Gender diversity critical to combat cyber threats

THE Caribbean telecommunications sector is being challenged to increase gender diversity to help bolster cyber security and combat related threats.

The call came from Janelle Pascall, senior manager of communications at C&W Communications, who also chairs the Women in ICT (information and communications technology) committee for regional telecommunications body, CANTO.

“Including women and underrepresented individuals in cyber security is not only an ethical imperative but also a strategic advantage. Within the field of cyber security itself, we face a shortage of experts, further exacerbated by a gender gap,” she said.

Ms Pascall was speaking as part of a panel discussion on ‘The importance of gender diversity in cyber security' at CANTO’s recent 38th Annual Trade and Exhibition Conference in Miami, Florida.

“Women remain vastly underrepresented, comprising only a small fraction of the cyber security workforce. This gender disparity not only limits opportunities for talented individuals but also hinders our collective ability to address the multi-faceted challenges of cyber threats," added Ms Pascal.

The panel also included insights from Kamla Hamilton, manager of security at C&W Business; Dr Kim Mallalieu, senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, and deputy chair at the Telecommunication Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT); Shakera Rolle, director of information security at Cable Bahamas; and Korah-Jane Jude Grant, director of business development and culture at Symptai.

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