The careers, lessons,
and stories shaping
cyber threat intelligence
Women building the future of cyber threat intelligence.
Sixteen conversations on finding their way into cyber threat intelligence, the work that keeps them there, and the people who helped along the way.
Why this eBook
They came into cyber threat intelligence from intelligence, the military, political science, marketing, game development, engineering, recruitment, theatre, and ten years at home raising children. Between them they have built threat intelligence functions from scratch, tracked a Russian influence operation across a decade of Olympic Games, and shown that attackers can be spotted months before they build their infrastructure.
There isn’t a single way into CTI, and there isn’t a single kind of person who belongs here.
We set out to ask sixteen practitioners how they got in and what keeps them there. The conversations went well past career paths: building trust, keeping up with a field where uncertainty is certain, where AI fits, the investigations they still think about years later.
What came back, again and again, was community. Managers who hired for potential. Mentors who made time. Friends who made an introduction, or simply gave someone the confidence to try. That generosity runs through these stories, and the women in them are passing it on.
A few of the voices inside
They came in from intelligence, the military, recruitment, engineering, theatre and semi-professional cycling. Here is a little of what they told us.
Amanda Capobianco
CTI Manager, Richemont
“I found my way into CTI by being curious, wanting to connect the dots, and understanding the bigger picture.”
Einat Argon
Manager, Customer Success, Filigran
“A lot of women come with what they didn't do and what they don't have. I always look at what they have done already.”
Karla Reffold
Chief Insights Officer, Surefire Cyber
“Your hard days and your good days come from the people you work with.”
Jasmina Zito
Head of Threat Intelligence and Red Team, Canva
“I would rather use AI to speed up the repeatable work and protect the parts where we add the most value.”
Jane Ginn
Cyber Threat Analyst and Co-founder, Cyber Threat Intelligence Network
“It has always been hard for me to upskill while working, so I have routinely taken time off to do it.”
Cheryl Biswas
Cybersecurity Researcher, Freelance
“Don't let a lack of technical qualifications convince you that you don't belong.”
“You can go very fast alone, but you can go very fast into a wall.”
What's inside
Nine chapters, and what each one leaves you with.
- Chapter 1Curiosity Is the Only PrerequisiteNo two routes in are the same. What they share is curiosity and the confidence to take an opportunity without knowing everything first.
- Chapter 2Someone Took a Chance on MeSomebody saw what each of them could become before they could see it themselves. Every one of them now does that for someone else.
- Chapter 3Earning the RoomKnowing the subject is only half of it. Credibility came from listening first and delivering what people actually needed.
- Chapter 4The Human in the LoopDeciding what to hand to AI is becoming a skill in itself, and where the line sits is a judgement call rather than a setting.
- Chapter 5Staying SharpThe field never lets you know enough. Keeping up means getting hands-on with something new, and knowing what deserves your attention.
- Chapter 6The Moment that Changed EverythingOne investigation can change how you understand the work: a connection nobody had appreciated, or proof that something only thought possible really works.
- Chapter 7Busting the MythsLess glamorous, more demanding and far more varied than the films suggest, and than a narrow idea of who belongs in security suggests.
- Chapter 8Why We StayA problem that looks different every day, and knowing the work may have stopped a bad day from ever happening.
- Chapter 9Lifting As We ClimbMentoring someone through a career change, making the introduction, or giving someone a platform when their work deserves more attention.
Get the Women in CTI eBook
Sixteen practitioners on how they got into cyber threat intelligence, what keeps them there, and what they wish someone had told them sooner.