Ahead of the CyBlack Conference 2026 in Preston, Simbiat Sadiq, one of the co-founders of CyBlack, tells Pentacept Reporters why representation in cybersecurity must lead to progression, leadership and influence.
As the cybersecurity industry confronts skills shortages while calling for greater diversity, CyBlack believes the conversation must move beyond getting more Black professionals through the door.
The bigger question is what happens after they get in.
Ahead of the CyBlack Conference 2026 in Preston, Simbiat Sadiq, one of the co-founders of CyBlack, told Pentacept Reporters that meaningful representation must include access to career progression, professional networks, mentorship, leadership opportunities and a genuine voice in the decisions shaping the industry.
“You can have a diverse workforce and still have people who don’t necessarily feel included in the conversations where decisions are made.”
The message reflects the wider ambition behind CyBlack, a community shaped by the experiences of its founders as they navigated cybersecurity education and career development across Europe.
From cybersecurity education to real-world opportunity
CyBlack’s origins can be traced to a problem its founders encountered themselves.
Several had moved to different European countries to study cybersecurity, only to discover that academic knowledge or a degree did not automatically provide the practical experience, exposure and professional opportunities needed to establish a career. They also met others facing similar difficulties.
“There was a gap between learning cybersecurity and getting the hands-on experience, exposure and opportunities needed to build a career,” Simbiat said.
Community became an important part of addressing that gap. Access to people who could answer questions, share their experiences and help others navigate an unfamiliar industry demonstrated the difference that the right support network could make.
That experience inspired CyBlack to build a community where Black professionals and aspiring practitioners could develop practical skills, gain experience, access mentorship and career support, and navigate the industry alongside people on similar journeys.
Diversity cannot stop at recruitment
Technology companies and employers increasingly speak about diversity and representation, but CyBlack believes recruitment statistics alone provide an incomplete picture.
Access remains an important challenge, particularly for people seeking their first cybersecurity role. However, the organisation argues that attention must also be paid to what happens throughout a person’s career.
That includes who receives mentorship and sponsorship, who develops influential professional networks, who is visible within organisations and who eventually progresses into senior and leadership positions.
Simbiat said the industry must move from asking only, “How do we bring more Black professionals into cybersecurity?” to asking, “How do we create an industry where they can thrive, progress, lead and stay?”
An organisation may recruit people from different backgrounds while still failing to provide equal access to the relationships, opportunities and responsibilities that influence long-term career progression. CyBlack believes community can help bridge some of these gaps by enabling professionals to learn from people who have faced similar experiences.
The difficult first opportunity
Before progression can happen, many aspiring cybersecurity professionals still face the challenge of securing their first role.
CyBlack says some community members have invested in developing their skills, gained practical experience and received mentorship, yet still struggle to find an employer prepared to offer them a first professional opportunity.
This can lead to repeated applications and rejection, even after candidates have taken many of the steps traditionally recommended for entering the industry.
There is also a less visible challenge. Upcoming cybersecurity professionals are frequently encouraged to obtain another certification or acquire another technical skill when what they may need is clarity about where they fit within the broad cybersecurity landscape, how to communicate their existing experience and what employers expect from them.
“We talk constantly about the cybersecurity skills gap and the need for more talent, yet many roles advertised as entry-level still require two or three years of experience,” Simbiat said.
CyBlack wants to see more entry-level opportunities and recruitment processes that recognise potential alongside previous experience.
“This isn’t about lowering standards. It’s about creating realistic pathways into the industry.”
Cybersecurity is broader than hacking and coding
Another barrier may emerge before someone even applies for a job. Cybersecurity is frequently perceived as a profession reserved for people with computer science or highly technical IT backgrounds.
CyBlack says that perception is only partly accurate. Technical knowledge remains important, and careers such as penetration testing, security engineering, cloud security and incident response demand considerable technical expertise. However, the industry also encompasses governance, risk and compliance, privacy, audit, security awareness, policy and programme management.
That breadth creates opportunities for people whose careers began elsewhere. A finance professional may already understand risk and controls. Someone with a legal background may bring knowledge of regulation and privacy, while experience in communications or education could translate into strengths in security awareness and behavioural change.
“You don’t need to become an expert in every area; you need to understand the fundamentals and then find where your interests and existing strengths intersect with the industry,” Simbiat said.
From electrical engineering to a reported 300% income increase
CyBlack says the impact of its approach can already be seen among members of its community.
A story shared with Pentacept Reporters involved a professional who had spent more than seven years working in electrical engineering before deciding to transition into cybersecurity.
