Cybersecurity is often framed as a technical discipline — tools, controls, and frameworks. But anyone who has worked in this field long enough knows that the hardest moments aren’t technical at all. They’re human.

In this talk, Amy Yee draws on decades of leadership, board, and operational experience to explore “The Five People You Meet in Cybersecurity” — the individuals who quietly (and sometimes painfully) shape how we lead, how we respond under pressure, and how we build trust in moments that matter.

Through real-world stories and reflective insights, this session examines:

The person who gave you a chance

The person you failed (often without realizing it at the time)

The person who failed you

The person you worked more intentionally with

The person you didn’t know you inspired

Rather than focusing on blame or breach post-mortems, this talk invites practitioners to reflect on the human side of cyber incidents, ethical decision-making, and leadership growth. Attendees will leave with a deeper appreciation for how trust is built — and broken — in cybersecurity, and how meaning-making, resilience, and self-awareness can shape better leaders and stronger teams.

This session is for practitioners, leaders, and board-adjacent professionals who want to move beyond checklists and controls, and better understand the human impact of the work we do.

Target audience: Cybersecurity practitioners and leaders at all career stages who are interested in the human and leadership dimensions of security work.
Session format: 45–60 minutes. No special technical requirements.