Top 50 Women Leaders in Cybersecurity to Watch in 2026 – The Cyber Express
Top 50 Women Leaders in Cybersecurity to Watch in 2026 – The Cyber Express
https://thecyberexpress.com/top-50-women-in-cybersecurity-to-watch-in-2026/
Publish Date: 2026-03-07 22:58:00
Source Domain: thecyberexpress.com
Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points.
As the world prepares to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, The Cyber Express takes the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the women trailblazers of the realm of cybersecurity. We proudly present the “Top 50 Women in Cybersecurity to Watch in 2026.”
This special recognition to Women in Cybersecurity highlights influential professionals who are driving innovation, strengthening cyber resilience, and shaping the future of digital security across industries.
This year’s International Women’s Day theme, “Give to Gain,” stresses on meaningful progress towards gender equality, which requires intentional contributions from governments, organizations, and individuals.
When institutions invest in women’s safety, leadership, and opportunities, the impact extends far beyond workplace representation — strengthening innovation, improving decision-making, and building more resilient societies.
Women in Cybersecurity: Progress and Persistent Challenges
Within cybersecurity, women continue to expand their presence in a field that has historically been male dominated. According to the latest available data, women currently make up about 22% of the global cybersecurity workforce, a significant increase from just 11% in 2017. Today, one in four cybersecurity professionals is a woman, and projections suggest that by 2031, women could represent nearly one-third of the cybersecurity workforce.
Despite this progress, challenges remain. In the United States, women still hold less than 20% of cybersecurity roles, and a gender pay gap of around 5% persists in the sector. Career growth also continues to present obstacles, with nearly half of women in cybersecurity reporting challenges in professional advancement, while almost one-third say they have experienced workplace discrimination at some point in their careers.
Even so, women across the cybersecurity ecosystem are making remarkable contributions — from leading security operations and shaping national cyber policies to advancing threat intelligence, digital forensics, and cyber resilience strategies. Their work is not only protecting organizations and critical infrastructure but also inspiring the next generation of security professionals.
Keeping this in mind, The Cyber Express’ “Top 50 Women Leaders in Cybersecurity to Watch in 2026” recognizes professionals whose leadership, expertise, and impact are helping redefine the cybersecurity landscape.
Their journeys reflect the spirit of International Women’s Day on 8 March — demonstrating that when we support and empower women in cybersecurity, the entire digital ecosystem stands to gain.
Top 50 Women Leader in Cybersecurity | IWD Special by The Cyber Express
Name
Designation
Company Name
Celia Mantshiyane
Group Chief Information Security Officer
FirstRand
Radhika Bajpai
CISO
Russell Investments
Holly Foxcroft
Cyber Security Business Partner – BISO
OneAdvanced
Dr Sheeba Armoogum
Associate Professor in Cybersecurity
University of Mauritius
Irene Corpuz
Founding Partner, Head of Governance & Communications
Women in Cyber Security Middle East
Patricia “Patty” Voight
Executive Managing Director; CISO and Tech Risk Management
Webster Bank
Alya Al Marzooqi
Group Digital Risk Management and Compliance Manager
ADNOC Group
Sakshi Porwal
Global Chief Information Security Officer & Cybersecurity Consulting Practice Head
Compunnel Inc.
Rona Michele Spiegel, CISSP
Senior Manager, Security and Trust, Mergers and Acquisitions
Autodesk
Dr Priyanka Sunder
Co-Founder & Chief Human Risk Intelligence Officer
Secure Mojo
Lauren Dana Rosenblatt
Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
PSEG
Sheeba Sultan Hasnain
Chairwoman & CIO
SENTIENTE
Dr. Meetali Sharma
Director – Risk, Compliance and Information Security
SDG Corporation
Kylie Watson
Head of Cyber Security, ANZ/ASEAN/Japan/India/GC/Middle East/Africa
DXC Technology
Catherine Rowe
Chief Information Security Officer
Reserve Bank of Australia
Maryam Bechtel
General Manager, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
TAL Australia
Sofia Scozzari
CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and Founder
Hackmanac
Archana Venugopal
Senior Vice President & Chief Information Secuirty Officer National aCommodity& Derivates Exchange
National Commodity & Derivative Exchange Of India Limited
Shivani Arni
Enterprise CISO
Mahindra Group
Cindy (Monceaux) Hoots
Chief Digital Officer & CIO
AstraZeneca
Jae Evans
EVP, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Global CIO
Oracle
Sheila Jordan
Chief Digital Technology Officer
Honeywell
Maria Demaree
Senior Vice President, Enterprise Business and Digital Transformation & CIO
Lockheed Martin
Heide Young
Manager Cyber Strategy & Engagement
NEOM
Eman Al Awadhi
Vice President – Network and Cyber Security
Expo City Dubai
Julia Dudenko
Group CISO
Haniel
Anne Neuberger
Deputy National Security Advisor, Cyber & Emerging Tech
National Security Council, The White House
Kris Lovejoy
Global Head of Strategy
Kyndryl
Ramya Ganesh
Cybersecurity XDR Leader
Cisco
Jane Teh
Founder and CEO
VortiQ[x]
Nasrin Rezai
SVP, Chief Information Security Officer
Verizon
Laura Deaner
Chief Information Security Officer
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC)
Mignona Coté
SVP Chief Information Security Officer
Infor
Noopur Davis
Global CISO. Chief Product Privacy Officer. Corporate EVP.
Comcast
Teresa Zielinski
Vice President, CISO
GE Vernova
Andrea Abell
Chief Information Security Officer
Eli Lilly and Company
Deneen DeFiore
Vice President & Chief Information Security Officer
United Airlines
Elizabeth Joyce
EVP & Global CISO
State Street
Mary Rose Martinez
Chief Information Security Officer and Vice President of Infrastructure
Marathon Petroleum Corporation
Marnie (Huss) Wilking
VP Chief Security Officer
Booking.com
Hannah Suarez 🇵🇸
CISO
Loyalty Status Co
Annie (Anne) Haggar
Deputy Chief of Staff
Australian Government
Sujata Misra
GM – Network Infra and Security Leader
Brigade Group
Bonnie Butlin
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Security Partners’ Forum
Gurdeep Kaur
Chief Operating Officer
Suraksha Catalyst
Vandana Verma
President
InfoSec Girls
Mansi Thapar
Global Head – Cyber Security & Infra
Apollo Tyres
Rosalia Hajek
CISO
Topgolf Callaway Brands
Carmen Marsh
President & CEO
United Cybersecurity Alliance (Europe, US, Middle East & Japan)
Lisa Fitzgerald
Partner
Norton Rose Fulbright
Related
