Alice Cooper

“Balancing complex integration work with live SOC responsibilities tested her ability to prioritise and sustain performance under pressure”

Part of the Tech Women Celebration 50 – a curated list of some of the most inspirational women working at all levels of tech

Alice Cooper is an accomplished cyber security professional and Level 3 Security Operations Centre (SOC) Analyst at the Met Office, protecting systems that underpin critical national weather services. She demonstrates strong delivery at pace, making effective decisions, and working together behaviours, combining technical depth with early leadership impact.

Rapidly progressing into a lead analyst role, Alice is trusted for her calm, evidence-based judgement in high-pressure situations. She actively mentors' junior colleagues and graduate placements, demonstrating Developing Self and Others while strengthening organisational capability.

Known for her collaborative approach and commitment to excellence, Alice builds strong relationships across teams and stakeholders. She is widely recognised as an emerging leader within the cyber security function, with a clear drive to improve resilience and safeguard essential public services.

Tell us about the nominee's biggest achievement to date

Alice's standout achievement is leading the implementation of a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) to deliver 24/7 cyber threat monitoring for the Met Office SOC.

Identifying a critical gap in out-of-hours coverage, she demonstrated seeing the big picture and changing and improving by owning the end-to-end solution. She coordinated cross-functional teams and external partners, ensuring seamless integration of monitoring tools, processes, and escalation pathways.

Through strong communications, Alice maintained stakeholder alignment and overcame technical and cultural barriers to change. The outcome was transformative: continuous monitoring, significantly faster incident response, and a measurable improvement in organisational maturity.

Delivered under pressure and alongside her core role, this showcased her ability in delivering at pace and taking accountability for complex outcomes. Alice further strengthened the model by implementing a formal on-call service, ensuring effective 24/7 collaboration between the SOC and MSSP. This embedded sustainable operational resilience and long-term service improvement, with delivery recognised and endorsed by senior leadership.

What is the most significant challenge the nominee has overcome?

Alice's most significant challenge has been stepping into a leadership role early in her career to deliver a major operational transformation. In an underrepresented field, leading a high-profile initiative required confidence, resilience, and rapid development of new skills. She demonstrated leadership and the ability to manage a quality service by navigating resistance to change, building stakeholder trust, and maintaining operational performance alongside delivery.

Balancing complex integration work with live SOC responsibilities tested her ability to prioritise and sustain performance under pressure. Alice volunteered for out-of-hours support during the transition and actively seeking mentorship to improve her approach. Her willingness to learn and adapt reflects a commitment to Continuous Improvement and professional growth.

By successfully delivering a 24/7 security operations model, Alice overcame self-doubt and proved her capability to lead complex change. Her success has strengthened team confidence and set a clear example of inclusive, values-driven leadership.

Tell us something about the nominee people would find surprising

Alice's journey into cyber security is far from conventional and underpins her strengths in problem solving and making effective decisions. Growing up in a farming family with limited access to technology, she developed her skills through curiosity and hands-on experience. When family devices failed or became compromised, Alice took ownership, learning to troubleshoot, recover systems, and understand root causes.

These early experiences instilled accountability, resilience, and a practical mindset that continues to shape her approach to cyber defence. She later broadened her expertise through an industrial placement in systems administration across Windows and Linux, giving her a strong operational perspective. This allows her to bridge security and infrastructure effectively, aligning with seeing the big picture from the lens of the organisation's objectives.

Alongside her role, Alice volunteers as a STEM ambassador, championing access to cyber careers for non-traditional entrants. This reflects her commitment to developing others and public service values, making her a relatable and inspiring role model in the sector.