This week we are tackling women in tech, specifically the lack of diversity found in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), with Vandana Verma Sehgal, the founder of Infosec Girls. Infosec Girls is a community, started in India and now spread to the US and Italy, created to get more women curious about cybersecurity - sharing information on how to participate in events and community meet-ups, as well as encouraging women to pursue careers in the field of information security.

Vandana, who is a seasoned security professional based in India and 2020 Cyber Security Woman of the Year Award winner, shares with us her thoughts on how we can encourage more women to get into tech careers and the importance of mentorship when addressing gender imbalance. She stresses the importance of managers and organizations providing women with flexible working situations to better manage both their home and work lives – shaking up cultural norms and working to change perceptions that women can both have a successful career and raise a family if they choose to. She feels that with a better work/life balance, and with a strong mentorship program, we are more likely to uplift women, helping them to conquer their fears and join the tech world as working professionals. Vandana is also a member of the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) global board of directors, where she works on a number of diversity initiatives and shares more about future plans to look forward to in this space.

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