On 25 April 2025, the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), hosted a dynamic event to celebrate International Girls in ICT Day. The event brought together NATO leaders, tech experts, and rising innovators to explore women's leadership in digital transformation and crisis response.
Under the theme “Bridging all divides for an inclusive digital transformation”, the session highlighted how inclusive digital leadership can foster resilience in the face of global challenges. The event was organized by RISE@NCIA, a Staff Resource Group led by senior women in NCIA, championed by NCIA General Manager and Chief of Staff, and supported by the Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing team. It offers networking, forums, and mentoring opportunities, fostering an inclusive environment for women.
NCIA Legal Adviser Sujin Chan-Allen opened the event by underscoring RISE@NCIA's mission to empower and support women in NATO’s digital and defence spaces: “This is about designing resilience from the start: through leadership, through systems, and through who we choose to empower.”
NCIA Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Krzysztof Kociuba followed with a call to action, emphasizing the essential role of women in shaping secure, resilient technologies in NATO operations:
“Diversity and inclusion are not just values, they are strategic necessities,” said NCIA Chief of Staff. “In cybersecurity, AI, digital infrastructure and more, we need women leading these conversations. Inclusive leadership is mission-critical in a world defined by volatility and digital complexity”.