Rebecca Taylor

Rebecca Taylor is a highly respected cybersecurity keynote speaker, threat intelligence specialist and author, known for making complex cyber risks understandable and relevant. She currently serves as Threat Intelligence Knowledge Manager & Researcher at Sophos, where she operates at the forefront of global cyber defence. Her work focuses on turning raw intelligence into clear, actionable insight for organisations facing increasingly sophisticated threats. Rebecca’s defining achievement came in 2025 when she was named Cybersecurity Woman of the Year, recognising both her technical contribution and her leadership within the industry. As a speaker, she brings authority without intimidation, combining lived operational experience with a calm, engaging delivery that resonates with technical and non-technical audiences alike.

Rebecca’s career began far from traditional cybersecurity pathways. She graduated from the University of Portsmouth with a degree in English and Creative Writing, a background that later became central to her ability to communicate risk clearly. She joined Secureworks in 2014 in a junior support role, where early exposure to cybersecurity operations sparked a lasting fascination with the threat landscape. Lacking a technical background, Rebecca committed herself to learning, completing GCHQ certified cybersecurity training, PRINCE2 qualifications and multiple industry certifications while working full time. Her formative years included roles across business operations, security risk consulting and global operations, experiences that gave her rare visibility across how cyber incidents affect organisations in real terms. This journey shaped her distinctive perspective, grounded in empathy for those learning cyber from scratch.

Her professional achievements reflect both depth and influence. Rebecca became the first Threat Intelligence Knowledge Manager within Secureworks’ Counter Threat Unit, a role that placed her at the heart of intelligence ingestion, quality and analyst enablement. She worked closely with incident responders and intelligence researchers, contributing to investigations involving dark web marketplaces, access brokers and emerging threat actors. Alongside her corporate leadership, Rebecca has built a strong public profile as a TEDx speaker, with her talk 'Digital Shadows: The Perils of Premature Footprints', an industry panellist, and the published author of ‘Securely Yours: An Agony Aunt’s Guide to Surviving Cyber’. She is also a recognised advocate for inclusion, named among #techwomen100, and actively supports the next generation through mentoring, board advisory work and community initiatives.

Rebecca is hired as a speaker because she connects people, process and threat intelligence in a way that drives confidence and action. Her talks cover cyber threat intelligence, human intelligence, dark web risks, incident readiness, knowledge management and diversity in technology, subjects that are now business critical rather than optional. She speaks with credibility earned through experience, yet remains accessible, honest and practical. Rebecca equips people to respond intelligently, making her a trusted and compelling voice on today’s cyber stage.