Why tech needs more diversity
Andrea, alongside your focus on cybersecurity, you lead our Energy practice. What attracts you to the intersection of cybersecurity, governance and digital transformation, particularly in the energy sector?
I have been advising clients as a cybersecurity and governance expert for more than 15 years, and what continues to drive me is precisely this combination of technology and corporate leadership. Digital transformation can only succeed if security, risk management and compliance are considered from the outset – not as a brake, but as a prerequisite for trust.
At the same time, almost every business model today needs a strong technological foundation. I see this particularly clearly in the energy sector: transformation is not an IT project, but a shift in mindset that affects the entire organization.
You are now serving as Regional Advocate Europe for SheLeadsTech. What motivated you to apply for the role?
Since my election to the ISACA Board in 2019, I have been actively involved in building the SheLeadsTech initiative in Switzerland. It is important to me that women are represented as a matter of course in technology professions. We have not reached that point yet, which is why I am committed to driving the change we need.
When the position of Regional Advocate Europe was announced, several colleagues from the SheLeadsTech community encouraged me to apply. It is a role appointed by an official body at ISACA Global, and I am very pleased to represent the 36 SheLeadsTech Liaisons from European chapters at the global level during my twelve-month term and to bring their perspectives and concerns to the table.
Based on your experience, SheLeadsTech events attract around 80% women, while regular ISACA events often have only 5–10% female participation. Why do you think that is, and what does it say about the industry as a whole?
These figures clearly show how unevenly women are represented in our industry. ISACA has around 41,000 members across Europe and approximately 185,000 worldwide – but only around 15% are women.
This is mainly because fields such as cybersecurity, IT audit, risk management and emerging technologies have traditionally been male-dominated, partly because technical degree programs are still predominantly male. And this is by no means a Swiss or European phenomenon. In discussions with other regional leads, I see how similar these challenges are around the world.
You describe this as a “belonging” problem: many women leave technical fields because they do not feel they belong. How does SheLeadsTech address this?
It is indeed a major issue that many women feel like outsiders in these environments and unfortunately then withdraw. With SheLeadsTech, we create spaces at our events where women realize that they are not the only ones. We deliberately bring female role models onto the stage and encourage women to give talks themselves, rather than feeling like the “token woman” at mixed-gender conferences. And we see that this creates a genuine, sustainable network – women support each other, including when it comes to finding new jobs.
One commonly cited observation is that women often apply for a position only when they meet 100% of the criteria, while men are willing to go for it with 60–70%. How can this pattern be changed – both among women themselves and among companies and leaders?
This is a pattern I observe again and again, including in myself. I believe it is strongly shaped by social factors, so it cannot be changed overnight. But what I consider equally important is that it is not only about women themselves, but also about how they are assessed by the people around them.
Men are often assessed based on their potential, whereas women are more likely to hear: “She hasn’t really done that yet.” That is why change is needed on both sides – women who have the confidence to take the next step, and companies that recognize and develop potential regardless of gender.
Parental leave is often celebrated as “really cool” when men take it, while women are more likely to be perceived as being absent from work. What needs to change in companies so that family and career are valued equally for everyone?
Companies need to fundamentally rethink their approach: enable more flexible working models, but above all, assess both sides equally, because women and men have the same needs in this regard. This is not just about providing the right options, but also about changing the perceptions behind them.
And please don’t misunderstand me: I explicitly welcome the fact that paternity and parental leave are becoming increasingly common in Switzerland. This development is an important piece of the puzzle on the way to greater equality.
SheLeadsTech explicitly sees itself not as a women-only initiative, but as a diversity initiative for everyone. Why was this approach so important to you, and how do you bring men on board as allies?
SheLeadsTech events are open to both women and men because the change in mindset we want to achieve has to happen everywhere – not just among women. We now have some genuine allies, including a photographer who regularly supports us at events, and men from the ISACA Board also join us from time to time and show their appreciation for our work. The connections between the different groups are becoming increasingly strong, and that is exactly our goal: to eventually have genuinely balanced 50/50 events.
Speaking of “bringing people on board”: never before has an event announcement generated as many reactions as our SheLeadsTech Networking Event on a boat. Many male ISACA members asked: “Are we allowed to come too?” Of course, the answer was yes. Apparently, good networking formats can make diversity attractive to everyone – and that is exactly the idea.
There are many diversity and women-focused initiatives today. Why do you think we still need SheLeadsTech?
Because every initiative has a different lever for creating change. SheLeadsTech brings diversity directly into one of the world’s largest professional communities for cybersecurity, governance, audit and digital trust. ISACA has around 185,000 members worldwide, and our target audience consists primarily of professionals and leaders in these fields.
At the same time, we do not see ourselves as competing with other initiatives. Quite the opposite: we actively collaborate with different organizations and communities. A great example is the #WeTechTogether conference, which brings together numerous Women-in-Tech and diversity initiatives in Switzerland under one roof every year. Ultimately, it is not about competition, but about collaboration. The more organizations work toward the same goal from different perspectives, the greater the collective impact.
Looking to the future, what would success for SheLeadsTech look like in five years, and what do you hope for most for the tech and cybersecurity industry?
My hope is that one day we will no longer need dedicated initiatives for women because diversity has become the norm in our teams. And of course, this applies not only to gender, but to all seven dimensions of diversity. We still have a long way to go – genuine cultural change takes time. But I can already see how much energy and positive momentum there is in our community.
If we succeed in ensuring that potential is recognized and developed regardless of gender, then the entire industry will benefit, not just women.
