Brexit To BSides: My Personal Journey Into Security

good morning everybody thanks for joining me um bit of a tough gig to follow um following the keynote speaker um but hopefully I can capture your attention for at least one minute so brexit to bsid my personal journey into security why am I talking about brexit this is b-size Bristol it's a security conference so for any of you who don't know me I've only been in security for 2 years this month so what was I doing [Music] before again for any of you who don't know me I'm an absolute Unapologetic politics nerd now this started when I was very little even more little than I am now I went on study politics at University and there was one particular

era that really stood out for me EU Affairs the European Union I was absolutely fascinated the languages the institutions the countries couldn't get enough for whatever reason so studying it wasn't enough I wanted to do more I wanted to get more involved so I got involved in the community I joined a political organization called the European movement started in Bristol and then I got more involved across the UK and then over in Brussels too but still this wasn't enough and I wanted more so over I went to Brussels I find myself in the European Parliament the European Parliament my political nerdiness is taking off I'm walking the corridors I'm looking around me I'm not embarrassed to say I'm star eyed the

people that I've just studied members of the European Parliament walking around me committee sessions the plenary I put my headset on the booths around me interpreting interpreting different languages it was all unfolding right in front of my very eyes I absolutely loved it but it didn't just stop there I moved on from that role it brought me to my next role it was a public private partnership between the EU and the European Aerospace sector specifically focused around sustainable Aviation so we're talking large industry Talis saffron Rolls-Royce Airbus Etc small and medium companies universities research centers so the ecosystem again for any of you who don't know me I'm an absolute Aerospace and Aviation nerd now don't ask me which came

first politics Aviation Aerospace I love them all now I've attended many events in my time professionally and personally there is one that stands out Above All Else the Paris Air Show now I don't know if any of you have ever been to an air show in the UK or overseas but I absolutely loved the Paris Air Show at lour airport the site is massive and for me I attended that we were there exhibiting one side at the airport and the other and there was one particular area that absolutely fascinated me this was the Paris air lab this is where all the innovation of tomorrow was held or what was coming literally today I walk in that building and I look

up and I see not just one but two Concord my Aerospace and Aviation nerdiness going to new heights but not just that what can I hear I hear it before I see it the F35 lock heed Martin I couldn't rush outside quick enough I look up absolutely love him but again not just that who's coming into town it's the newly elected president of France Emmanuel macron he walks right in front of me surrounded by bodyguards again my political nerdiness is taken to new heights I even managed to find the time to see other parts of the air show I couldn't resist going to the US Pavilion I was totally drawn in and out the corner of my eye I go

over it's the late Al Warden the NASA astronaut on the Apollo 15 Mission To The Moon space the F35 loed Martin Concord Emmanuel macron I was in my element all the things that I loved it was right there right in front of me profession and personally it was all taking off but as you will all know what goes up absolutely must come down and it it did very much did come down and for me that's was brexit now this had an absolute massive impact on me it really did Hit me hard what was I going to do how was I going to navigate this I stopped and I really looked hard in myself should I get Irish

citizenship I can't do that it's one step too far back in my family history should I become Belgian I don't think that's going to work either I need to write the next chap so I returned to the UK and I found myself in an IT projects team Tech call it what you want I'm surrounded by project managers in automation etc etc and it will come as Absolut no surprise to you all the one that really captivated me security where have I been all of my life this language was alien to me I was absolutely captivated I wanted more of it I wanted this to be my next chapter but I just didn't know how to make it

happen so I stopped and I thought I need to go back a few steps I need to learn more I need to walk before I can run so in my case I enrolled on a full stack web development course I learned it all your front end your back end your apis your programming languages it was all thrown at me so I completed that course great my next chapter my new identity I'm going to be a developer H okay I probably should admit this but I knew I wasn't going to be the best developer in the world but I knew that Tech absolutely fascinated me and security really grabbed me on that course they had me at secret

injection but even now I know that barely scratched the

service so this brings me to today I'm in my current company I receive an email is the 8th of March 2022 International women's day the tech women in Tech and transformation Forum have designed a job shadow scheme we have a women in Tech and transformation Forum in my company I didn't know but I ented in Tech I'll apply so I filled it out so I've secured my interests I put it in a bit of time passed and I heard back you have been paired with the group head of information security excuse me I've been paired with the group head of information security we have an information security team again I didn't know in my defense I've

