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By Staff writer
Preventing state-sponsored attacks on critical digital infrastructure is all in a day’s work for Corinne Best, who leads the PwC Australia trust and risk business. She also sits on the Australian government’s Cyber Security Strategy Industry Advisory Committee.
But with women only holding 10 per cent of all cyber security roles across the Asia Pacific region, she says a lot more work is needed to encourage women to join a dynamic, and vitally important, sector.
Corinne Best is a leading voice on cyber security and heads the trust and risk business at PwC Australia. Credit: Supplied.
“There is a sense that our industry is a bit of a macho culture with unclear career pathways, few role models and limited opportunities. We need to do a lot of work to bolster the representation of women in the cyber and technology industry,” says Best.
Cyber security is one of the biggest issues facing the Australian economy.
PwC’s Digital Trust Survey reveals Australian executives anticipate an increased likelihood of cyber attacks in the next 12 months compared to their global peers, including attacks on cloud services, ransomware and state sponsored-attacks on critical infrastructure.
“Managing the threat of digital security and trust and transparency is needed more than ever before and is central to our post-COVID-19 recovery,” explains Best.
“The ability to contribute to solving these problems, which are integral to the future prospects for our economy and society, through my leadership, expertise and the incredible resources at PwC, energises me and is an absolute privilege.”
There is a “burning platform” for more women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), according to Best, and increasing participation is not only ethically and morally the right thing to do, but also economically beneficial.
“Women in cyber security bring greater diversity in perspectives, leadership and experiences necessary to fight cyber security criminals who have a variety of backgrounds,” she says.
“Representation across gender also means teams are more likely to overcome obstacles and resolve issues more efficiently, which is essential for the performance of our business.”
Many women still feel like they don’t receive enough encouragement to enter and remain in the business world, and can face both structural barriers to participation and unconscious biases.
“Without diversity targets, mentors, building awareness and responses to unconscious bias, support structures and role models, it’s hard to see how we are going to create a corporate environment where women are retained and can advance to leadership positions,” adds Best.
She is passionate about increasing women in leadership roles. PwC puts diversity at the centre of its strategy, and is committed to achieving diverse representation in leadership.
The firm is achieving that goal with a range of policies and programs, from parental leave coaching and recruitment targets, to removing barriers to progression and equal opportunity, and inbuilt job flexibility, introduced in 2015.
It also runs Families@PwC, which is a community focused on helping everybody strive to balance work and family responsibilities.
PwC graduate employees.Credit: Supplied.
“As the executive board sponsor for Families@PwC, building an inclusive workplace that supports all individuals is really important to ensure we are not deterring females or anyone from pursuing their chosen career,” says Best.
To further support the pipeline of female talent, PwC introduced team leaders in 2018 to encourage greater gender diversity in leadership.
The new role created a direct reporting relationship for all PwC people to have someone to offer support, guidance and career development.
The work is having an impact, with PwC already achieving gender balance in team leader roles.
Data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency reveals PwC now has the most women in senior positions in professional services firms, with 43 per cent of management positions in 2019-20 held by women. The executive board is also 43 per cent female.
“I feel incredibly lucky to work in an environment where I feel my diversity has been nurtured over my many years with PwC and which has allowed me to achieve my potential as a leader,” says Best.
For young women considering their career options, Best recommends seeking out environments that both align with their ambitions and values, and enable them to bring their authentic self into the workplace.
“My advice to young women is to believe in and be kind to yourself, take some risks and find the people and mentors who want to support you to be successful, and invest in those relationships,” she adds.
“Cyber security may be a challenging field for women to pursue, but the shortage of qualified professionals in the field is a great opportunity for women to get ahead.”
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