According to CyBlack, the individual gained practical cybersecurity experience through its programme, moved successfully into the sector and subsequently recorded an income increase of more than 300%.
For the organisation, the significance of such stories goes beyond salary. It says members of its community have secured cybersecurity opportunities in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Ghana and Nigeria.
Others who joined as students, interns or aspiring practitioners have progressed into established professionals and returned to the community as mentors and contributors. That cycle is central to CyBlack’s longer-term vision: people enter the community, develop skills and experience, secure opportunities, progress professionally and eventually help create opportunities for those following them.
Why CyBlack is taking its conference to Preston
CyBlack will bring that emphasis on community into a physical space at the CyBlack Conference 2026, taking place on Thursday, 20 August 2026 at 53 Degrees in Preston, United Kingdom.
Choosing the Lancashire city was intentional. With many of Britain’s major technology and cybersecurity events concentrated in familiar locations, CyBlack wanted to demonstrate that significant industry conversations do not always have to take place in the same cities.
“We want to show that meaningful cybersecurity conversations and opportunities don’t have to be concentrated in the same places. We can take them to different communities and bring the wider cyber community with us.”
The conference theme, “Solving Tomorrow’s Cyber Challenges – Together,” reflects the organisation’s focus on collaboration and shared learning.
Discussions are expected to cover artificial intelligence and automation, critical infrastructure, cyber resilience, workforce culture and digital safety. The programme also includes an interactive phishing simulation, a Capture the Flag competition, networking opportunities and a community impact story.
The event is intended to bring together people at different stages of their careers. Someone considering their first steps into cybersecurity could find themselves in the same room as established practitioners and industry leaders, creating opportunities to ask questions and build relationships that might otherwise be difficult to access.
“I hope people leave Preston having learnt something, met someone and discovered an opportunity or perspective they didn’t have when they arrived,” Simbiat said.
Conference registration: Tickets and further event information are available through the official CyBlack Conference 2026 Eventbrite page.
From seats in the audience to seats at the table
For CyBlack, getting people into the room is not enough. The organisation wants members of its community to contribute to industry conversations and ultimately help shape them.
Its conference is one avenue for providing that visibility, while the CyBlack Alumni Spotlight is intended to demonstrate what career progression can look like through the experiences of people who have been part of the community.
CyBlack also recognises that becoming a cybersecurity leader requires more than technical expertise. Communication, strategic thinking, professional relationships, confidence and opportunities to assume responsibility become increasingly important as professionals move towards senior positions.
AI presents another opportunity to shape the future
The rapid development of artificial intelligence and automation could create another important opening for the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.
AI security, AI governance, cloud security, secure development, threat detection, privacy, risk management and responsible technology are among the areas CyBlack believes will continue creating opportunities.
However, the organisation cautions against chasing every new technology while neglecting cybersecurity fundamentals. Professionals will increasingly need to understand how to use AI and automation while retaining the critical thinking and human judgement necessary to question outputs and understand risk.
“We want to see more Black professionals building these technologies, securing them, developing the policies around them, leading the teams responsible for them and sitting at the tables where decisions about their use are being made,” Simbiat said.
That distinction between participating in technological change and helping determine its direction mirrors CyBlack’s wider argument about diversity. Representation, in this view, should ultimately extend to influence.
What success could look like five years from now
CyBlack’s ambitions stretch beyond the UK. Over the next five years, the organisation hopes to expand its programmes globally through partnerships with employers, universities, organisations and other communities.
The objective is to increase access to practical learning, internships, mentorship, career development and meaningful professional connections, irrespective of geography.
However, numbers alone will not determine whether that ambition has succeeded. CyBlack wants to see people who entered its community as students, interns and early-career professionals move into senior roles and positions of influence, with some eventually returning as mentors, teachers, employers and opportunity creators.
“Five years from now, I don’t want us to measure CyBlack’s success only by how big the community has become, but also by how far our people have gone, how many opportunities we’ve been able to create, how widely our programmes have reached, and how many people are now creating opportunities for others.”
As cybersecurity evolves alongside AI, automation and an increasingly complex digital economy, the industry’s challenge may be about more than finding new talent.
For CyBlack, the test is whether people who have historically been underrepresented are given the opportunity not only to enter the industry, but also to build lasting careers, progress into leadership and help shape what cybersecurity becomes next.
This article is based on an exclusive interview with Simbiat Sadiq, one of the co-founders of CyBlack. Statements about CyBlack’s programmes, community outcomes and individual career results are attributed to the organisation.
