This year, they trained and sent three teams to the competition. Members of Deloitte sponsorship team sat down with our editor to discuss cyber security in business, their expectations for this year's competition and the importance of gender parity in the cyber security space. 

1. What are you most looking forward to at the European Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge 2019 in Geneva? What is one expectation you have about the competition?

We expect to see a very exciting competition this year, as the diversity and internationality of the teams promises to provide insight into a wide range of cyber crisis management approaches. Given we are supporting three all-female teams that are competing this year, we are also very much looking forward to seeing them in action and grow in the challenge.

2. Why did you decide to sponsor the competition? Why is it important to you to give students the space to advice on cyber policy?

We are delighted to sponsor the European Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge in Geneva for the second time, as we believe it’s an excellent learning experience for students that focuses more on the strategic aspects of cyber crisis management, which goes beyond what many existing hacking competitions offer. With cyber being international, the setup with international student teams and judges, and a complex international crisis scenario, provides an ideal learning and networking platform for future cyber and policy professionals. As an organisation committed to contributing to the development and training of future cyber professionals, we see this event as a valuable addition to the cyber security community.

3. Describe cyber in three words and what does cyber represent for you? 

Dynamic. Uncertain. Everywhere. It’s about thinking of all eventualities; be they malicious or accidental. Who will (try to) use what and for what purpose? What could go wrong?

4. What is something that is not commonly understood about the cyber world?

Cyber is a lot more than protecting computer systems; it is a holistic approach to managing cyber risks. Often, the human aspect of cyber security is forgotten or misunderstood.

5. Did you know that in 2019, we have reached gender parity amongst all our participants? Why is that important for you?

We were aware that gender parity amongst participants of this year’s challenge was achieved and are very happy that we contributed to this outcome by sponsoring and supporting three all-female teams as part of our Women in Cyber initiative. In addition to businesses benefiting from higher productivity, more innovation power, longer-term business impact and sustainability in the workplace by having diverse teams, encouraging more women to choose cyber as a career path will help the industry tackle the rapidly growing skills shortage in this field. With women’s representation in the cyber workforce still being very low, organisations are currently missing out on a largely untapped talent pool. At Deloitte Switzerland, we are committed to addressing this gender imbalance and skills shortage with our Women in Cyber initiative.