Yesterday we celebrated the next generation of cybersecurity talents at the "Empowering the Next Generation of Cybersecurity Talent" event, co-organized by SANS Institute, Allianz Technology and The Charter of Trust. This event was a pivotal gathering focused on addressing the critical shortage of skilled professionals in the cybersecurity field. It was a formidable opportunity to bring together industry leaders, educators and public authorities to celebrate the graduation of aspiring cybersecurity youngsters from the CyberTalent programme and discuss future opportunities in cybersecurity education and careers.

🚀 We had the pleasure of welcoming our new graduates from diverse backgrounds and hear about their journey and ambitions in becoming skilled cybersecurity professionals.

The graduation ceremony was followed by a high-level panel discussion moderated by María del Pino González-Junco with the experts from both industry and public sector Maria Manuela Catrina, Patrick Zeitz, Ian R., Dimitra Liveri and Dr Sumit Chanda who shared insights on bridging the cybersecurity skills gap and fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce. The main takeaways from this exchange:

Different ways of thinking - "Cybersecurity skills can be taught, but the strategic mindset and the hunger to learn more certainly not". This shows the value of such initiatives like the CyberTalent, different backgrounds, different forms of tackling problems and the desire to excel can get you everywhere in cybersecurity.

Soft skills - "What we need in Cybersecurity right now are not only hard technical skills, but soft skills like communications, public affairs, public relations, creativity". Back in the day, almost everyone in cybersecurity had a degree in computer science, but those times are long gone. Talents like we have them gathered here today are the future and build the backbone of our security systems tomorrow.

Human-centred - "2/3 of all data breaches involve some form of human element". This shows that cybersecurity must go a long way to make it more human-centred. A culture of failure must be embraced and openness to constructive knowledge sharing after attacks. This is what the Charter of Trust stands for and wholeheartedly welcomes this new generation of open-minded cyber-talents.

We thank SANS Institute and Allianz for organizing this wonderful event and congratulate everyone graduating from the CyberTalents academy. We cannot wait to see, where your journey will lead you, but we are sure that your contributions to cybersecurity will be most needed.

"Lessons learned in the field of cybersecurity should not be kept in an isolated environment" - said Thanassis Diogos from IBM during the panel about collaborative strategies in the Balkans at the SEE Beyond Ministerial Leadership Dialogue. Against the backdrop of evolving cyber threats and the heightened risk landscape during election cycles, the Charter of Trust welcomes the advocacy efforts of its members and calls for enhanced information sharing.

The overarching theme that came up during the esteemed panel (Michail Bletsas, Vangelis Ouzounis, Franziska Klopfer, Anne BLICKHAN) moderated by Konstantinos Foutzopoulos was trust. Trust not only in our critical infrastructure and supply chains in combination, but also trust in sharing your experiences and problems with your peers. Cyber has now become a hard power and in the digital space, we are all neighbours. Sharing knowledge and foster openness is essential.

The last three days we came together for our biannual Collaboration Week. It's been a valuable opportunity to recognize the importance of teamwork, innovation, and shared purpose in our endeavours.

This Collaboration week we had lively discussions around our transition towards our new governance structure, which will ramp up our capabilities as a global cybersecurity alliance to provide valuable recommendations and shared best practices on emerging technologies, supply chain, security practices, education and harmnonised regulatory frameworks.

Throughout this week, we've seen the tangible benefits of working together, from sharing insights to coordinating efforts in tackling common issues around cybersecurity.

A big thank you to Bosch for hosting the Charter of Trust partners. Let's carry forward the spirit of collaboration in our ongoing efforts. Together, we can make meaningful progress in safeguarding digital integrity and promoting responsible cyber practices.