Jennifer Cox

Part of the IT Leaders 100 - a list of the most influential IT leaders in the UK in 2023.

Jennifer has been in the tech industry for 17 years, succeeding despite the lack of a degree at a time when having one was the expectation. She is focused, driven and self-motivated individual, with a commitment to achievement and overcoming challenges.

Outside of her day job at Tenable, Jennifer is heavily involved in mentoring programmes like WiCyS and WomenTech.

How did you get into IT?

I began working for a regional tech company in an admin role. I did all my training and upskilling on the job and eventually became the go-to for software support on the team

How do you ensure diversity is taken into account in your IT recruitment?

We publicise all our ERG efforts so that potential candidates can see that we are not about the lip service, but we actually work to support diversity in the company in any way we can. These kind of efforts demonstrate that our company is a safe place to be and as a result our applicants reflect this.

Which technology are you currently most excited by?

AI technology for sure. ChatGPT is fascinating and in relation to cybersecurity, these tools can be game-changers for both hackers and those protecting their systems.

What would an outsider find the most surprising part of your job?

How much of it is spent with people. When you are in leadership it's easy to assume that we have less contact with people and we just work at scheduling and paperwork but for me, I spend the majority of time with my team. It's important to understand how people work so that I can support them and get the best from them. Both for me and for them.

What's your secret talent?

Theatre. Not many people that work in tech would also have a theatre background. I, however, trained in theatre and ended up in tech. So, script writing, stage production, and stage management. All things theatre.

What makes you laugh?

My kids. They keep me on my toes and keep joy in my life. I have four boys so it's loud, messy and chaotic and I wouldn't have it any other way.