Showing Girls What’s Possible In Cyber

February 2026, Samantha Jennings, Head of Operations

Published on: Cyber Security Intelligence

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The theme for International Women’s Day this year is “Give to Gain”, and for me, it perfectly captures both my journey into cybersecurity and what our industry must do next.

Cybersecurity has become one of the most critical frontlines affecting everyday life. From the resilience of the UK’s critical national infrastructure to the protection of essential public services, the work we do in cyber impacts families, communities, and national stability.

At Avella, where we support central government and organisations operating as Operators of Essential Service (OES) and within the UK’s CNI, that responsibility is tangible.

Yet despite this, cybersecurity still does not reflect the society it protects. Gender imbalance remains a persistent issue, particularly in technical roles. If we are serious about safeguarding a diverse society, our industry must look more like it.

A Non-Linear Route into Cyber

My own path into cybersecurity wasn’t traditional. I didn’t study computer science or start out as a coder. I began with a love of English - stories, poetry, and the power of language to connect people. I even had poems published in local magazines at school. Alongside that, I studied Business and Finance, gaining a BTEC National Diploma that immersed me in marketing, accounting, and business law.

I also developed, at a young age, a self-imposed belief that I “wasn’t good at maths”, despite teachers assuring my parents that I was perfectly capable. Looking back, that was probably my first experience of imposter syndrome. My career took me into recruitment advertising, where I built teams and proposed new operational structures to improve efficiency. At 20, I wrote a proposal to a managing director outlining the need for an administration manager role to bring consistency across three client service teams.

Curiosity has always driven me to ask: “Is there a better way?”

There was even a period working abroad as a holiday entertainer, including stepping onto a stage with no prior experience, and once dressing as a Christmas elf, escorting families to Lapland. It may sound unrelated to cyber, but it taught me confidence, adaptability, and resilience. Skills I draw on daily in an industry where the threat landscape is constantly shifting.

I moved into cybersecurity through a networking conversation. Crucially, I was welcomed. The partners at Avella recognised that operational clarity, communication, and relationship-building were not peripheral skills; they were crucial to keep things together.

Cybersecurity does not only need deep technical expertise. It needs people who can translate complexity into clear language. It needs empathy, creativity, and the ability to connect policy, process, and people. In fact, some of the most effective cyber professionals I work with come from creative backgrounds. When adversaries constantly evolve, creative thinking becomes a security asset.

Why Diversity in Cyber Makes Sense

Following events like 9/11 and the attack on the Twin Towers, there was a global reckoning across many sectors about the importance of diversity in thinking and perspective. A realisation that security requires diverse "frames of reference" and to challenge, reason, and cross-pollinate ideas.

Threat actors do not think uniformly. They adapt, innovate, and exploit assumptions. To defend effectively, we need diverse cognitive approaches, lived experiences, and problem-solving styles. If everyone in the room has followed the same educational and professional path, we risk seeing only part of the picture.

Put simply, cyber must reflect the society it protects.

The Confidence Gap Starts Early

One of the biggest challenges women face in this industry is underrepresentation. Walking into a room and not seeing anyone who looks like you can amplify imposter syndrome. I have felt it myself, particularly when transitioning into this highly technical, male-dominated field.

Women often hesitate to apply for roles unless they meet every listed requirement, while others may apply regardless. That confidence gap forms early, long before career decisions are consciously made.

This is why early intervention matters.

I strongly support initiatives like Festival of The Girl, a not-for-profit organisation that creates spaces where girls can try activities traditionally labelled “for boys,” from coding and engineering to sport and leadership. Crucially, these experiences happen before career pressures or stereotypes fully take hold. Girls are simply encouraged to explore.   

What these initiatives give is belief. And belief changes trajectories.

Give to Gain in Action

For me, “Give to Gain” means giving time, visibility, and encouragement, especially to girls who may not yet see themselves in tech.

It means mentoring. It means reviewing job descriptions for unnecessary barriers. It means challenging jargon-heavy environments that unintentionally exclude. It means focusing on skills and mindsets, not just technical checklists.

Over the past year, as someone relatively new to cybersecurity, I’ve joined welcoming peer networks such as Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS). The support, openness, and shared experience have been invaluable. Community matters.

Within organisations, leaders can take practical steps now:

• Audit recruitment language to remove bias and emphasise transferable skills.

• Broaden entry pathways beyond purely technical degrees.

• Create visible role models across operational, strategic, and technical functions.

• Invest in outreach with schools and community groups.

• Encourage mentorship and sponsorship programmes internally.

  
  

Leading with Empathy & Curiosity

As a leader, I believe empathy is not a soft add-on; it is a commercial imperative. In professional services, our people are our product. Enabling them to bring their best selves to work directly impacts client outcomes and, in our case, national resilience.

Equally important is curiosity. You don’t need to have every answer. You need to be willing to ask the questions, even the uncomfortable ones. Curiosity has shaped every stage of my career, from advertising to cyber.

An Industry Defined by Possibility

Today, my greatest inspiration is my 11-year-old daughter. I want her generation to see cybersecurity and technology more broadly as a space of possibility, not limitation. Breaking stereotypes cannot start at university recruitment fairs. It must start in primary school classrooms, in community events, in the language we use, and in the examples we set.

If we give our time, our visibility, and our encouragement now, we gain stronger teams, better decisions, and more resilient systems tomorrow. Cybersecurity protects the fabric of modern society. It deserves, and requires, the full breadth of that society’s talent.

That is something worth giving everything for.