From fashion hacks to cyber hackers, women are changing the face of tech

Victoria Pirovani was always intrigued by maths and physics. But as a young girl growing up in Argentina, she couldn’t see a place for herself in that world. Instead, she studied fashion and textile design. The reasons she loved them were the same ones that would help her thrive when she fell into the world of cyber security, years later and an ocean away. 

“[I loved] functionality.. What is this being used for? Is it fit for purpose? I always really liked maths and physics,” she told FW. “[But] if you’re a woman over there [in Argentina], looking back, it’s quite a sexist culture and you just don’t assume that’s kind of the space for you.” 

Pirovani moved to Australia in February 2020, just before the Covid-19 pandemic saw borders clamped shut and people kept in their homes to stop the spread of the virus. The then-24-year-old found work where she could, moving from the city to the countryside and back, adding an assortment of roles to her resume from printing face masks to bartending to sales for a fundraising organisation. After the latter she found her natural fit – a role in tech. 

“I basically fell into it. I wasn’t looking to get into cyber security. People that I knew were looking for a project coordinator. It was a very small startup cyber security [company] at that point,” Pirovani recalled. “They just happened to be growing and I was looking for a role in project management. It was just like, ‘Oh we’re looking for this, you’re looking for this. Why not just take you on board?’” 

While women make up 48 percent of Australia’s overall full-time workforce, just 17 percent work in cyber security. Pirovani is one of the women changing the landscape. She’s now a project coordinator at Volkis, a consultancy specialising in ‘offensive security’. “It’s basically a whole bunch of hackers, with permission, conducting security assessments on companies’ systems to make sure they know if there’s any vulnerabilities, where they are and how to fix them,” Pirovani explains. 

At the start of July Qantas announced a cyberattack had exposed the personal data of up to six million customers, the latest high-profile incident to hit the headlines. At the same time, cyber security is grappling with a skills shortage, with one CyberCX report projecting a shortfall of 30,000 unfilled positions by 2026. 

“It’s easy to wake up every day and go do something that just helps people.”

FW Managing Director Helen McCabe says recruiting women like Pirovani solves two problems at once. “The industry needs more workers and women are a hugely untapped talent pool. To be able to connect the two just makes perfect sense and provides the opportunity to change the landscape.” 

“It’s imperative women play a central part in the next stage of this burgeoning industry. Many of our future jobs will come from the tech sector, so it’s important we create the future workforce to fill those roles. And that means encouraging everyone, regardless of gender, to train for and consider careers in cyber.”  

In June, FW announced plans to deliver workforce training and industry research as part of a partnership to recruit more women into cyber security and drive cultural and structural change. As part of that two-year collaboration, women and men will receive access to programs to create greater gender balance in the sector. 

For Pirovani, it’s exciting times. The industry is still very much in its infancy and she’s looking forward to doing her part in shaping its future. 

“I love my job. I love everything I do. It’s easy to wake up every day and go do something that just helps people. We help people and businesses be more secure. In terms of purpose, I love it and the people that I work with.”