Terranova Security is proud to announce that CEO and author Lise Lapointe has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 20 Women in Cyber Security by IT World Canada (ITWC). The selection was made by an independent panel of judges from a pool of more than 170 nominations for women working in cybersecurity across a wide variety of organizations and roles, including CISOs, company founders, professors, directors, and women holding numerous specialty positions in both the public and private sectors.
A special 75-minute virtual celebration of the top 20 honorees took place on July 23 at 1 p.m. As part of that celebration, ITWC featured short profiles of all the winners in a special video package. An article on the honorees will also be distributed via ITWC’s network of publications the following day.
“When I first started in this business, you could count on one hand the number of women you would run into at an industry event,” said Lise Lapointe, author and CEO of Terranova Security. “Today there are security industry events and professional organizations where women are the primary attendees and members. But we still have a long way to go.”
Lise Lapointe began her career as a teacher before “unexpectedly” transitioning into the field of IT training more than a quarter-century ago. By her own admission, her love of helping organizations train their users to become cyber heroes is rooted in how positive the impact on people’s cyber security acumen.
“Lise has made many standout contributions in the cyber security industry through security awareness training,” said Pierre Fitzgerald, Owner at PJF Consulting and Advisory Board Member at Terranova Security. “She’s also a role model for other women looking to make a difference not just in the world of technology but as a business leader in any industry.”
The popular security awareness training book from Lise Lapointe, titled “The Human Fix to Human Risk™,” is considered a must-read for CISOs and cyber security professionals, regardless of industry. It teaches readers how to master the five-step process needed to create an effective security awareness training program that emphasizes lasting behavior change.
The book also demonstrates the numerous benefits that came with implementing a successful training program, including maintaining compliance, remaining operational in the face of cyber threats, reducing costs, minimizing risk, maintaining organizational credibility, and strengthening consumer trust in your services.
For more insight into Lise Lapointe’s security awareness training framework, download the eBook for free.
After launching its first security awareness course in 2003, Terranova Security has grown to become one of the most talked-about entities in the field of security awareness training. The organization continues to receive accolades in 2020, most notably being recognized as a security awareness training partner of choice by Microsoft. Gartner and Gartner Peer Insight Customer Choice has also touted them as a top security awareness training solution.
Along with the company’s growth, Lise Lapointe and Terranova Security are also doing their part of advocate for more women working in cyber security, especially in key decision-making roles. “As an entrepreneur, women have played an important role in every organization I’ve owned or led,” said Lise Lapointe. “I strongly believe that an even mix of men and women is crucial to bringing new ideas and creativity to the table, as well as helping to identify new ways to improve and innovate business operations.”
50 percent of the global Terranova Security employee base are female, while women occupy two-thirds of the company’s management positions. This number is far above industry benchmarks based on recent data related to women entering tech roles and building long, successful careers in various sectors of the tech industry:
- According to data from the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), only 25 percent of female professionals hold computing roles
- A 2019 study found that women made up only 24 percent of the cybersecurity workforce
- On a positive note, the same study found that, on average, women fill more cybersecurity leadership roles than men and hit higher up on the corporate hierarchy.
Terranova Security is an organization that is committed to cultivating a diverse, inclusive, dynamic culture for professionals from all walks of life. For more on what Terranova Security is doing to shrink the gender gap in cyber security, check out the blog post.