only been working there for less than six months by this point I was still orientating myself so for me this is where it all began the women in Tech and transformation Forum my team my manager my company but it didn't just stop there for the last two years there's been a community behind me who have supported me and have encouraged me for instance Reis women in cyber security I joined it I threw myself into it wholeheartedly for example I applied for the whis foret networking fundamentals boot camp now I knew nothing about network security to be honest absolutely terrified me but I knew I wanted to learn more so I got an email you've been

accepted oh oh no I'm supposed to be going to Spain in October so I find myself logging in in the Wi-Fi bit dodgy in the hotel so I'm there learning about the OSI model from Bob from foret all the way over in Texas with all other whis members logging in from all over for the world I absolutely loved it now a bit more time passed and I received another email you have received a scholarship to attend the women in cyber security conference in Nashville Tennessee I have received a scholarship to attend the women in cyber security conference in Nashville Tennessee yes please I'll go so off I went to the US and I met so many of those whis's

members that have been talking to for months to see them in person was incredible I met so many women from all over the world there was one moment too it left me speechless and believe you me this does not happen very often I met the people from fortunet and they had told me they were the ones that awarded me that scholarship to attend this conference I didn't know because of my participation in that program I felt incredibly fortunate and glad that I was able to say to them thank you for this opportunity and still I also applied for another scholarship and Jane Franklin provided that opportunity to go to the black hat were at briefings now for me this was

like Disney to go to this conference I absolutely loved it and there were other women who were given that opportunity too and we went there together there were some that also logged in online who weren't able to make it that day because they were in other countries but one of them I actually met when I was in Nashville Tennessee over in the US that is the power of community all over the world but but it doesn't just stop there I applied for the women in Tech and cyberhub which their group mentorship their Tech Trailblazer mentorship Mentor mentee now some of those mentors are in the room today I absolutely loved it I learned so much professionally and personally too

now I'm incredibly sad his now ended but it has had a massive impact on me and I now call them my friends so many of them in the community who I call friends who have supported me who have encourage me who have allowed me to not just grow but Thrive so what started from the women in Tech and transformation Forum all along the way there have been people there encouraging me and supporting me so what's next it probably comes absolutely no surprise to any of you the community features very strongly in my near future Weis UK and irand affiliate I'm now involved in their leadership team and I couldn't be more excited to see what's coming in the next coming days

weeks and months ahead the same the Cyber peace Institute and the Cyber peace build Builders program something very close to my heart and very passionate about supporting non-governmental organizations and we are now going full circle besides Bristol you bet your bottom dollar I'll be here next year volunteering so I'll leave it there if I could just say one thing for what started for me at the women in Tech and transformation Forum I've had the community behind me throw yourself in wholeheartedly you don't know what you'll learn who you will meet where it will take you but I can guarantee you it will leave an imprint on your life cuz it did for me so I'll leave it there and say thank

you for listening and if you have any questions you're more than welcome to answer or if you would like to talk to me after or connect with me online so thank you very much and I'll leave it

there any questions um so you said really um you what got you on this journey was a legalization you worked at the time what what would you say to um uh people in this room that are you know inspired by Your Own Story uh in terms of what they have in place their place I mean obviously in my case I found it out organically that there was such an entity um create yourself if it's not an option think outside the box talk to people in my experience people are more than happy to help you if you just show an interest okay you're in finance you're in HR I don't know where you are but just go and

speak to people get in front of them whether it's at work or outside start those conversations that is the community that's what it's there for we are the community and I might have been politics one day I might be security tomorrow but I might be something else I don't know just make it happen roll your sleeves up get involv do you know if there's any age limit to the sponsorship opportunities oh for which in particular the ones that you went off to um so there's a few different ones in there so for example some of them are women's um particular ones um in this case no um so yeah it's just open to women who are members um for the Jane

Franklin one again it was just whoever applied and was accepted couple friends friends daughters friends around 16 17

definitely welome talk to after if you want to speak more about that any other questions question oh God PHP easy JavaScript why does it have to be both make up your mind I like where I stand with

ph thank you very everybody