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

Cybersecurity Training for Medium and Large Networks

Resilient critical infrastructure depends on secure networks, prepared teams and the ability to keep essential services running when cyber incidents occur.
This was the focus of WB3C’s regional training on Network Security for medium and large networks, hosted on 18–19 May in partnership with Slovenia Government Agency for Cybersecurity - URSIV (Urad Vlade Republike Slovenije za informacijsko varnost) and led by Slovenian expert Primoz Bratanic.
The training brought together institutions whose work is closely connected to the stability of public services, government systems and essential infrastructure across the Western Balkans. Participants came from the Secretariat for Legislation - Government of R.Macedonia and the Ministry of Digital Transformation (Министерство за дигитална трансформација) of North Macedonia, Serbia’s Jaroslav Černi Water Institute, the Autoriteti Kombëtar për Sigurinë Kibernetike / National Cyber Security Authority of Albania, GOV-CIRT within Montenegro’s Crnogorski elektrodistributivni sistem, the Agencija za sajber bezbjednost Crne Gore / Cybersecurity Agency of Montenegro, and Ministry of Digitalization and Public Administration - Kosovo.
Over the two days, participants worked through practical approaches to making complex networks safer, reducing unnecessary exposure, recognising early warning signs and responding before a cyber incident disrupts services, operations or public trust.
A ransomware scenario was also part of the training, with a focus on the decisions institutions need to make under pressure: how to contain the incident, preserve evidence, coordinate internally and plan recovery.
For Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C), this type of regional training is directly linked to the wider goal of strengthening cyber resilience of critical infrastructure - the systems, services and institutions that citizens rely on every day.
Thank you to Igor Kovač of Urad Vlade Republike Slovenije za informacijsko varnost, Primoz Bratanic and all participating institutions for two productive days and great engagement as a group.

Cyber Vigilance for Schoolchildren

Children grow up online long before they fully understand what the online world can expose them to. This is why early cyber vigilance is important, whether as part of the school curriculum or informal education for children and teens.
This week, Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) delivered a three-hour course titled "Our Digital Space: Screen Time Balance & Online Safety", for children of the French School in Montenegro. The session was prepared and delivered by our in-house trainers for cybercrime Cyril CORRIAS and Yannick CASSE, with a simple but important goal: to help children build safer, healthier and more responsible digital habits.
The session covered screen time balance, with age-appropriate recommendations from early childhood to teenage years, as well as the basics of online safety: strong passwords, privacy, social media, and how to recognise situations that should not be ignored.
The session also opened the discussion on child protection online — from risky content and behaviour to reporting mechanisms, parental controls and the role of schools in preventing online bullying and harassment.
To make the learning practical and engaging, the children took part in a group-game questionnaire and received their individual Internet License at the end of the morning.
Cybersecurity education does not begin with technology, it begins with awareness, good habits and the confidence to ask for help when something feels wrong online.

OSINT Training for Trafficking in Human Being and Migrant Smuggling

Four days in the training room, focused on a topic where online traces can make a very real difference: OSINT for Trafficking in Human Beings (THB) and Migrant Smuggling.
WB3C has just concluded this regional training for law enforcement units, organised together with Marie Pierre MOSIN, EU4FAST and CIVIPOL and delivered by our in-house trainer Cyril CORRIAS.
For investigators working on THB and migrant smuggling, the digital aspect is essential. Recruitment, communication, movement, facilitation networks and financial signals often leave online traces. Knowing how to find, assess, preserve and use that information responsibly can strengthen investigations and support better cross-border cooperation.
This is why OSINT remains part of WB3C’s core programme. It connects cyber skills with real operational needs in the Western Balkans and helps law enforcement units build practical capacity against serious and organised crime.
A strong three days, with committed participants and a clear regional purpose.