Introducing women with a deep interest in cybersecurity

Sugar is a Cybersecurity Project Leader in Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where she works closely with her clients to solve complex topics. She has over 8 years of working experience in the consulting industry and has received multiple awards from local and global Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Internet-of-Things (IoT) Capture-the-Flag competitions, to include back-to-back 1st runner-up placements at DEFCON in 2018 and 2019

What brought you to the cybersecurity industry?

I didn’t know the existence of a cybersecurity career when I joined the workforce upon graduating from the university. On my first day joining the firm, I was informed that I’m selected as one of the pioneers to join the cybersecurity team. Over the years, I had the opportunities to work on many engagements involving a myriad of technical and non-technical cybersecurity topics where I subsequently realized that I enjoyed the thrilled of solving difficult problems as a cybersecurity consultant.

What were your defining moments in this industry, and factors or guidance that helped you achieve them?

I had good mentors whom I met along my career who has been constantly providing me guidance and advices along the journey. A key takeaway which I’ve learned throughout these years is not to be afraid to reach out to others.

In my personal capacity, I volunteer in several initiatives such as AiSP Cybersecurity Awareness and Advisory Programme (CAAP) and Ladies in Cyber (LIC) Charter as I would like to contribute back to the society. Similarly, I coach individuals who reached out to me seeking for professional advices, where I’m also learning from them from our interaction at the same time.

What is it that you loved most about your role?

I enjoyed working in the consulting industry where I get to help my clients to tackle different challenges and problem statements

Prominent Cybersecurity trends:

What are some of the trends you have seen in the market lately, and what do you think will emerge in the future?

The pandemic has increased the connectivity of various systems and infrastructure with the remote workforce, thus increasing the attack surface. We observed increasing concerns from our clients around cyber supply chain risks, which is not an easy problem to solve.

Females in Cyber Security

What can we do to encourage more women to join the cybersecurity sector?

I would suggest individuals who are interested to join the cybersecurity industry to reach out to professionals who are already in the industry to understand what it takes to join the industry as well as the day-to-day life of their cybersecurity profession.

Final thoughts

How can you debunk the myth that cybersecurity is only for men? Is there any indication this stereotyping is changing?

Getting more female into the cybersecurity industry has always been a topic close to my heart and I’m passionate about coaching more females to join the industry.