This informal gathering will brought together experienced professionals and newcomers for open conversations, career guidance, and knowledge sharing in a relaxed setting. Participants had the opportunity to connect with mentors from diverse backgrounds, exchange on challenges and opportunities in the field, and gain practical insights to support their career journey.
The event will also featured short lightning talks, offering quick insights and perspectives from experts across the cybersecurity ecosystem.
Program
2 pm : Door opening
2.05 - 2.10 pm: Welcome words by Carine Allaz, President of Women4Cyber Switzerland
2.10 - 2.30 pm: 1 to 1 Mentoring
2.30 - 2.40 pm: Lightning talk by Jessica Gomez, Senior Cyber security consultant: "Cyber Crisis Management – Who Holds the Power?"
When a cyberattack strikes, response efforts sit at the intersection of technology, diplomacy, and geopolitics. In this lightning talk, Jessica will explore the often-overlooked tension between technical urgency and political responsibility, and how, in critical moments, a single line of code can carry global implications.
2.40 - 3.00 pm: 1 to 1 Mentoring
3.00 - 3.10 pm: Lightning talk by Linda Brunner, Founding Partner: "Making Security Matter - Why Great Security Needs More Than Expertise"
Great security does not automatically become a priority. In many organizations, even the strongest security initiatives must compete with speed, cost, convenience, and other business demands—often until crisis makes their importance undeniable. Drawing from her experience scaling cybersecurity companies, Linda will share practical lessons on how trust, stakeholder alignment, and business relevance can help security move from technical function to strategic impact.
3.10 - 3.30: 1 to 1 Mentoring
3.30 - 3.40 pm: Lightning talk by Kristina Jovanovska, Cyber Defense Group Manager & Board member of Women4Cyber Switzerland
3.40 - 4.00 pm: 1 to 1 Mentoring
3.40 - 4.00 pm: 1 to 1 Mentoring
4.00 - 4.10pm : Lightning talk by Patricia Maria Hofmann, Cybersecurity consultant: "Speak Human: Communicating Information Security to Every Employee"
Information security only works if it is understood. In this engaging session, Patricia will share a real-world story from her experience of introducing information security communication across an organisation for the first time.
4.10 - 4.30pm : 1 to 1 Mentoring
4.30 - 4.40pm : Lightning talk by Carine Allaz, Cybersecurity Expert & President of Women4cyber Switzerland : "AI as a Weapon: From Deepfake Voices to Scalable Fraud"
We will explore how artificial intelligence is accelerating modern cybercrime, with a sharp focus on the rise of vishing—voice phishing powered by realistic AI-generated speech. The talk examines how attackers weaponize AI to impersonate trusted individuals, bypass traditional defenses, and scale social engineering attacks.
4.40 - 5.00pm : 1 to 1 Mentoring
5.00 - 5.40 pm : Panel discussion with Linda Brunner, Kristina Jovanovska, Patricia Maria Hofmann and Carine Allaz, moderated by Anouk Geene: "One Size Does Not Fit All: the different paths into cybersecurity"
There is no single route into cybersecurity. In this panel, our speakers will share how they entered the field, their academic and professional backgrounds, and the key skills they developed along the way. A candid discussion to demystify career paths in cyber and offer practical insights for those building their own.
5.40 - 5.55 pm : Q&A
5.55 - 6.00 pm: Closing remarks by Carine Allaz, President of Women4Cyber Switzerland
Location:
Room 15 - CICG Geneva
SPEAKERS & MENTORS
President of Women4Cyber Switzerland
Vice-President of Women4Cyber Switzerland
Kristina Jovanovska
Cybersecurity Senior Manager
Cybersecurity Consultant
Founding partner
