Melanie Truscott Executive Director, Engagement & Communication at CyberCX
M
elanie Truscott is not a cybersecurity
To address mental wellness issues at CyberCX
practitioner but nevertheless plays
Truscott works with a number of organisations,
a key role in cybersecurity: looking
including cybermindz, an Australian organisation
after the health and wellbeing of
founded by Peter Coroneos, former long-time CEO of
cybersecurity professionals as
the Australian Internet Industry Association. It claims
executive director, communication and engagement
to operate the world’s first mental health support
with CyberCX.
program dedicated to cybersecurity professionals.
The company is one of the largest providers of
And while CyberCX might have over 1000
cybersecurity services across Australia and New
cybersecurity professionals, that description, Truscott
Zealand, with a workforce of more than1,100.
says, belies the diversity of the workforce and the
Truscott says her contribution—which also includes
challenges this diversity presents.
reward, recognition and diversity—is “to create the employee experience so that cybersecurity
CHALLENGES OF A DIVERSE WORKFORCE
practitioners can perform at their best.” Looking after
“You’re not managing a group of homogenous
employee health and wellbeing is the most rewarding
workers. You’re managing subsets of cultures and
aspect of her role.
workgroups that have different needs. It’s also these needs, or traits, of different work groups that make
“It’s been long understood that cybersecurity
it super interesting and rewarding, once you get your
professionals are under sustained stress that impacts
head around it.”
their emotional and cognitive health,” she says. “While burnout and stress are not unique to cybersecurity,
A proxy of this diversity, Truscott says, is the wide
we see the negative effects far too often. Add the
range of company-branded merchandise CyberCX
impacts of extensive COVID lockdowns in recent
offers its staff. “We provide everything from
years and it’s meant that mental wellness has gone
custom-made cufflinks through to corporate polo
from being a cornerstone of our health and wellbeing
shirts, through to original artwork hoodies. That
program to the key focus.”
really speaks to the range of roles and the need to understand what works for each group.”
18
W O M E N I N S E C U R I T Y M A G A Z I N E
J A N U A RY • F E B R U A RY 2023
