Jessica Barker

• Specialist Speaker Jessica Barker MBE is a Cybersecurity Expert, Co-founder of Cygenta and Speaker on Human Risk, Behaviour and Cybersecurity Culture

• Internationally recognised expert on the human side of cybersecurity
• Co-founder and co-CEO of cybersecurity consultancy Cygenta
• Awarded an MBE for services to cybersecurity
• Keynote speaker for organisations and events including NATO, the World Government Summit, Gartner and RSA
• Specialist in cybersecurity culture, human behaviour, social engineering and security awareness
• Author of bestselling books including Hacked and Confident Cyber Security
• Member of the UK Government Cyber Security Advisory Board
• Trusted cybersecurity commentator for BBC News, Sky News and Channel 4 News

Speaking

Technology is only one part of cybersecurity. Dr Jessica Barker MBE focuses on the part that is often harder to understand: people.

With a background in sociology and civic design, Jessica examines how psychology, behaviour and organisational culture influence cybersecurity. Rather than treating employees simply as a potential weakness, she explores how organisations can enable people to become one of their strongest lines of defence. As co-founder and co-CEO of Cygenta, Jessica works with organisations around the world to improve cybersecurity awareness, behaviour and culture. Her approach combines cybersecurity expertise with insights from behavioural science, helping leaders understand why people respond to security policies in the way they do and how organisations can create meaningful, lasting behavioural change.

Jessica has delivered cybersecurity awareness sessions to tens of thousands of people and has spoken internationally for audiences ranging from senior executives and government leaders to security professionals and technical teams. Her keynote engagements have included NATO, Gartner and RSA San Francisco and Jessica has spoken recently for Specialist Speaker to a major US-based digital corporation.Whether exploring social engineering, cybercrime, human behaviour or organisational culture, Jessica gives audiences a practical understanding of why security behaviours matter and what businesses can do to improve them.

Speaker Topics

• The Human Side of Cybersecurity
• Cybersecurity Culture and Behaviour Change
• Social Engineering and Human Risk
• Cybersecurity Leadership
• Building Security Awareness That Works
• Cybercrime and the Changing Threat Landscape
• Psychology, Trust and Cybersecurity
• AI, People and Emerging Cyber Risk
• Diversity and Inclusion in Cybersecurity

Why Book Dr Jessica Barker

Jessica Barker brings a perspective that many cybersecurity speakers cannot: an understanding of technology grounded in the study of human behaviour. She helps organisations build security cultures that work with people rather than against them, translating the psychology of cyber risk into practical, lasting change for leaders and employees alike.

Biography

Jessica Barker did not arrive in cybersecurity through a conventional technical route. She holds a degree in Political and Social Studies from the University of Sheffield, a Masters in Research Methodology and a PhD in Civic Design from the University of Liverpool. That background in how societies function, how people make decisions and how research reveals the gap between what people say they do and what they actually do turned out to be exactly the right preparation for a career spent understanding why cybersecurity so often fails at the human level.

She is a member of the UK Government Cyber Security Advisory Board, contributing her expertise to discussions around the development of the UK’s cybersecurity sector. She is the author of Confident Cyber Security, an accessible introduction to cybersecurity and careers in the industry, and Hacked, which explores cybersecurity through real-world stories of hacking, social engineering and cybercrime. She also co-authored Cybersecurity ABCs, a practical guide to improving awareness, behaviours and cybersecurity culture within organisations. Her ability to communicate complex cybersecurity issues clearly has made her a regular expert voice on BBC News, Sky News and Channel 4 News, as well as across international media. In 2023, Jessica was awarded an MBE in the United Kingdom for services to cybersecurity, recognising her contribution to the industry and her work helping organisations and individuals better understand cyber risk.

At the heart of Jessica’s work is a simple principle: cybersecurity is ultimately about people. Technology, policies and controls matter, but organisations become more secure when they understand human behaviour and create cultures in which people are equipped and motivated to make better security decisions. Jessica Barker lives in Nevada and is available for engagements worldwide. To contact Dr Jessica Barker for keynote speaking, cybersecurity conferences and corporate events, call a Specialist Speakers agent on +44 [0]204 616 0868 or email info@specialistspeakers.com.