Marina's WICCON talk on legacy technology started as what she calls "a rant with slides," but it sparked valuable conversations about security, dependency, and organisational change. In this speaker spotlight, she shares why perfection is overrated, why more women should take the stage, and why the only real failure is never trying at all.

“You are not there because you are a woman, but because you have knowledge, and that knowledge matters.” For many women in cybersecurity, stepping onto a conference stage can feel intimidating. In this speaker spotlight, Helma de Boer shares how she challenged herself to speak at WICCON, what she learned along the way, and why the experience became one of her favourite professional memories. From privacy and chat control to confidence, visibility, and community, her story shows what can happen when knowledge is given a stage.

On a cold winter night in 2018, two cybersecurity professionals decided they were tired of being the only women on their teams. What started as a meetup for fewer than ten people grew into WICCA and eventually WICCON, a conference attended by hundreds of cybersecurity professionals every year.