Summary
While the cybersecurity field has historically been male-dominated, a powerful generation of women now leads major global security programs, spearheads groundbreaking research, and founds top-tier defense companies.
Top women in cybersecurity leading in 2026 include Wendy Thomas (CEO, Secureworks), Deneen DeFiore (VP/CISO, United Airlines), and Kirsten Davies (CISO, Unilever). Other key leaders driving innovation and strategy include Lakshmi Hanspal (DigiCert), Sarah Armstrong-Smith (Microsoft), and Eva Galperin (EFF). They excel in areas like cloud security, threat intelligence, and, specifically,, bridging human behavior with technical security.
OnAir Post: Women Cybersecurity Leaders
About
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Corporate & Policy Leaders
Jen Easterly
: Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
Vasu Jakkal
: Corporate VP of Security, Compliance, Identity, and Privacy at Microsoft.
Wendy Thomas
: CEO of Secureworks, a global leader in software-driven security solutions.
Eva Chen
: Co-founder and CEO of Trend Micro, one of the world’s largest security software firms.
Theresa Payton
: CEO of Fortalice Solutions and the first female White House CIO.
Rinki Sethi
: VP and CISO at BILL, with former CISO roles at Twitter and Rubrik.
Researchers & Ethical Hackers
Keren Elazari
: Internationally recognized security analyst, senior researcher at Tel Aviv University, and the first Israeli woman to give a TED talk on hacking.
Heather Adkins
: VP of Security Engineering at Google and a founding member of their original security team.
Katie Moussouris
: Founder of Luta Security and architect of the “Hack the Pentagon” bug bounty program.
Rachel Tobac
: CEO of SocialProof Security, specializing in social engineering and human-centered security.
Parisa Tabriz
: Known as Google’s “Security Princess,” she leads the Chrome security team. OffSec +3
Advocates & Community Builders
Jane Frankland
: Founder of the IN Security Movement, which focuses on attracting and retaining women in the industry.
Lisa Jiggetts
: Founder of the Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu (WSC), providing resources and support for women entering the field.
Lynn Dohm
: Executive Director of Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS), a global community dedicated to advancing women in the profession.
Naomi Buckwalter
: Director of Product Security at Contrast Security and founder of the Cybersecurity Gatebreakers Foundation
