Transversal skills for safety

Today marks the end of the National Week of Scientific, Technological, Engineering and Mathematical Disciplines (4-11 February), it is International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Safer Internet Day (SID 2025) and the ninth edition of Internet Safety Month, promoted by the Ministry of Education and Merit and Generazioni Conesse (FMD is part of the Advisory Board). What better occasion to share some stages of a common journey with Tamara Zancan, Cybersecurity, Compliance and Identity Director at Microsoft Italy? Tamara has been a ‘fellow traveller’ of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale on several occasions, supporting a culture of IT security in the country through the Ambizione Italia per la cybersecurity project. But Tamara has also proved to be a role model for the young women we met for the Coding Girls programme. We look back with her on the joint initiatives of recent years, telling her story and the stages that led her, at Microsoft, to head the Cybersecurity, Compliance and Identity departments for Italy.

Why did you choose to focus on STEM subjects for your career? 
It may seem ironic, but despite my current job, I never considered mathematics to be a subject I was good at. In fact, after graduating in economics, I chose to work in marketing and advertising. As a student, my passion was history and I had to make a very difficult choice when, after graduating as an accountant, I preferred the faculty of economics and business to a career in archaeology. Between my head and my heart, I chose the direction that would guarantee me the most professional opportunities. So I studied in Trieste, even though I'm originally from Pordenone. After graduating, I decided to do a master's degree in marketing. I have to admit that, compared to that path, computer science didn't have much relevance, at least at the beginning. And so, as a matter of opportunity, I started my career in a computer company in Milan that dealt with system integration. I took the first real chance I was given!
 

How did you decide to stay in the tech field and specialise in cybersecurity?
In addition to the interest I developed over the years, I have to admit that in Italy, once you've chosen a career path, it becomes more difficult to change industry and get back into the game. When I entered the world of work, I didn't have any specific IT skills, partly because in the early 2000s, technology and IT didn't pervade our daily lives as much as they do today. I started specialising in sales support, or business development, working closely with customers. Then, at a certain point in my career, I joined Microsoft in a marketing role, and later I had the opportunity to cover various business roles until I returned to the marketing team in the security and productivity sector. The company finally decided to divide these two areas due to exponential market growth and I was given responsibility for the cybersecurity sector for Italy.
 

As a woman, did you always feel welcome in this world?
One of the things that happened at the beginning of my career was that I was often the only woman at business meetings. It wasn't a hostile environment, but standing out as the only woman certainly wasn't a privilege. A woman was still required to demonstrate her professionalism, to roll up her sleeves more than a man. However, in 2011, the year I arrived at Microsoft Italy, I found an inclusive and welcoming environment, free of discrimination. Over the years, the attention paid to diversity has grown. Today this is a policy that is more widespread in the world of work, and I believe that women and men should invest equally in their training and talent, enjoying the same opportunities.
 

We have also seen that the world of IT security, in our experience with Microsoft, Ambizione Italia per la Cybersecurity, has changed a lot in recent years. Could we say that it has been enriched by less technical professionals and that, as the number of professionals has grown, the female component has increased? 
Yes, the presence of women has changed a lot and in my work I have seen a multiplication of careers in the field of cybersecurity. Many women have been able to choose this career. My own experience proves it: I have no computer training and yet today I work in this field. Being open to transferable skills has been fundamental for cybersecurity. And an international organisation like Microsoft Italy, which supports those who want to change roles and specialise, has always favoured the process.

Together we have spread a culture of security among young people as well as among citizens. Why is this joint action between third sector organisations, such as the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, and the business world still important? 
The collaboration with the Foundation has been rich and important. It still is! I remember the first meetings for the Coding Girls project, alongside young women, the challenges between students to bring them closer to STEM, the participation in the video course on cybersecurity for citizens of all ages, the initiatives aimed at SMEs. All important occasions that, together with other colleagues from Microsoft Italy, I felt duty-bound to seize. Starting with raising awareness among students to spread and strengthen basic digital skills is fundamental: they are the future adults who will have to live in the digital society in the most prudent way possible. Let's think about the impact of the Internet on all of our lives, about how much social media can even affect our future, as well as that of our communities. I believe that programmes like Coding Girls and Ambizione Italia are fundamental in this sense.

How can we support the young women we meet today?
First of all, by telling the stories of those who have made original choices. This is still very important and necessary today. When I come into contact with young female students, I feel obliged to help them feel more confident, also by showing them what my job is. I think of the stories we heard in February 2024 when Vasu Jakkal, Microsoft's Vice President of Security, Compliance, Identity & Privacy, met with high school and university students from the Coding Girls project. On that occasion, we came into contact with brilliant minds, who also testified to the difficulty of realising their dreams. On the one hand, today, technologies such as generative AI remind us of the importance of preserving the ethical, emotional and humanistic aspect. On the other hand, the pervasiveness of technology reminds us to strengthen our digital skills. To remain competitive, to freely choose our destiny, our goal in Europe and in the world, we must enrich our CV more and more thanks to the study of technical-scientific disciplines.

Any words or ideas to inspire young people? 
Be curious! Look around you, find out more, try to understand what skills you'll need for your future. My colleagues and I are always available to talk to young people who want to discuss this. I'd like to remind teachers how important their role is. Open up new paths and sow the seeds of a passion for knowledge! It's not enough to raise awareness in families, the partnership with schools must be strengthened more and more.

By Onelia Onorati, who is in charge of the press office for the Fondazione Mondo Digitale.