Eliza Lozan never imagined her dream job to appear in Deloitte’s Cyber department. Six years into her successful career, she is now fighting to make tech and cyber a natural career path for women.
As Eliza entered Deloitte’s office in Copenhagen, she immediately felt at home. Newly graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Copenhagen, Eliza had been called into her first job interview in Deloitte’s Cyber department. An area she knew very little about. But the laid-back vibe, the receptionist who wished her good luck, and the good chemistry at the interview spurred a sensation of belonging which has only increased since then.
A push in a new direction
During her six years at Deloitte, 33-year-old Eliza has stormed through the ranks. Today, she is a Senior Manager in Deloitte’s Cyber Department and the privacy team lead. Furthermore, she is a hand-picked member of Deloitte’s Future Market leader and High Potential programme. She even won the “passion prize” at a Deloitte value award show.
Her story goes to show that the polishing of talent is highly dependent on the people who choose to guide you. This knowledge is crucial to Eliza in her quest to make tech and cyber a more natural career path for women like her.
“I believe it is essential to have a mentor who pushes you in the right direction and helps you grow and cultivate your skills. In my opinion, every person has several talents, but you need the right people in your life to make you realize you have them. Back then, Deloitte saw the potential that I did not know I had and chose to invest in me, and I wish everyone could experience that, she says.”
Not just coding
During her skyrocketing career at Deloitte, Eliza has aimed to always say yes to new assignments even though she was nervous around whether she could handle them. Her successes gave her the confidence to engage in additional disciplines outside of her legal expertise, and soon sales and innovative service offerings became some of her core strengths.
– I quickly discovered that cyber is not necessarily a matter of technical coding capabilities. There is much more to it. Many women don’t choose this path because they are nervous about missing a specific technical skill or ability. But the truth is: if you are ready to learn and take on a wide range of tasks, you can easily succeed at Deloitte, she says, adding:
– In the Cyber department, we are not just coding. We are changing the world. We help protect our customers from cyber attacks. But we are also safeguarding the human rights that protect our society.
Promoting women in tech
Being an experienced Deloitte employee, Eliza’s vision has changed from working long hours and climbing the ranks to creating space for even more women in the cyber and tech world. And there is plenty of room. According to Deloitte forecasts, the global workforce will lack 1,8 million cyber talents in 2022.
In the quest of creating more diversity in tech and cyber, she plays a big role in the global Deloitte communities Women for Ethical AI and Women in Cyber. Both communities promote innovative discussions on tech and cyber and are especially focused on knowledge sharing and creating female role models on the tech scene.
– The vision is to promote gender diversity in cybersecurity. In the end, everyone is looking for someone to look up to. We live in a time where cyber and AI is the future. That is why women need to see the many possibilities in reach. I believe women are missing a huge opportunity if they do not consider this area, she says and adds:
We need to break down the common misconceptions about the typical work for Cyber professionals and the experience that you should have.
Inner balance
For Eliza, working at Deloitte has meant entering an industry full of opportunities. In the process, she has found the right balance between passion and work. Although her projects are time-consuming, she rarely works in the weekends and often engages in yoga and meditation. She also loves travelling and exploring new countries and cultures.
– Sometimes, our industry can be hectic with many customers and projects. That is why it is vital to have an inner balance. At Deloitte, there is ample opportunity to climb the career ladder, but in the end, the individual can choose how they want to do it, she says.
Deloitte’s Cyber department currently employs 70 people in Denmark. Deloitte has established cyber departments in a lot of the offices across the globe. Eliza is proud to be part of the World’s largest Cyber team and dreams of becoming a Deloitte partner.
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