Defence against the Dark Arts of cyber: who cares for the caretakers?

Cyber security is usually framed as a technical problem – network security, endpoint protection, data encryption and application security.

But what happens to the individuals tasked with maintaining constant vigilance over an ever-evolving, accelerating existential threat?

This talk invites curiosity and is designed to resonate across a range of professional contexts.

We will explore the emotional and psychological responses to managing cyber risk. Drawing on research with cyber professionals across the cyber security risk management ecosystem in the financial sector, it considers the experiences of those on the receiving end of cyber attacks.

Through a systems psychodynamic lens, we will step into the “inner theatre” of cyber risk management. Responses such as anxiety, projection, denial, and fantasy offer insight into how cyber risk is understood and managed.

At the centre of the story is a surprising team: the elusive skeletons, a critical group representing a significant point of tension in the system. The question becomes not only how we manage cyber risk, but how those responsible are supported.

While grounded in cyber security, this session invites reflection on questions relevant across roles, systems and domains beyond cyber security:

• Who are the caretakers in your system and who cares for them?
• What happens to thinking, relationships and decision-making under sustained pressure and constant vigilance?
• Who holds what is too difficult for the system to face?
• What becomes unspeakable when the stakes are high?

This talk draws on the speaker’s research, professional experience and a novel digital application designed to help surface often hidden dynamics. Expect stories, reflection, and space to think about how these dynamics may show up in your own work, whether or not you work in cyber risk management.

About Nancy Gossling

Nancy is the founder of Explore& Leadership Development and Consultancy. Her work focuses on leadership development, multiparty collaboration, group dynamics, and the emotional undercurrents of organizations during change.

Nancy has coached leaders and consulted to teams across sectors including banking, cybersecurity risk management, technology start-ups and healthcare. She works with clients to create space to think together, deepen self-awareness and navigate the complexities of leadership and change.

Her approach is grounded in systems psychodynamics together with over a decade of  experience as a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) in Audit, M&A, and Forensic Investigation Services. Following an extended parenting leave of almost 18 years, she returned to the paid workforce in a newly created role in cyber security risk management at a global bank. This combination connects her professional expertise with the human dynamics and realities of leadership and organizational life.

She is the author of the chapter Unconscious Dynamics Influencing Leadership, Longevity and Sustainable Finance: An Introduction to the Systems Psychodynamic Perspective in Longevity Finance: A Holistic Approach to Longevity for a Sustainable Future.

Nancy holds an Executive Master in Change from INSEAD (Distinction) and is currently a Professional Doctorate candidate in Consulting and Leading in Organisations at the Tavistock and Portman Institute, University of Essex. She also holds a Master of Forensic Accounting from the University of Toronto.

Fun Fact

Nancy also holds a Cat TNR (Trap Neuter Return) certificate and Bear Awareness and Safety Training certificate.