Featured CyberDefendHER: Chris @ Deep Institute from ESMT Berlin

Who are you and what is your work focus?

My name is Chris Jackson, and I serve as the Venture Manager for Cybersecurity & AI at the DEEP Institute at ESMT Berlin. Over the past decade, I’ve worked across U.S. cyber defense, civilian agencies, intelligence organizations, and the private sector, in addition to advising foreign militaries and governments on cybersecurity strategy.

A consistent thread throughout my career has been translating advanced cyber capabilities into real-world impact. I’ve focused on bringing cutting-edge technologies out of research and into operational and commercial environments where they can solve tangible problems.

At the DEEP Institute, I continue that work by helping close Europe’s deep tech commercialization gap. I connect high-potential cybersecurity and AI ventures with commercial buyers and strategic partners, strengthening the broader European cybersecurity ecosystem in the process.

How did you get into Cybersecurity? / What excites you most about working in Cybersecurity?

My path into cybersecurity was not linear. I began in international relations and professional services before transitioning into a cybersecurity-focused role. This helped me view the field as not just a technical discipline, but a strategic one.

What excites me most about cybersecurity is its universality. It underpins every sector, from government, finance, healthcare, energy, education, and beyond. Regardless of industry or geography, cybersecurity provides the foundational assurance that organizations can operate safely in a digital world.

It is one of the few domains where technical innovation, geopolitics, economics, and human behavior intersect daily. That complexity and its direct impact on national resilience and economic security is what keeps the work meaningful.

What inspired you to join CyberDefendHERS?

Women represent less than a quarter of the cybersecurity workforce, despite contributing exceptional academic, technical, and operational expertise.

Cybersecurity requires diverse thinking to address evolving threats. When perspectives are limited, so are the solutions. CyberDefendHERS is addressing this gap by creating visibility, access, and opportunity for underrepresented talent in the field.

I was inspired to join because strengthening the cybersecurity ecosystem requires intentional action. Supporting initiatives that expand participation and leadership in the field is one way to build a more resilient and innovative community. I’m honored to contribute as an ally to that mission.

Why do you think it’s important to share expertise in cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity is a collective defense problem. Threat actors collaborate, share tools, and iterate rapidly. If defenders operate in silos, they will always be at a disadvantage.

Sharing expertise accelerates learning, reduces duplication of mistakes, and raises the baseline maturity of the entire ecosystem. Whether it’s technical tradecraft, policy lessons, or commercialization insights, knowledge transfer strengthens resilience across sectors.

There is also a talent development dimension. Many people enter cybersecurity without clear pathways or mentorship. Openly sharing experience shortens learning curves and builds the next generation of practitioners and leaders. Security drastically improves when knowledge circulates.

What do you think is the biggest power of diversity?

The greatest power of diversity is cognitive diversity. The ability to approach problems from multiple frameworks, disciplines, and lived experiences is essential. Cybersecurity threats are adaptive and asymmetric. Solving them requires creative thinking, pattern recognition, cultural awareness, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Homogeneous teams tend to converge on similar assumptions. Diverse teams challenge assumptions. This produces more robust architectures, more thoughtful policy, and more resilient organizations.

What impact would you like to make through your work?

I want to help build a stronger bridge between innovation and implementation. There is no shortage of groundbreaking cybersecurity research in Europe. The gap often lies in translating that innovation into deployable, scalable solutions that reach the organizations that need them most.

If my work contributes to accelerating commercialization, strengthening strategic partnerships, and broadening participation in the field, then the impact compounds: stronger companies, more resilient institutions, and a more inclusive cybersecurity community.