Deloitte Women in Cyber
Behind every functioning society is a woman in cyber
We are the women in cyber. The few protecting the many. The underrepresented, who over influence. The half of the world, who see the problems differently, who solve them uniquely. We are the women in cyber safeguarding society. Protecting us all. We need more like us. We need more like you.
Message from Emily Mossberg, Global Women in Cyber Leader
Across the Cyber practices of Deloitte member firms, we have talented professionals dedicated to the support and advocacy of women in this vibrant industry. From professional development to training, recruitment, and building community with all, Women in Cyber is a diverse community built to encourage, share knowledge, celebrate accomplishments and solve challenges. ”
There's strength and power in knowing you are a part of a community with similar objectives and goals, and a strength and power in a shared identity as cyber professionals, especially when what brings you to cyber are your own interests, lived experiences and voice. This diversity creates a better society.
To continue bringing greater visibility to women in the cyber industry, we are excited to collaborate with The Female Quotient on “25 Women in Cyber”. In this exciting series, get to know these exceptional and inspirational leaders who have made a great impact in the cyber industry as they share their unique journeys.
So, explore our page, ask questions, make connections, and jump right in!
Global Cyber Leader
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Meet the Women in Cyber
What does a typical day of work look like for you?
My typical day involves prioritising the most pressing tasks and deadlines for the projects I'm working on and the clients I'm serving. I also attend scheduled meetings with clients and stakeholders to ensure smooth communication and collaboration. In addition, I support our Cyber Directors and team admin with any requests or issues they may have throughout the day.
Tell us about the cyber project you're most proud of working on in your career.
I participated in the Deloitte Africa BCM ISO 22301 Implementation as my first project. Our team helped Deloitte Africa achieve the BSI audit and certification that Deloitte Global mandated.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give your younger self about getting started in cyber?
It’s never too late!
Tell us about a role model or mentor who has helped shape your career.
I am grateful for the support and guidance I have received from the members of our Woman in Cyber team. One of them is Nombulelo Kambule, a Cyber Director who has helped me to establish myself as a valuable contributor to the Cyber team.
How do you stay grounded and take care of yourself?
Balancing different aspects of life can be challenging, but I always prioritise the well-being of my family and the values I want to instill in my children. That is what motivates me and keeps me grounded. I also practice mindfulness and meditation regularly to maintain a positive mindset and cope with stress. A relaxing spa back massage is also a great way to reward myself!
Meet the Women in Cyber Alumni
Michelle started her career armed with an electrical engineering degree. Her previous experience in industrial control systems made her realise the need to develop skills to address the cyber threat to critical infrastructure and the industrial environments. She entered the professional world with an adventurous mind looking for new challenges.
"The Ukraine power utility attack in 2015 sparked much concern in the industrial control system/ engineering space. While working as a heavy current electrical engineer, I realised that there was a gap in securing industrial control systems. We did not have enough skilled engineers who understood Cyber security. This meant that we would need to start developing skills to address the cyber threat to critical infrastructure and the industrial environments. I quickly realised that we need cross functional skills to address the emerging threat. There was a gap and I noticed that there were very few females developing in the space, so I decided to develop myself so that I may help address this need. My journey has been challenging as there are very few engineering professionals that have shaped a career in this space which meant I had little guidance. This shortage of mentors, has contributed to my passion for developing talent in Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity."
"Engineering taught me how to learn and apply critical thinking to solve complex issues. So, in essence it prepared me to deal with a changing landscape. I learnt from practicing in the field that working in cyber security meant that I would need to continuously upgrade my skills. I became aware that cybersecurity cuts across many fields and that being open to learning from different angles and perspectives was something that I would need to do on an ongoing basis."
Within her experiences in cyber security, she witnessed cybersecurity change from being an IT risk to manage to an organisation-wide risk to manage. In her words:
"The main developments that come to mind is the change from cybersecurity being an IT risk to manage to organisation-wide risk to manage. For many centuries, technology has been for the large corporates, as time progresses, we see more individual use and exposure. Specifically in industrial control systems we have seen a major convergence in technology design and implementation. Cloud security and application security; which traditionally was in an area that information technology professionals were concerned about; are now areas that engineering professionals need to be familiar with. We are using these technology deployments to advance safety critical systems"
Michelle believes that developing talent that remains relevant is a continuous challenge in the cyber security space. The changing risk landscape means the following; we need to constantly upgrade our skills to remain relevant, and lastly, we need to create a more accepting environment, one where learning is encouraged, and different skillsets and attributes welcomed. Women need to be given the space to navigate the changing landscape.
"I love being outdoors in nature. There is a beauty that exists there, something we may never experience from behind a computer. Pictures, videos and VR just aren't as impactful as experiencing it in person for me."
About me work
Michelle believes that secure digital business is a way of life going into the future. She uses her engineering and leadership knowledge and experience coupled with her passion for understanding people’s digital behaviours to secure business. Her work experience includes power utilities; which includes nuclear power; cyber security strategy, including operating model design, culture transformation and cyber-risk management.
Lead the development of cyber emerging technology services and solutions to help secure business and city strategy as we digitise and leverage Industry 4.0.
Michelle is a professional electrical engineer (Pr.Eng) and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) endorsed by the international cybersecurity professional body, ISACA. Passionate about risk management, she has achieved a postgraduate diploma at the University of South Africa in applied risk management. Michelle leads multidisciplinary teams to deliver on Industrial and Emerging Technology cyber risk strategy. She is presently serving as a director on the Circle of Global Businesswomen (CGBW) board, where she contributes in a professional technical and leadership capacity.
What impact have you made in your industry/community/cyber
"I chair the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE) Cybersecurity chapter. The chapter objective is to advance the technology and leadership in the Electrical, Electronic Engineering fraternity. We do this by sharing cybersecurity knowledge that assists with solving complex problems such as developing safe and secure Industrial 4.0 systems, smart grids and cities, control systems and process automation. Where possible I speak on panels and coach and mentor upcoming engineers in the field of cybersecurity."
Thought Leadership
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