Keynote Topics
Below are some of Jessica's most requested topics and talks
When I think of security culture, one name comes to mind: Dr. Jessica Barker. Her presentation to the Cognitive Security Institute wasn’t just insightful—it was game-changing. She delivered a fresh, no-nonsense perspective on embedding security into the modern workplace, blending cutting-edge research with real-world experience. If you want to build a security-first culture that actually works, Dr. Barker is the expert you need to hear.
Dr Matthew Canham, Cognitive Security Institute
Human + AI: Making Better Decisions About Trust, Risk and Cyber Security
AI is changing how organisations work, communicate and make decisions, but it is also changing how people are manipulated, how trust is built and how cyber attacks succeed. The technology may be new, but the vulnerabilities are still deeply human.
Drawing on her expertise in cyber security and behavioral sciences, Dr Jessica Barker explores what happens when human behavior and artificial intelligence collide. From AI-enabled social engineering and deepfakes to automation, overconfidence and misplaced trust, she shows why organizations cannot afford to treat AI adoption and cyber security as separate conversations.
This keynote is for leaders and organizations investing in AI, digital transformation and new technologies who want to move quickly without creating unnecessary risk. Jessica helps audiences understand where human judgement becomes more important, not less, and how to recognise the behavioural vulnerabilities that technology alone cannot solve.
Audiences leave better equipped to make informed decisions about AI, trust and risk, challenge assumptions about where cyber threats really come from, and build a culture in which people and technology work together more securely.
Navigate AI with confidence - Jessica helps audiences know what to trust, what to question and what to protect.
Why People Click: Building Better Security Behaviors
Why do smart, capable people still click suspicious links, share sensitive information or be manipulated by scams they know they should avoid?
The answer is rarely a lack of intelligence or awareness. Cyber criminals exploit the way people think, decide and behave. They use urgency, authority, curiosity, trust and emotion to influence action, often before we have had time to stop and think.
Drawing on her expertise in cyber security and behavioral sciences, Dr Jessica Barker explores the human behaviors behind cyber risk and why traditional approaches to security awareness so often fall short. She challenges the idea that people are the weakest link and shows what organizations can do differently if they want security to work with human nature, not against it.
This keynote is for organisations frustrated by repeated security mistakes, low engagement with training or a culture where cyber security is still seen as someone else’s responsibility.
Audiences leave with a clearer understanding of why people behave the way they do, how social engineering succeeds and what makes security messages more likely to influence behavior. Most importantly, they discover how to create an environment where safer decisions become easier, more natural and part of everyday working life.
Help people understand why they click - and make more secure choices when it matters.
Security Culture: Turning Awareness into Everyday Action
Most organizations don’t have a cyber security awareness problem. People know they should use strong passwords, question suspicious messages and protect sensitive information. The harder challenge is turning what people know into what they actually do - particularly when they’re busy, under pressure or focused on getting their job done.
Dr Jessica Barker MBE is a leading expert in the human side of cyber security, combining behavioral science with extensive cyber security experience working with organizations around the world. In this keynote, she explores why information and awareness alone rarely create lasting behavior change - and what security leaders and teams can do instead.
Jessica looks beyond training and compliance to the everyday realities that shape security culture: leadership, communication, habits, social norms and the systems and environments in which people work. She challenges organisations to stop asking, “How do we make people care more about security?” and start asking, “How do we make secure behaviour easier, more relevant and more natural?”.
Designed for organisations that have invested in cyber security awareness but want to create deeper and more lasting change, this keynote gives leaders a practical, human-centred way to think about culture.
Audiences leave understanding how to close the gap between awareness and action, create the conditions for better security behaviours and build a culture where cyber security isn’t simply something people are told to do — it becomes part of everyday working life.
