Katie Inns

One of the Tech Women Celebration 50 - women changing the ratio of the tech workforce

Katie Inns is six years into her security career, working in consulting and within an in-house security team focusing on vulnerability management and application security at WithSecure.

Her interest in technology was sparked by a present from her grandparents.

"I remember being gifted a computer (running Windows 98 back then!) by my grandparents when I was around six years old and being obsessed with it. And ever since, it's been a big part of my life. I can't say I was one of these individuals who spent their nights trying to break into things at a young age, but it's been a continuous interest through my life and I've loved watching how quickly tech has changed and evolved over the years."

Katie is proud at being accepted as a speaker on the main tracks at DEF CON earlier this year.

"As it stood, there were only three other women speaking out of 75 accepted talks - which is disappointing, but I'm pleased to be flying the flag for women in tech and hope to inspire more women to submit talks next year."

Katie also celebrates the work of women in her own organisation.

"I have set up a group for all women in techie roles to communicate and celebrate each other's successes. Previously we had stayed within our own regions, which can sometimes feel isolating if you're one of only a few women. But this group has helped us all join forces and have the encouragement to succeed. As a result, we have had so many women get accepted to speak at conferences this year."

Katie is a dancer and musician in her spare time and plays the bass guitar.