Confidence Staveley

Confidence Staveley is a globally recognised cyber security expert and passionate racial equality advocate, currently serving as Founder & Editor-in-Chief of AI Cyber Magazine and Director of Application Security at MerkleFence. Through her lived experiences as a Black African woman navigating the tech industry, Confidence brings a deeply personal perspective to the ongoing fight for inclusivity in digital spaces. Her commitment to breaking barriers in a field often lacking diversity fuels her work, both in technical innovation and as a sought-after speaker. Her speaking engagements tackle pressing topics such as Women and Cyber Security: Creating a More Inclusive Cyberspace, Data Protection and Cyber Security in the Growing Digital Economy, The Payment Threat Landscape: Today and Tomorrow, and Boosting Digital Transformation – Data as a Development Enabler.

Confidence’s journey into cyber security began in 2009 at Eastern Data Services Ltd. She quickly rose through technical and leadership roles, including as Information Technology Specialist at Calabar International Convention Centre and Tech Marketing and Interactive Media Manager at InfoGraphics Nigeria. Her passion for digital inclusion and innovation deepened through her work as Cyber Security Analyst for UIC Innovations Africa, and later as Country Manager for DIGISS LLC. In 2019, she founded the CyberSafe Foundation, a pioneering non-profit that promotes digital safety and security in Africa. These early roles laid the groundwork for her blend of technical expertise and advocacy, ultimately leading to leadership in both public and private sectors. She is also the author of API Security for White Hat Hackers (2024).

Her impact has been recognised with numerous accolades. In 2022 alone, she received the Cyber Security Merit Award from the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria, the Global Citizen Award from the Meridian Global Leadership Awards, and the Obama Leader’s Personal Commitment Award. She was also named one of CIO Magazine’s 45 Most Influential Women in Digital Transformation, and joined the Forbes Technology Council. More recently, she was honoured as a Cybersecurity Woman of the World 2023, a Top 25 Leader in Cyber Security 2024, and featured in SC Media’s Women in IT Security 2024 Power Player list. Her inclusion in the book Women Know Cyber: 150 Fascinating Females Fighting Cybercrime further cements her global standing.

Confidence’s speaking topics are rich in both technical depth and social relevance. She leverages her expertise to advocate for inclusive cybersecurity ecosystems, focusing particularly on how racial and gender disparities limit progress. Whether she is discussing digital transformation or payment security, she consistently centres the experiences of underrepresented groups. Her ability to bridge cutting-edge cyber threats with systemic inequality makes her a compelling and unique speaker. Organisations seek her out not only for her authority in cybersecurity but for her powerful, lived insights into equity, access, and representation in the digital age.