either centralised, decentralised or mixed/hybrid. There may be some new types of data emerging which may be useful for the enterprise, but I expect these to be few. Senior Data Scientist, Reinsurance SectorI see a data evolution, that will move into a main highway with multiple branches of libraries for different use cases. Data evolution will mean that companies will eventually move into BYOS (bring your own stack) to foster tool diversity and hire data scientists with diverse skills and diverse preference for tools. A key consideration will look like this: A tool can cost around $2,000 per year but can save $50,000 in a salary bump and 60% chance of quitting. Andrew Liew – Data Science Partner, QicstartIn the coming years data will be a big focus and it will continue to grow, with the adoption rate of monetising it. Vibhanshu Singh - Director of Analytics & Insights, The Coca Cola CompanyHow has the data sector been influenced by workplace transformation?As a result of the increasing importance of digital technologies and knowledge-intensive work, more and more employees are now able to work independently of a specific location, and often also independently of fixed working hours. This provides companies with the potential to use their office space more efficiently, cut the time staff spend travelling to work and enhance employee satisfaction. To tap into this potential a modern workplace needs to offer flexibility over where – and when – employees work. Vibhanshu Singh - Director of Analytics & Insights, The Coca Cola CompanyI feel that data teams were able to adapt quite well, and hybrid mode is here to stay. However, I’m cautious about security, remote access to data opens new kinds of threats in this regard. It will take a few big leaks around the world and the industry might get more conservative. Nikolay Novozhilov - Head of Data Science, Bank of SingaporeHybrid and work from home are the dominate preference for current data scientists. Incoming data scientists requires a six month period, with three days on site, to familiarise themselves with cloud environment and tools (especially if the tools are not BYOS). Currently the statistics for companies that BYOS (bring your own stack) or allow tool diversity (same statistical analyses but company allow talents to buy any tools that they are expert at) are, 50% less attrition and 80% job satisfaction opposed to companies that follow a strict singular tool policy. Andrew Liew – Data Science Partner, QicstartIf you are interested in talking about market trends, or need help with your talent mapping please drop me an email at: jasper.ang@eamesconsulting.com​