Meet Kat. She works in the Cyber Security team at Entain.

Cyber Security is one of the teams that makes sure that the personal data of any individual involved in the business, for example employees and customers, is kept safe and secure. 

Demystifing technology

"You may think of a Cyber Security team as the ones who tell you what you should include in your password and remind you not to click on weblinks you don’t recognise," says Kat. "But I spend a lot of my time communicating with people both in and out of the business to achieve departmental and company goals."

The main purpose of Kat's role is to act as a subject matter expert for the business. "Most people will already have some understanding of cyber security from their personal lives, and their own roles. But to find out more, you will likely be subjected to technical jargon. My job is to take that jargon and create something that can be understood by a wider audience," she explains.

Getting to where you want to be

If Kat had been told 15 years ago that she would be in Cyber Security in the gaming industry, she probably wouldn’t have believed it. Not necessarily because of pre-conceived notions about the industry, but because she didn’t have much experience of that field and so didn’t really know what quite to expect.

"Although I’ve only been in my current role for just over two years, I’ve worked at Entain in some capacity for nearly a decade," explains Kat. "I started off in my local Coral shop, where I learnt the 'front-line' side of the gaming industry. Because of how our shops operate, I was able to support my manager with day-to-day running of the shop, including completion of end-of-day figures, supporting with interviews, and training new team members."

But Kat knew that she definitely wanted to learn more about the business. So, when a secondment opportunity came up, she went for it. 

"In Central Operations, I focused on networking and putting together processes to make the team more efficient, in order to better support our retail shops," explains Kat. "I took on ad-hoc tasks, such as shop communications for Payment Card Industry audits, which was how I became familiar with the team I would later work in."

During Kat's time at Central Operations, she also worked on completing her BSc in Computing & IT through the UK's Open University.

Needless to say, when a job role opened up in the Technical Compliance, Kat was incredibly excited. "I’d worked with several members of the team before, so I already had some idea of what to expect. Because of how spread out the team is globally, I found that my retail experience was an asset that helped provide me with a very useful, niche background."

"It might sound cheesy, but in cyber security I feel like I have found my people," says Kat. As such, she wants to keep working in this field for as long as she can. "In the next few years, I would like to complete additional qualifications, starting with Certified Information Systems Auditor." 

A positive, vibrant and inclusive work culture

When specifically asked about Entain's work culture. Kat has nothing but positive feedback. 

"I think that in any large organisation there can always be some teams that provide technical support better than others, and I don’t think Entain is an exception. I get to work with some truly brilliant and competent people and teams here. Furthermore, Entain has certainly come a long way when it comes to the focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. At Entain, these words aren't simply 'buzzwords' to boost our reputation. These aspects are actively acted on within Entain."

Entain has several networks supporting the diverse nature of the organisation, such as Women@Entain, Black Professionals@Entain, and BeYou@Entain, to name just a few.

"All of Entain's networks are managed by passionate people who believe in their cause and each of these networks offers their own ways of engaging the business, from celebrity talks at our offices, 'Lean In' sessions, and even competitions."

Kat has been a representative in the Employee Forum, a committee of elected employees designed to represent Entains colleagues - so can certainly attest to constructive feedback being fully welcomed and actioned upon across the organisation.

"Technology is seen as a male-dominated world, which is why I am proud to say that the majority of new hires in Entain’s Cyber Security team since I joined have been women. The women I have had the opportunity to work with at Entain have proved time and time again that it's not gender that defines who you are, it's your strengths. These women are my heroes, and I hope to do them justice in my part on the Women@Entain Connections Pillar Committee," says Kat.

A focus on improvement and being helpful are key 

So what are some of the key qualities Entain looks for when recruiting?

"I can’t speak for each team, as I’m sure some skills are prioritised depending on the department, but I feel that the qualities that have helped get move from a retail shop into the Cyber Security arena in this global organisation were aspects like having a love of learning for new skills and gaining more knowledge, having wide experience, and being approachable and genuinely wanting to help other people."

Furthermore, Kat believes that wanting to be able to answer the question 'How can this be improved?' at every step of the way is also key, as is a willingness to always focus on improvement wherever possible.

"Not being afraid to voice opinions, no matter how small, and holding your ground is also admirable," suggests Kat. 

Building confidence for self-belief

So what might Kat advise further women to think about when growing their careers?

"Never define yourself by other people’s perceptions of you," reinforces Kat. "You are your own person and only you know exactly what you are capable of achieving."

Fulfilled and stimulated by interests outside of work

And what's Karin's favourite out-of-work activity?

"It has to be going on nature walks with our dogs," says Kat. "We have a labrador retriever and a golden retriever, both are incredible clowns!"

Kat has also rediscovered her passion for cross-stitch, so at the moment she's working on an eight-panel of horses running through water.

"I love reading, horse-riding, watching films, TV shows, video games, and working on filling in the 512 GB of space on my MP3 player," she laughs.

And Kat loves her simple pleasures. She still carries a paper road map with her everywhere in her car, even though both her phone and car have navigation capabilities. Katrin believes that even though the advances being witnessed in technology are largely a good thing, and have in many ways made lives easier, she still thinks it is important to maintain a trust in our own capabilities. Salient advice indeed, thank you Kat!

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