Meet the speakers
EWICSFI 2023
Kirke has 20 years of experience from working in leadership roles in Technology and Banking Sector in different countries and with different cultures. One of the topics which is very close to Kirke’s heart is how a leader could be more inspiring, supportive and engage more diverse players into the team.
Throughout Kirke’s career she has had the privilege to work with some of the most inspiring female leaders and from whom she had learned a lot. One of Kirke’s goals is to try to give back what she has learned throughout her years in tech.
Her current role is the CIO and Head of IT at Nordic Investment Bank, and she has also worked as a CTO of Telia Norway and Telia Estonia and in international companies like Swedbank, Estonian Energy, Microsoft and Oracle.
As a seasoned hacker with an insatiable curiosity, Benjamin excels at uncovering the root causes of complex cybersecurity challenges. Passionate about empowering others to succeed, he has dedicated his career to helping organizations build robust security defenses and foster a culture of resilience.
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Benjamin's impressive background spans various roles and accomplishments in the cybersecurity industry. He has lectured at prestigious universities, starred in the popular TV show Team Whack, and founded the influential Disobey organization. Benjamin has held the position of Cyber Security Director for a publicly listed company and, in a separate role, contributed to the development of an incident response team for the largest financial player in the Nordics.
Leena Pöntynen is the Head of Competence Policy at Technology Industries of Finland. The technology industry is Finland's largest export sector, and skilled labor is a matter of fate for the entire industry - and for Finland.
Pöntynen has worked as a teacher, principal, in educational management and as a trustee at the national level. In the technology industry, Pöntynen acts as an indicator of the future direction of know-how and as a communicator of know-how in industries important to Finland.
Satu Koskinen works as the General unemployment fund YTK's CIO and studies cyber security as an evening course alongside her work. Although she has already become familiar with cybersecurity through work, enthusiasm and interest made her apply to study for a master's degree in engineering in cybersecurity in 2021.
Satu has worked as a CIO for 17 years, previously at Arek and Kesko, and on the business side as Head of electronic transactions, Project Manager, Development Manager and in many other roles at Telia.
Just a year ago, Susanna thought a career in cyber was not possible for her. With a background in marketing and communications, Susanna's entry into the cybersecurity domain came as a pleasant revelation.
She discovered a surprising alignment between her diverse skill set and the demands of the field. At Nixu, she is on a mission to empower individuals within customer organizations with the knowledge to enhance their cybersecurity posture both professionally and personally.
Christine is originally from the southern part of the Philippines. She spent her early years in a place without electricity. Yet, as fate would have it, she later discovered a love for science and technology which led her to a degree in Computer Science.
When she graduated from the university back in 2003, she found meaningful work within the cyber security industry where she combined her computer knowledge with some "saving the world" tendencies. She has not left the industry since.
From doing hands-on research work to leading teams of diverse skills and background, she has helped build capabilities and technologies that defend against various forms of cyber threats.
Jarna Hartikainen has extensive experience with cyber security in state administration and its importance in several different critical industries. Currently, Hartikainen works at The National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA) as the Head Planning and Program Management unit for maintenance security measures, where digital security is of increasing importance.
She has previously worked at Traficom’s Cyber ​​Security Center in various roles from 2006 to 2020 as a telecommunications expert, information security expert, as a situational picture coordinator and head of situational awareness and cooperation.
Lea Viljanen started her IT security career on the BBS scene of the 80's and after graduating with a CS degree was employee nr. 10 in a small internet startup called Nixu in 1995. This launched a career in security consulting, both in technical and management roles. Currently she is the owner of her own consulting company LAV Security Oy, and a founding partner in a Finnish bug bounty service Hackrfi Oy.
She has been a long time member of the board in Tietoturva ry and is currently serving on the board of Finnish Information Security Cluster FISC.
She has been lucky in her environment, which has encouraged her to pursue non-traditional roles, and wishes to make it easier for every woman to do the same.
Pauliina came to the cybersecurity field with a background in physical security. Since February 2023, she has been working in her first position in the field as a SOC-analyst at Accenture Security.
Alongside her work she is studying ICT engineering for the third year, specializing in cyber security.
Noora is a seasoned cybersecurity professional with extensive experience working in various roles under the cyber and information security umbrella.
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Besides her daily job duties as the Head of Security Assurance at Volvo Group, she is an active contributor in the Finnish NGO scene, being the founder of Women4Cyber Finland, co-founder of Next Gen Hack FI, former Chairwoman of HelSec and Board Member of Disobey.
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She is an active advocate for women working towards establishing a career in cybersecurity, also mentoring people trying to find their way into the cybersecurity field. Noora is a firm believer in the power of diversity and wants to empower people to succeed.
