Looking for Cyber Talent

Today, I had the opportunity to attend the World Economic Forum Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development, #SpecialMeeting24, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A thousand global leaders from 92 countries came together to share best practices and solutions at the event, focusing on discussing the most pressing issues facing the global community, especially on economic growth and energy. 

I had the honour of moderating a panel discussion on “Looking for Cyber Talent,” contributing to the Bridging the Cyber Skills Gap initiative of the World Economic Forum Cybersecurity , along with great panellists Doris Anite MD, CFA , Minister of Industry and Trade from Nigeria; Pastora Valero , SVP Government Affairs of Cisco; Mauricio Benavides , CEO of Metabase Q; and Saad AlAboodi, CEO of Saudi Information Technology Company (SITE سايت). We discussed several challenges related to the cybersecurity talent and workforce shortage. 

The cyber industry is facing a shortage of nearly 4 million professionals, and the panellists all suggested looking beyond the traditional talent pools. In an effort to support such initiatives, the World Economic Forum Cybersecurityhas just launched a Strategic Cybersecurity Talent Framework to help develop and nurture robust cyber talent that will be able defend our organizations, but also adapt to the fast changing technology landascape. 

Everyone agreed that hiring more people from underrepresented groups will be key. It was wonderful to hear that women are increasingly filling cybersecurity roles in Saudi Arabia, where there is a highly targeted training opportunities, also especially for the female workforce. Saad AlAboodi, CEO of Saudi Information Technology Company (SITE), described futuristic projects taking smart cities to the next level, and the role of cybersecurity in protecting the digital investment. Emphasize purpose and mission before flooding people with operational detail, he advised. 

Cyber crime is a global threat requiring a collaborative, cross-border response. “Cyber attackers don’t care where in the world you are,” said Mauricio Benavides, CEO of Metabase Q in Mexico. A significant portion of the people who work for Metabase Q does not have formal cybersecurity education. He shared examples of involving talent from the most unexpected places, such as former lawyers who used to love gaming.  

Pastora Valero, SVP International Government Affairs at Cisco, advocated alternative paths into cybersecurity and on-the-job training, and advised that we all should increase the attention and preference on the latter. Cisco has been running successful training initiatives with refugees, prisoners and military veterans on this topic. Collaborating with the governments has also enabled bridging the gap between the formal training modes in higher education institutions with professional development opportunities, which is crucial for aligning different national initiatives. 

Valero stressed the need to demystify ICT jobs and get away from the stereotype of a geek behind his computer. Next to the technical experts, organizations also need people with communication, project management and policy writing skills to contribute to cybersecurity. As a career path, cybersecurity can be transformative, and when people approach it with an open mindset, the opportunities are plenty and rich.  

In Nigeria, which at present has only about 8000 cybersecurity experts, the government is training five million people in the next three years with the aim of contributing to global outsourcing. Doris Anite, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment for Nigeria, was optimistic: Nigeria has a tech-savvy, energetic youth (70% of the population is under 25) and already boasts seven fintech unicorns. Hearing about not only the optimism, but also the push for AI and cybersecurity focused training opportunities, as well as the eagerness of the young population was very refreshing! 

As well as upskilling and reskilling in cybersecurity itself, the panellists agreed that skills such as critical thinking and problem solving will continue being essential. AI is pushing us to think of the critical capabilities of the future workforce in every sense.  

This was my first time in Riyadh – I did not what to expect, but I certainly am amazed to see such a dizzying speed of change, digitalization and transformation. What a fitting location to discuss the changing landscape of cybersecurity! 

Öykü 

#imdimpact