Rebecca Taylor

“I have used my voice to widen the conversation around cyber awareness”

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

Rebecca Taylor joined Sophos in 2014 and has worked across a variety of roles including Business Operations and Incident Command. She moved into her Researcher role in 2022 in the X-Ops Counter Threat Unit. Here she focuses on the ingestion, management, attribution, and publication of threat intelligence, whilst also maintaining personas and collect across the dark web within the Human Intelligence Team.

Her research is predominantly on data leaks, access brokers, and emerging threats including ransomware-as-a-service groups. Rebecca has been acknowledged in industry for her contributions, most recently winning 'Cybersecurity Professional of the Year' at the Women in Tech Excellence Awards. She is also an active member of the cybersecurity community as a mentor, coach, public speaker, podcast host, TEDx speaker and co-author to 'Securely Yours – An Agony Aunts Guide to Surviving Cyber' and 'Resilient You - An Agony Aunts Guide to Keeping It Together'.

Tell us about your biggest achievement to date

One of my proudest achievements to date is building impact beyond the boundaries of my core role in threat intelligence, combining technical contribution with meaningful community change.

Professionally, I have helped shape how threat intelligence is collected, structured, and operationalised within the Counter Threat Unit, including implementing knowledge management processes that improve how intelligence is shared and acted upon in real time.

Alongside this, my work focuses on translating complex cyber threats into clear, accessible insight that supports better decision-making across organisations and for individuals. Adding human intelligence to my skillsets has been amazing!

Beyond this, I have used my voice to widen the conversation around cyber awareness, including delivering a TEDx talk on digital footprints, exploring the long-term impact of our online behaviours and the responsibility we share in creating safer digital spaces.

I also do a lot of work in the community! However, what I am most proud of is co-founding Cyber Agony Aunts, an initiative now spanning a book, podcast, and training, designed to ensure no one in cybersecurity feels alone. Feedback from the community has been incredibly powerful, with people sharing they feel more "seen and heard" as a result.

What is the most significant challenge you have overcome?

One of the most defining challenges in my career was redefining my professional identity after becoming a mother. Balancing ambition with parenthood required me to rethink success, let go of perfectionism, and embrace flexibility as a strength rather than a compromise.

Supportive leadership, flexible working, and self-awareness helped me integrate both parts of my life and ultimately strengthened my resilience and leadership approach.

Tell us something about you people would find surprising

Despite having delivered many speaking engagements, I still experience intense physical anxiety beforehand. In the lead-up to going on stage, I can feel genuinely unwell, shaky, nauseous, and filled with self-doubt. It's not something that has simply gone away with experience or practice.

I think there's often an assumption that confidence is a permanent state, especially once you've spoken publicly a number of times. But for me, it's something I actively work through each time.

I've learned to recognise those feelings as part of the process, rather than a signal to stop. In many ways, it's shaped how I show up. It's made me more empathetic, more intentional, and more committed to creating spaces where others feel safe to contribute, even if they're battling the same internal doubts.