The power of female leadership: NCCS changes the Ukrainian cyber community

On Thursday, September 4, the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, with the support of the European Union Advisory Mission in Ukraine, held a workshop entitled “Women's Path in Cybersecurity: Stories, Challenges, Success.” The event was part of the National Initiative to Strengthen the Role of Women in Cybersecurity, launched by the NCCK in September last year, and was held at the Kyiv Aviation Institute State University.

Opening the event, Natalia Tkachuk, Head of the Information Security and Cybersecurity Service of the NSDC of Ukraine and Secretary of the NCC, emphasized the importance of the National Initiative, which aims to support gender balance, the development of education and professional communities, and thanked the partners for their assistance in its development.

“This initiative is designed to help Ukrainian women realize their potential in the field of cybersecurity, create conditions for their professional development, and involve them in shaping the country's secure cyberspace. In the context of war, it is also a necessary way to strengthen Ukraine's cybersecurity personnel,” she said.

In her welcoming speech, Lin Shihan, Head of the CMES Operations Department, emphasized that the involvement of women in cybersecurity is an important factor in strengthening Ukraine's democratic institutions and security, and that the NCCK initiative could serve as an example for other countries.

As part of the workshop, Ukraine hosted its first CTF for Women competition, which was attended by 24 participants representing the public sector, law enforcement agencies, the financial sector, and students from leading higher education institutions. The winners of the competition were: 1st place – the Red Team (representatives of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute), 2nd place – the Green Team (a joint team from the National Bank of Ukraine and the Security Service of Ukraine), and 3rd place – the Pink Team (a joint team from the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture).

Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Vitaliy Lavrov noted that the winning team will participate in the final of the Ukrainian Technological Sports Championship in the CTF discipline, based on the results of which the national team will be formed to represent Ukraine at the European Cybersecurity Challenge 2025.

The event also featured panel discussions, expert presentations, and public discussions on the role of women in cybersecurity, current challenges, and proposals for expanding their participation.

In his speech, Oleksandr Potii, Head of the State Special Communications Service, emphasized: “It is very important that both men and women are represented at all levels of positions, including in cybersecurity. They have different approaches to organizing work and attitudes towards certain issues, which allows for more effective solutions to be found.”

Sabine Fraser Gunes, head of the UN Women office in Ukraine, emphasized the importance of involving women in building the country's cyber resilience and the need for systematic counteraction to online violence and discrimination in the digital environment.

During the event, Svitlana Dubova, head of the Center for Analysis and Development of Effective Policies, presented an analytical report entitled “From Dream to Career: Women's Path to Cybersecurity.” Daria Verbytska, CEO and co-founder of the Molfar Intelligence Institute, spoke about the development of OSINT and educational opportunities, emphasizing that women can play a key role in modern open source intelligence. The event also featured interactive training sessions on crisis communication skills related to gender aspects in cybersecurity, facilitated by the Center for Countering Disinformation.

The event was attended by representatives of the public sector, business, civil society, student and academic circles, as well as international partners.

The partners and co-organizers of the workshop were Cyber Unit Technologies, the Center for Analysis and Development of Effective Policies, UN Women in Ukraine, the Center for Countering Disinformation, the Institute for Cyber Warfare Research, and the Kyiv Aviation Institute State University.

The NCCK workshop was an important step towards expanding opportunities for women in cybersecurity, creating a gender-balanced professional environment, and training a new generation of female cybersecurity experts capable of strengthening Ukraine's cyber defenses.

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