WB3C joins UK's regional CybHER initiative empowering women and girls for cyber careers

07.11.2025

We are proud to be part of the regional CybHER initiative by the British Council, designed to empower girls and women across the Western Balkans to pursue and thrive in cyber careers. For the WB3C, CybHER is not only a regional effort we support, but also a concrete opportunity to invest in our own people and create space for their professional development.

As part of this, WB3C took part in two CybHER components:
1️⃣ A leadership program for early-career women in cybersecurity.
2️⃣ A workshop on gender-sensitive HR policies for cybersecurity organizations.

1. Leadership skills for early-career women in cyber

Our colleague Vanja Radović is representing the WB3C in the CybHER leadership track for young women in cybersecurity. This program is designed to help participants gain both the mindset and the skills needed to grow and lead in a still male-dominated industry. Over the course of the program, participants will:

💡 Build authentic leadership skills by exploring their personal values, leadership styles and emotional intelligence.
💡 Discover diverse cybersecurity career paths and map concrete options for their own development.
💡 Learn practical strategies to navigate stereotypes, bias and workplace barriers with confidence.
💡 Strengthen networking and collaboration skills to build a reliable support system in the sector.
💡 Develop a personal action plan to apply what they learn in their daily work.

We are especially glad that Vanja will learn from experienced regional leaders such as Larisa Halilovic, an international leadership expert, and Andreja Mihailović, PhD, President of Women4Cyber Montenegro, whose guidance connects technical careers with the human skills needed for leadership.

2. Gender-sensitive HR policies in cybersecurity organisations

In parallel, WB3C also joined the CybHER workshop on gender-sensitive HR policies in cybersecurity organizations, focusing on how organizational systems can either open doors for women - or quietly keep them closed. This component, was followed by our colleague Vanja Madzgalj, responsible for strategic communications and with substantive experience in gender mainstreaming, in order to:

💡 Exchange experiences and good practices between companies on inclusive and fair HR approaches.
💡 Look at domestic and international trends in gender-sensitive and inclusive HR in tech and cybersecurity.
💡 Examine how bias, discrimination, the glass ceiling and everyday prejudices show up in recruitment, promotion and leadership opportunities.
💡 Explore practical ways to improve the full HR cycle: from inclusive job descriptions and selection processes, to advancement, leadership roles and supportive workplace culture.
💡 Discuss mechanisms for safety and confidential reporting, and how policies can better protect and empower staff who experience harassment or discrimination.

The workshop concluded with self-assessment of existing HR practices, individual commitments for change and first steps towards mentoring and peer support, so that policy discussions can translate into everyday practice.

At the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C), we believe that real change happens when we work on both people and systems. By empowering our own female colleagues through programs like CybHER, and by strengthening HR and organizational practices that support them, we are investing in a cybersecurity community where women can enter, stay, grow and lead.

Other news and events

WB3C Participates in the Regional Development Forum for Europe

Gilles Schwoerer represented WB3C this week in Prague at the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Regional Development Forum for Europe, hosted by the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade.
In a session on Partner2Connect matchmaking, the focus was clear: how to better align countries’ needs with partners’ expertise and investment to accelerate digital development.
Bringing together diverse voices across governments, industry, academia and international organisations, the discussion moved towards a more practical question—how to turn cooperation into concrete, measurable results.

The panel brought together a strong cross-sector group of experts spanning technology, digitalisation and cybersecurity:

Mr. David Vicente Ninou, Director, Andorra Digital, Andorra
Mr. Amb. Janis Karklins, Head of Government and International Organization Engagement, ICANN
Mr. Gilles Schwoerer, Head of WB3C, Montenegro
Mr. Boris Radanović, Head of International Development, SWGfL, United Kingdom
Mr. Per Fröjdh, VP International Standards, Ericsson
Prof. Volodymyr Shulha, Rector, State University of Information and Communication Technologies, Ukraine

For WB3C, this forum was a great opportunity to showcase our work focused on translating priorities into operational capacity and regional impact.
We are grateful that, as a result of this forum, WB3C’s cybersecurity contribution is now included among the official submissions to the ITU Regional Development Forum for Europe—opening further space for partnership and delivery.

Translating EU Standards into Practice: Workshop for Public Servants Training Institutions

Building on last year’s work on EU legislation and public-sector cybersecurity standards, we continued the conversation this week — but moved it one step further.
This regional training brought together institutions in the region responsible for training public servants, with a clear focus: how do we translate standards into practice?
Participants explored emerging trends, but more importantly, worked through how to design and deliver cybersecurity curricula that actually respond to today’s risks — grounded in real case studies from both the EU and the region, and shaped by peer exchange.
What made this edition different was its depth. With a more technical focus, and under the guidance of Mladen Bukilic Head of Čikom's Security Operations Centre, the discussions moved closer to operational realities — from frameworks to implementation.
The participants were welcomed by the partnership teams representatives Bojana Bajić (Regional School of Public Administration), Sokol Haxhiu (DCAF - Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance) and Gilles Schwoerer (Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C)), reaffirming a shared commitment to strengthening institutional capacity across the region.

Coordination Meeting with RCC/IISG

There are many initiatives across the Western Balkans focused on building capacity in cybersecurity — but how can donors work more closely together to use resources more efficiently and maximise impact? And how do we ensure that training and learning are translated into real operational capability?
At the same time, how can the Integrative Internal Security Governance (IISG) mechanism, coordinated by Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), for mapping regional needs and ongoing support be strengthened to enable more tailored, targeted capacity building?
These were the key questions guiding today’s discussion at the WB3C, where we hosted colleagues from the IISG Secretariat — AGRON SOJATI, Ibrahim Begic and Ajsa Buko-Durmić — as part of their mission to Montenegro.
The conversation focused on how to take the existing needs assessment further — towards a more detailed and actionable mapping of institutional needs, closely linked to national strategic priorities and aligned with EU requirements.
We look forward to continuing our strong cooperation with RCC and IISG in taking these ideas forward and translating them into concrete, coordinated action for the region.