A Special Event To Highlight 50 Latina Women in Cybersecurity

The edition of the Top Women in Cybersecurity Latin America 2021 is the great stage to which this Friday, June 18 at 6 in the afternoon, Colombian time, where 50 women who are dedicated to cybersecurity will be highlighted and will be recognized for this work.

Lizbeth Plaza, vice president of WOMCY Latam Women in Cybersecurity, host entity together with Wisecra, explains to The Woman Post that the Top Women in Cybersecurity Latin America 2021 event focuses on making visible the participation of women in the cybersecurity market, a market that could be thought of starring men.

As a spokeswoman for WOMCY, Lizbeth comments that "this is an organization created and founded by women with the aim of minimizing the lack of female knowledge on cybersecurity issues in Latin America."

Increase Participation

The Top Women in Cybersecurity Latin America started in 2020 and was so successful that, from now on, it will have an annual version. By 2021 the nominations increased exponentially to more than 200 women. Last year the number was just over 150.

The juries come from different countries and, this time they had just one month to qualify the applicants based on 5 parameters that will be announced during the event.

10 executives from the United States and Latin America participate as judges:

1. Leticia Gammill, Founder and President, WOMCY.

2. Lieutenant Colonel Milena Realpe Díaz, Chief Master of Cybersecurity and Cyberdefense at Escuela Superior de Guerra – Colombia.

3. Victoria Beckman, Americas Digital Crimes Unit Leader, Microsoft.

4. Gabriel Bergel, Chief Security Ambassador of ElevenPaths, (ISC) ² Board of Directors.

Also read: OPPORTUNITIES IN THE TECHNOLOGY SECTOR THAT CAN BE TAKEN BY WOMEN

5. Mariana Cardona, Program Officer, Cybersecurity Program, OAS – Organization of American States.

6. Elisa Ball, Director of Human Resources, Latin America, Fortinet.

7. Alexandre Murakami, Director of the Cybersecurity Business Unit, Logicalis.

8. Cristina Hernández, Director of Operations, Scitum.

9. Paula Papis, Founder CybersecurityGirls Brazil.

10. Pablo Correnti, Vice-President of CAPSI.

Mentality Changes

With the mission that more and more women aspire to specialize in topics that have to do with cybersecurity, WOMCY directed its efforts to make a presence in 90% of Latin American countries and achieved it, although its headquarters is in the state of Florida, United States.

The entity offers 6 programs, three of which have been focused on sensitizing and raising the awareness of audiences on cybersecurity issues in schools, universities, and companies: "The remaining programs promote the inclusion of women in the workplace, mentoring and training. Two years of work have allowed us to generate a work team of 1500 people who are divided between members and volunteers,” explains Lizbeth Plaza.

Among the purposes of this non-profit organization is to promote mentality changes in academic communities about the relevance of girls and women studying STEM careers, that is, those related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics: “At the corporate level we give talks and conferences on the importance of cybersecurity for organizations.”

WOMCY works for the promotion of mentality changes because, as Lizbeth Plaza says “Historically men have had greater access to technology but, fortunately, the new generations are changing and women not only have more and more interest in the subject as professional practice and livelihood but have overcome cultural imaginaries that tend to see men in cybersecurity positions.”

The Top Women in Cybersecurity Latin America 2021 is a free event that can be accessed by clicking here.