Irene Corpuz, Co-founder of Women in Cyber Security Middle East
Let us know more about a wonderful community: Women in Cyber Security Middle East. Mrs Irene Corpuz, Co-founder, took time to answer our questions.
Notice: The positions, views and information contained published here are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily represent my views or opinions.
Irene Corpuz has over 30 years of combined experience in Project Management, Information Security, IT Operations, Corporate Strategy, Quality and Excellence in service industry, educational institution and government entity. Her specialities are Specialties:
Project Management, Strategic Planning & Performance Management, Information Security Governance, Risk and Compliance, IT Governance and Standards - NESA, ADSIC and ISO27001, ITIL Service Management, Process Improvement, Business Process Re-engineering. She holds several international certifications. She is a regular speaker and panel moderator at international conferences.
Could you tell us more about the origin story of Women in Cyber Security Middle East (WiCSME)?
In 2017, the first-ever Middle East Security Award (MESA) was launched, awarding 100 regional information security leaders and experts. One of the categories was Women in Cybersecurity. At that time, we already knew of existing Women in Cyber organizations across the globe, like the Women in Cybersecurity Society (WCS2) and WiCys (Women in Cyber Security), to name a few, but there were none in the Middle East. We are also aware that the Women in STEM, particularly in Cyber Security, statistics showed that there were only 12% of women in the workforce across the globe. In 2018, nine of us women who were awardees of the MESA came together after being motivated and inspired by a male ally, a supporter of women in cyber. We honor Mr. Ahmed Quram Baig (may his soul rest in peace) for this move. From there, we established our purpose:
to support & promote women & their role in the cybersecurity industry across the region & beyond
to empower & encourage women.
to connect & collaborate with men & women, peers & leaders across the globe and
to secure our communities together.
What is the impact of Women in Cyber Security Middle East?
In five years, we have some success stories to share.
New research shows that women comprise around 25 percent of the cybersecurity workforce.
We have the WiCSME Annual Conference, which we started in 2020 as 100% virtual due to Covid. We have the CTF (Capture the Flag) track at that conference, a live hacking competition with various challenges. One of the critical criteria is that the group should have at least one female member. In that year, we had 33% of the women participant. In 2021, our women participation increased to 60%, and we broke our record again in 2022 not only with the % of women participants, the number of participating teams, and the overall individual count.
In the region, WiCSME is now a sought-after conference Community Supporter. Conference organizers approach us to request for our members to participate as speakers. This helps us promote our members and highlight their contribution to the industry with their respective roles in the organizations' security.
Within these five years, our WiCSME has built a strong foundation fully aligned with our regional culture, religious and societal values and grown from 9 to over 1800 members across 23 countries.
We have experienced historical moments where we introduced many initiatives, of which I would like to bring special attention to the critical Capacity Building initiatives and achievements by WiCSME, all of which were FIRSTS in our Middle east region:
We are proud to say that we now have a platform where our women in cybersecurity, 'young rising stars and experienced,' have an equal chance to share their knowledge, have their voices heard, and have their strengths appreciated.
We have created opportunities for them to participate alongside their male peers and build their technical, soft, and collaborative skills as part of the WiCSME annual regional Capture the Flag competition.
For the first time, we introduced a formal way of recognizing, appreciating, and showcasing the unique capabilities and contributions of our Women in cybersecurity at the annual WiCSME Awards – be it in the capacity of a leader, a rising star, or a contribution towards community.
We celebrate our women and our Male Allies, whose support is fundamental in steering this movement forward.
Did you also want to show that women in the middle east are active in technology? From western point of view, there are many biases and unknow facts towards women in Middle East.
When I started to participate as a speaker in Cyber Security conferences, most of the time, I was the only woman in the speaker line-up or the panel discussion. I had my fair share of being discriminated against and, shall I say, "bullied" by other men. But I did not let that get in my way or cause me to move to another industry.
Do you partner with universities?
Yes, we do collaborate with the Universities, particularly during the CTFs. We encourage them to bring in their female students to participate in the challenges.
How is the community organized?
We have a monthly webinar inviting women speakers from all over the globe, primarily partnering with the other Women in Cyber organizations so that our WiCSME hears actual and various scenarios and experiences from women in other regions. It is also a way of knowledge sharing to hear from experts about the various aspects of Cyber Security.
We have the Annual WiCSME conference, which we still do hybrid as we would like the other women from the affiliate countries to participate if they cannot join physically.
How many members do you have? What does the community propose to the members?
We have 2000 members. Most members approach us via social media as we continuously post our activities and appreciation to the members who achieve a promotion, pass a certification exam or complete advanced studies.
If women want to join the community, how does it work? Is there a fee?
There is no fee. WiCSME is a non-profit organization. Although we know that when we hold the annual conference, of course, we may need some funding to manage the platform, provide a monetary reward to the CTF winners, etc., we have sponsors who support our noble intentions of empowering and increasing women in cyber security, particularly the young women who are entering into the field.
What is your role in the community?
As a Co-founder and board member, I am handling the Partnership track. This collaborates with organizations or conference organizers, especially when requesting WiCSME as Community Supporter. It is a two-way thing, i.e., with the partnership, we bring our members into their conference as speakers; thereby, there is a balanced representation of men and women, and they are also seen as organizations supporting the diversity, equality, and inclusivity global initiatives.
Are you volunteering (unpaid) for managing the community? How much time do you dedicate to the community?
Yes, I'm volunteering. As a Co-founder, we no longer measure our contribution by the time we dedicate.
Why do you still volunteer? What are your personal and professional benefits?
To be a contributor to the increase of women in the cybersecurity workforce is an achievement that monetary benefits cannot match. This is a global impact.
If women want to volunteer how does it work?
Generally, in our Annual WiCSME Conference, volunteers have a few tracks to manage. This is also good as it is only for a limited period (about 2-3 months), which means they will not be tied to responsibilities the whole year. At the end of the conference, we appreciate and acknowledge our volunteers by posting them on our WiCSME social media, calling them "The Dream Team."
Social Media information about Women in Cyber Security
Women in Cybersecurity ME LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/67751054/admin/
WiCSME Website:https://www.womenincybersecurity.me/
Twitter: @WiCSME
