2019 WiTWA Events & News

We organise events to facilitate communication, networking and conversation about women in technology, STEM and innovation.
Our events are open to everyone (all genders).

TechXChange: The art of manipulation

WITWA Diversity Champion marks IWD2019

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What if we told you that hacking wasn't all about computers, dark rooms and black hoodies? That instead of infiltrating networks and stealing credentials, there was a way to hack humans instead? Welcome to the world of social engineering - a discipline that uses charm, manipulation and deceit to gain access to secure systems and sensitive information.

Our next TecXChange Networking event will be held on Wednesday 3 April and hosted by event partners Woodside Energy.

Cyber Security Risk Advisor and WiTWA 20in20 Award Winner Cairo Malet will take us through what a social engineer does, the tools and attacks they use to get into systems (and our heads!), and how an awareness of these techniques can be used to build better, more secure organisations. Cairo’s presentation will be followed by a lively panel discussion. Registration is now open and a limited number of free sponsored tickets are available thanks to the support of the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2019 we are thrilled to unveil our Diversity Champion Program.

Be listed on our Inspiring Role Models page as a supporter of diversity and equality to lighthouse your role in enabling positive change. You will also receive our Diversity Champion badge for use on your website and social media.

Our Diversity Champion Program is intended as another easy mechanism through which to enable our supporters and champions to demonstrate their commitment to the WITWA 2019 theme “If you can see her, you can be her”.

Click here to read more for further information about this initiative and to express your interest in submitting an application. Happy International Women’s Day 2019 #betterforbalance #strongertogether #witwa20in20

