Cyber Security Is Failing at Leadership Level, Warns Purvi Kay

Purvi Kay is a global cyber security leader whose career blends deep technical expertise with strategic leadership and human-centred insight. A Chartered Aerospace Engineer by training, she has held senior roles across the UK government, intelligence community, and defence sector, shaping national resilience and strengthening cyber strategy at scale.

Kay is Head of Cyber Security Governance, Risk, and Compliance at BAE Systems and sits on advisory boards including Cyber London, where she helps shape the future cyber ecosystem while championing inclusive leadership and talent development. She is also a recognised advocate for Women in Cyber and Neurodiversity in Cyber initiatives and has delivered keynote talks at platforms such as London Tech Week, Infosecurity Europe, and the International Cyber Expo.

Her widely viewed TEDx talk, How Neurodiversity Can Strengthen Cyber Security, reframes diverse thinking as a strategic advantage in building resilient organisations.

In this exclusive interview with Champions Speakers Agency, Kay explores the cultural and leadership challenges underpinning modern security, the skills leaders need to succeed, and how organisations can embed resilience and collaboration in an AI-driven age.

Question 1. Why do so many organisations still get cyber security strategy wrong?

Purvi Kay: “I think we hear it a lot and this is also one of my personal views. In cyber security, leaders think of it as a technical problem and they forget that it is, there is a technical element to it, but it is actually a leadership and culture issue as well.

“Most of the cyber security issues and problems we see come from weak governance, for example. They come from poor communication. When your technical experts are not able to translate all that technical jargon to your leaders to make business sense, they’re not able to make informed decisions. So that poor communication is also something very key to security.

“Also, when there’s unclear accountability within the organisation, who’s doing what, who is responsible, who is accountable for all these risks. I think those things are undervalued and that is one of the biggest mistakes that we’re making currently.

“I feel that cyber doesn’t fail because of just not having good tech, but it fails because culture fails and so we really need to tap into culture. So, the technology that we are pumping so much money into is great, but it’ll only work when our people and our governance and our leadership work in cohesion.”

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Question 2. What separates strong cyber security leadership from the rest?

Purvi Kay: “Generally, for any leaders, you think about strategic vision, you think about empathy, you think about influencing ability, but the best leaders I’ve seen in security are those that can translate complexity into clarity and those that can bring the organisation along with them.

“It is very difficult for leaders to sell security. Security is always seen as a barrier, but great leaders are able to show the organisation that security is actually an enabler and it should be thought about at the forefront.

“It should be thought about at board level and those people who are able to do that are really good cyber security leaders or security leaders in general because they don’t just manage risk, but they inspire clarity. They inspire confidence and they bring about collective responsibility in the organisation.”

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Question 3. How is the global security landscape changing in the age of AI?

Purvi Kay: “So, I see security is shifting towards proactive intelligence-driven models. Especially with AI, we are also seeing a lot of AI-accelerated threats. We’re also seeing security shifting to a more secure-by-design approach, where that is brilliant because we’re now looking at security being embedded at the forefront of everything you do, everything you build, which is a great approach.

“But what I’m also seeing at the centre of all of this is human resilience. I know there’s a lot of hype about AI replacing humans. But I think that without human resilience within the midst of this, AI is not going to work. So, we need that human element to it as well.

“What I’m also seeing is a shift in security is global collaboration. I think our allied nations are realising that we’re in it together and we need to collaborate even more. So, in terms of the future of security, I feel that it is built on AI, but it’s where all that is embedded in the design and security is embedded in the design, and all of this is needed to be powered by human resilience globally.”

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Question 4. What message do you hope business leaders take from your work?

Purvi Kay: “Normally, when I’m speaking in my public engagements, I want the audiences to feel empowered, and I always go with that intention for audiences to feel empowered. I want the audiences to feel that they can challenge the norms and they can embrace inclusivity, whether it’s about inclusive security, inclusive leadership, and bringing in diversity in their organisations.

“I want them to think about how very small changes in behaviours can shape the culture in their organisations. But one point I’d make is when I speak, I just don’t want the audience to listen. I want to inspire them to take away some action points that they will go and implement and create positive impact in the world.

“If after I’ve spoken, the audience leave feeling that they can personally drive some change then I feel like my job is done and transformation of the world has already begun at that point.”

This exclusive interview with Purvi Kay was conducted by Tabish Ali of the Motivational Speakers Agency.

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