Dr. Jessica Barker

Award-Winning Leader in the Human Side of Cyber Security

Dr. Jessica Barker

Award-Winning Leader in the Human Side of Cyber Security

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Biography

Dr Jessica Barker MBE is a best-selling author and international keynote speaker. An award-winning leader in the human side of cyber security, she has delivered face-to-face awareness sessions to over 50,000 people in over 25 countries. Named one of the top 20 most influential UK women in cyber security, she is the go-to cyber expert for media including the BBC, Sky News and Wired magazine.

Jessica has delivered over 80 keynotes, including NATO, the World Government Summit, and RSA. Her speaking engagements bring the sociology and psychology of cyber security to life. She serves on numerous industry boards, including the UK Government Cyber Security Board. In June 2023, Jessica was awarded an MBE for services to cyber security by King Charles III in his first Birthday Honours.

Known for her ability to engage everyone from senior executives to ethical hackers, she brings energy, enthusiasm, and fun to cyber security. Jessica is co-Founder of the cyber security company Cygenta, where she focuses on her purpose to advance cyber security awareness, behaviour, and culture in organisations around the world.

The author of the bestseller Confident Cyber Security and co-author of Cybersecurity ABCs, she helps audiences around the world understand why people are the heart of cyber security.

When Jessica is not working, she loves learning and over the years she has taken classes in everything from horse riding to singing to circus skills. Born in the North East of England, she now lives in Las Vegas, USA, with her husband FC and their cat Bubble.

Speaker Videos

Never say "people are the weakest link" - here's why

What social proof has to do with cyber security messaging - RSA 2020 Keynote, Dr Jessica Barker

Why a culture of fear is bad for cyber security - RSA 2020 Keynote, Dr Jessica Barker

Speech Topics

Human and Artificial Intelligence: Social Engineering Now and Next

Social engineering is involved in most “hacks,” with phishing remaining the number one threat to organizations. In this keynote, Dr. Jessica Barker explores the psychology, neuroscience, and sociology behind scams.

Combining this with an overview of recent technological advances, this session uncovers how cyber criminals are leveraging AI to make their attacks more advanced and effective. Packed with case studies and demonstrations of how attackers are using AI in cyber crime, this powerful keynote leaves a lasting impression.

Exploring the role of AI in cyber crime today and looking ahead to the future, this jargon-free overview empowers everyone with an understanding of the technology dominating the headlines.

The Human Nature of Cyber Security

Cyber security is often discussed in deeply technical terms. While technology is at the heart of cyber security, so are human awareness, behaviour, and culture.

In this session, Dr. Jessica Barker highlights how human bias makes us all susceptible to online manipulation and how we can practically apply psychology, sociology, and neuroscience to understand how cyber criminals operate. These insights are especially important with the growth of AI, as Jessica demonstrates.

Audiences leave this session looking at cyber security in a different light, empowered with an understanding of how to unlock the human element of this field.

Hacked: The Secrets Behind Cyber Attacks

This keynote draws on Jessica’s bestselling book, Hacked: The Secrets Behind Cyber Attacks.

In this session, Jessica explores some of the most eye-opening, jaw-dropping, and action-oriented case studies from Hacked. Through compelling storytelling, she gets audiences to sit up and take a fresh look at cyber security.

She delivers these insights with humour, positivity, and jargon-free takeaways that everyone can apply.

From ransomware to romance fraud, malware to money muling, this session leaves attendees up to date and inspired to practice positive cyber security behaviours.

Why Culture is Key to Cyber Security

Cyber security culture eats breaches for breakfast. In this session, Dr. Jessica Barker explains what this really means: what security culture is, why it matters, and how it impacts organizations.

Jessica makes cyber security culture real. It is not something intangible, but rather something we can define, understand, measure, and influence. She explains why culture is the foundation of an organization’s security posture.

Participants leave this session with a greater understanding of not only what culture is, but also how they can play a role in building a positive security culture. Jessica shares practical advice to help everyone stay safe online at home and at work.

Cyber Security and the Psychology of Fear

For too long, the cyber security industry has relied on fear, uncertainty, and doubt to influence people and their behaviour.

This engaging keynote draws on extensive research into the sociology and psychology of fear, alongside real-world case studies. Dr. Jessica Barker explains why we cannot simply scare people into better security practices, and how we can instead harness human bias to create a more positive impact on cyber security awareness, behaviour, and culture.

Testimonials

“It is speakers like Jessica who move the quality needle for us.”

- Cisco

“Jessica presented her approach to building a strong security awareness culture to our global security leadership and has had a major influence in shaping our approach to building a strong security culture across our business.”

- Bupa

“Jessica was a delight to have on site. Her content was on point and delivered with enthusiasm, keeping the audience engaged the entire time. We heard from many of our stakeholder's that she was one of the BEST speakers they have ever seen.”

- PCI Security Standards Council

“When I think of security culture, one name comes to mind: Dr. Jessica Barker. Her presentation to the Cognitive Security Institute wasn’t just insightful—it was game-changing. She delivered a fresh, no-nonsense perspective on embedding security into the modern workplace, blending cutting-edge research with real-world experience. If you want to build a security-first culture that actually works, Dr. Barker is the expert you need to hear.”

- Cognitive Security Institute

"The session was entertaining, insightful and tailored perfectly to communicate what can sometimes be quite a complex topic."

- Dyson

"Jessica did an amazing job covering the material and answering all the questions that were addressed. I even raved to my daughters about her presentation! Job well done."

- Autodesk

"Jessica Barker and her team created an absolutely flawless deepfake video that had our entire organization on their toes and also laughing - generating 10x the engagement from other awareness month videos! We would hire them again in a heartbeat for content and awareness collaboration."

- Nestlé Purina

"Jessica is the only person in the world who could deliver the keynote we were looking for at our 2026 Summit."

- SimSpace

"I'd highly recommend Jessica to anyone wanting a fresh perspective on cyber security. Her approach, driven by positivity and education, can help mute the noise of cyber security and foster a culture that is more resilient and proactive."

- Torus Technologies

"Wow, wow… it was such a rewarding experience to interview Jessica for our cyber security community of practice, her profound expertise and insights went over so well with our audience she received one of the highest satisfaction ratings."

- Ontario Public Sector Cyber Security Community

"It was a top performance and feedback included 'Inspiration for a positive angle to awareness', 'Many fantastic points, and things to bring back home' and '2nd time I heard her!! Still excellent!'"

- Dubex