What do you do and what is it about your job that gets you out of bed in the morning?
I am a biometrics and digital identity consultant working across two organisations, Beruku Identity and Ingenium Biometric Laboratories.
I am consistently the most excited about the opportunity to learn from the brilliant, experienced people I work with. In the context of identity as a subject matter, I particularly enjoy that projects span diverse industries; meaning in almost all information systems-based projects there is an identity component. This diversity consistently presents a new challenge or way to think about a problem.
What is the most important lesson you have learned along the way?
Listen with intent.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Why did you become a WiD volunteer/why do you support WiD?
When pursuing my Master’s I found a great interest in the topic of digital identity and specifically digital identity as a means for inclusion. In that, Women in Identity’s mission aligned greatly with my interests and presented a practical way for me to apply them post-gradation.
I’m very excited for the next piece of research to come out of WiD and urge organisations to consider supporting this focused and fascinating initiative.
What's one piece of advice you would give to young girls/women who want to pursue a career in digital identity/biometrics/cybersecurity?
I think this is true for all industries but especially so given the current composition of the identity industry..
Trust yourself, take up space and (when appropriate) stand your ground. Women are particularly plagued by imposter syndrome so it’s important to be vigilant of that
In one sentence, why does diversity matter to you?
Advancement and innovation in its truest form is driven by diversity of thought which is not possible without diversity of people
What book/film/piece of art would you recommend to your fellow members? Why?
For Valentine’s Day, the NY Times published a piece called “100 small acts of love” which collated a series of responses from readers. It’s a nice reminder of other’s humanity