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Are you a Uni student, a parent returning to work, new to the Perth tech scene or just generally nervous about attending networking events on your own? As the photos show our Mini Mentor scheme was such a success at our last event we will be running it again at our 3rd April event. 😁♥ You will be paired with a volunteer who will take the time to introduce themselves to you prior to the event, taking you under their wing and helping you network (or #kindwork as we like to call it, thank you Jemma Greene 👏🏼) If you are interested in volunteering as a mini-mentor, or would like to be mentored yourself, please find details on how to sign up here ➡ https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/witwa-mini-mentor-mini-mentee-program-part-of-techxchange-the-art-of-manipulation-social-tickets-58573358492
Meet Natasha!😁 A marketing pro with a wealth of Perth tech industry experience, Natasha is a multi-tasker who finds serenity in to-do lists. 👩🏼‍💻She is passionate about cyber security and its role in providing businesses with continued success and operational stability - making it easier for users to do the right thing and/or harder for them to do the wrong thing! With so much F.U.D. (fear, uncertainly and doubt) surrounding cyber security, Tash is keen to see cyber security marketers take a more "positive security" approach (although she wishes more people would realise 'password123' is not a good password). A welcoming environment, new learning opportunities and meeting like-minded professionals is what Tash loves about WiTWA. She strongly supports WiTWA’s role in encouraging young people to consider technology as a stimulating and viable profession. She is especially keen to smash gender stereotypes amongst lower primary school kids, showing girls and boys that, no matter their gender, they can enjoy and succeed at tech too. 👏🏼 Tash volunteers on the events-subcommittee because she believes events are a powerful way to communicate, educate, inspire and entertain. This is especially true this year with the WiTWA theme of "If you can see her, you can be her". 👀🕵🏼‍♀️ A mum to two very energetic kids, Tash is also a keen hockey player, cricket tragic and Formula 1 enthusiast! 🏏 🏎 🏑 Connect with Natasha here https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-ferguson-270b3763/ #workingmum #witwa #ifyoucanseeheryoucanbeher #infosec #security #cybersecurity #womensupportingwomen #womenempoweringwomen #perth #tech #womenintech #womeninsecurity #womeninstem
Meet Divya Dayalamurthy! Divya was the only woman in her team when she started her career in Cybersecurity eight years ago at Dimension Data, Australia. As a skilled CyberSecurity Specialist her passion for the cyber industry encouraged her to work towards her PhD in Cybersecurity at ECU. Divya volunteers her time as a mentor/speaker through technology development programs and study experience at ECU. Being a member of the Tamil Association of Western Australia (TAWA), she has participated in many programs to help promote culture and language. She constantly seeks to gain further knowledge and exposure in her field with the hope of being able to give more back to society. #cybersecurity #security #infosec #ecu #dimensiondata #womenintech #womeninstem #ifyoucanseeheryoucanbeher
Are you a creative but also a techy? Technology needs a creative edge. It needs to be easy to use, but also have a creative, innovative and imaginative angle to it. Perhaps you are a Creative Technologist? Creative Technologists are creative thinkers, they brainstorm and are imaginative. Whilst they are creative, they have a knack for technology and thrive off the latest new shiny piece of tech. They use this prolific creativity to develop easy to use technology that is ‘cool, edgy and pretty,’ and most of all visually appealing. This technology includes simple websites, apps and prototypes that are all visually appealing. A Creative Technologist works in teams, thinks broadly and knows how to use the latest technology. If you designed the latest app, how would you make it easy to use but also cool and edgy? Currently, there is no specific degree required to become a Creative Technologist, but as this career requires both an understanding of technology and the ability to be creative it is important you develop both of these skills. #creativetechnologist #edgy #student #school #technology #girlswhocode #girlsintech #womenintech #girlsinstem #stem #education #careerpaths #creative #ifyoucanseeheryoucanbeher #witwa
Meet one of our panellists for our upcoming event on the 3rd April, Bex Hirdman! Bex first began assisting people with their cybersecurity problems well before she knew it was even a career option. In her mid-teens, with the help of her Mum, Bex was driven around to the homes of various friends and relatives to help fix their computers after they'd been infected with the infamous malicious software known as the Blaster Worm. Bex is now an Assistant Manager in BDO’s Forensic Services Division where she leads the digital forensic service offering for BDO in Australia. In this role, Bex collaborates with teams across the nation to undertake investigations into incidents of fraud, misconduct and cybersecurity breaches for clients in the public and private sector. With a strong interest in financially motivated cybercrime, Bex especially enjoys the fast-paced environment of incident response work and the complexities of high-value fraud investigations. Thank you Bex for taking the time to speak at our event! Tickets available - https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/witwa-techxchange-event-the-art-of-manipulation-social-engineering-and-the-world-of-cyber-security-tickets-58653157172 #cybersecurity #cybercrime #infosec #witwa #ifyoucanseeheryoucanbeher #kindworking
Announcing our next #WiTWA event 👏🏼 “The art of manipulation: Social engineering and the world of cyber security." Wednesday 3rd April @ 5.30pm We are fortunate enough to have Cyber Security Risk Advisor & #WiTWA20in20 Award Winner Cairo Malet as our speaker, covering the topic of Social Engineering! This will be followed by a panel of talented cyber security specialists Laura Davis, Bex Hirdman and Lauren Junior, who will share their stories and advice in a Q&A session. A huge thank you to Woodside Energy for hosting this event & to the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science for sponsoring! Tickets available https://bit.ly/2JdgO6x Our mini-mentor scheme was a huge success at our last event and we will be running this initiative again. In the nature of encouraging #kindworking we will pair new to industry, or nervous networkers, with a “mini mentor”. Instructions for mini-mentors and mini-mentees can be found at the bottom of the eventbrite page. #cybersecurity #infosec #socialengineering #witwa #ifyoucanseeheryoucanbeher #woodside #mentoring #womenempoweringwomen #womenempowerment
That’s a wrap 🌟 thank you to the team at National Energy Resources Australia for having us at the NERA Innovation Station 2019 Australian Oil & Gas Conference & Exhibition 🙏🏼 Brilliant to be able to raise the profile of @womenintechwa & shine the spotlight on our incredible talent pool 🔎 It was also a great chance to unveil our new T-shirts & 2019 theme 😍 Our thanks to @grystene , @hargreaves.kay , @kiwi_in_perth , @pia_turcinov , Michelle Radley , Aparna Burke and Jennifer Reyes for volunteering their time today 🌟🌟🌟 #aog2019 #energy #talent #womenintechwa #technology #witwaplus2019 #womenempowerment #womensupportingwomen
Meet @jenniferreyes64 ! Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of VROC Artificial Intelligence – a global tech company founded in WA specialising in Automated Machine Learning and Industrial Big Data. A young entrepreneur, Jennifer’s journey started at just seven years old and her first business was selling pens and pencils at school. Boasting 100% profit margin, with her parents as “angel investors”, Jennifer’s business and client base grew – no mean feat given the limited hours of trading – lunch and recess! Fast forward and following plenty of notches on her university belt and professional experience to match, Jennifer is now proud mum to an inquisitive and tech savvy toddler. Jennifer counts cancer survivor and snowboarding as accomplishments and practices grit and gratefulness in every aspect of her life. Why WiTWA? Jennifer volunteers on the WiTWA committee as entrepreneurship and technology run through her veins and she passionately believes that everyone should have the opportunity to learn, grow and develop regardless of gender, race or age. There’s heaps more to discover, connect with Jennifer here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferreyes64/ #datascience #artificialintelligence #machinelearning #bigdata #womenintech #womeninstem #coo #witwa #ifyoucanseeheryoucanbeher #data #tech #perth #startup
Meet Diane Harley! As a Mine Control Superintendent, remotely dispatching heavy machinery from Perth for a mine 2000kms away in the Pilbara, Di continuously inspires her team by demonstrating perseverance, determination, and bravery. Her regular feedback ensures that the whole work crew understand that they are valued and that their issues are being addressed. Di is highly respected by her peers and those reporting to her. Her mentoring skills and support of females in the workplace, particularly those with young families or returning from maternity leave, has resulted in her leading the best developed and strongest team on site. #mining #perth #womeninmining #womeninstem #pilbara #ifyoucanseeheryoucanbeher #witwa
Were you at our "If you can see, her you can be her" event on the 26th February? Great atmosphere with so many women supporting each other! 👩🏽‍🦱👩🏽‍🦰👱🏽‍♀️👸🏽👩🏽‍🦳👩🏽‍🎓👩🏽‍🏫👩🏽‍⚖️👩🏽‍💼👩🏽‍💻🧕🏽👩🏽‍🚀 It's not #networking its #kindworking 😊👏🏼 Kindworking - an era where other people will help lift you up, inspire you and make sure you don't feel awkward at scary networking events! - Jemma Greene (far right) Keep an eye out for details of our next event! #witwa #ifyoucanseeheryoucanbeher #perth #perthtech #technology #womenintech #womeninstem #techplus #womensupportingwomen #womenempoweringwomen

Pssst: are you a potential WiTWA[+] sponsor? Check out our prospectus to become a partner in our inaugural one day conference on Thursday 24 October 2019 where we’ll bring to life our catch-cry: if you can see her, you can be her. It’s going to be even bigger and better than our ‘20 in 20’ Awards night!