When my colleagues are happy – I’m happy

As the Director of People and Professional Services at Orange Cyberdefense Denmark, Bettina Nyberg works constantly to create the best working conditions for all employees and our customer projects. She is particularly passionate about helping her colleagues design their own careers and finding the optimal work/life balance. Because as Bettina says: "When people are happy and in balance, good results follow."

You don't have to spend much time with Bettina Nyberg before you can feel that she is very proud of her workplace. She has a master's degree in law and has held several different roles in Orange Cyberdefense Denmark for 9 years - such as Service Delivery Manager and Professional Services Manager. Today the title is 'Director of People and Professional Services' in the email footer, and that title suits her very well.

"A HR/People Manager must have both a sense of structure and good empathy, and that fits my profile well. On the structural side, I develop and manage all processes in the personnel area. For example, in relation to on- and off-boarding, contracts, Appraisal and salary conversations, HR system, staff handbook, staff benefits, social events, relocations, office facilities, policies/guidelines and execution of our HR Annual Wheel. And as a Professional Services manager I continuously strive to do the best I can for our professional services experts’ well-being, development and balance. Our PS team constantly work hard for our customers and our purpose is to constant develop ourselves and to participate in building a safer digital society. I´m so extremely proud of our PS team and all my other colleagues.” explains Bettina.

Professionally speaking, she embraces a wide range – from extensive legal tasks to practical office management. No task is too big or too small if it is important for the well-being of the organization. If she were to name one specific area of responsibility that she particularly enjoys, it would be helping colleagues design their careers. They do not always have to follow the beaten path from a junior to a senior position in the same track and they certainly do not have to work from 8-16 every day in a set rhythm.

Orange Cyberdefense is a large local and global organization with many opportunities where you can switch "sideways" to another job function or work abroad for a period. And Bettina is always ready to support a colleague who is looking for new challenges or a new role within the organization – if possible. She is of the opinion that if Orange Cyberdefense is flexible towards its employees, they are flexible towards the customers, and that is good for the business – a win for all parties.

As 'Director of People and Professional Services, Bettina Nyberg is the only woman in the management team in Orange Cyberdefense Denmark. But that doesn't mean she feels overlooked. In pure numbers, the cybersecurity industry is probably a "man's world", but Bettina does not experience it as male dominated. From her perspective equality is present at all levels in the organization – also in the Management Team.

“Everybody listen with respect to each other’s point of views - also when difficult decisions must be made, which inevitably lead to conflicts of interest, where you must give and take. This also applies at all other levels of the organization”, Bettina says, and she continues:

"As 'Director of People and Professional Services' I am often on the employees' side. For example, when we discuss resource allocation or performance expectations. I know as well as anyone that we must earn money and achieve our goals, but in the cases where we have some leeway, I often prioritize the soft values. Sometimes there might be some humorous teasing – but that just means they accept my positions, and I know it comes from a good place. I always feel respected and listened to – both as a professional and as a person. I don't really think that gender plays a very big role here. It is more about our chemistry and competences. In this way, we have a good workplace, for which I will go to great lengths. We have something very special together."

Although she generally perceives IT security as an industry with a high degree of equality between men and women, she nevertheless hopes to have many more female colleagues in the coming years, because women are still a minority in the industry – especially within the more technical areas.

She does not see forced gender quotas as the way forward, but she is absolutely certain that a more balanced distribution of women and men increases the dynamic and diversity in the workplace. Especially because men and women can complement each other and make each other stronger if they work together. It provides greater insight and more nuanced perspectives on both short- and long-term challenges.

As an example, she highlights when Orange Cyberdefense Denmark had to decide on the new maternity law. Since Bettina herself had tried to have children at a time when her husband could not get very much paid maternity leave, she argued for extra weeks with pay, and that's how it happened. A decision that is greatly appreciated by the employees, four of whom are soon expecting a family addition.

"Then there is also the fact that the entire IT and cybersecurity industry is plagued by a major labor shortage, and it will only get worse. So, we need skilled women to that extent, and the competition for them will be tough. Therefore, we should strive to be as attractive a workplace as possible for both men and women", Bettina explains.

If you ask Bettina about the best thing about her job, the answer is immediate: the colleagues and the shared vision of creating a safer digital society. When the collaboration works and everyone contributes in ways that suit their profile and skills, then Bettina is at her best. On the other hand, she is also affected when a colleague struggles to succeed or fails.

"Sometimes life can hit a colleague hard, and I feel that quickly. Then it is about standing together and taking advantage of the opportunities we must help – and we do, for example through the healthcare benefits the company provide for all employees. But in some cases, we will have to withdraw and let time prevail. That can be difficult for me. But when we are on the other side of the crisis where everything is “back to normal” and we can laugh again, celebrate a birthday or have a drink together on a Friday afternoon - then it's really good to be me", says Bettina and smiles.

Every year, Bettina sets up a series of personal KPIs, which she uses to assess whether the development in her work is moving in the right directions. In the past year, among other things, she ticked off the introduction of a new HR system, building a better intranet, developing new, streamlined processes for on-/off-boarding and moving the Aarhus office to a new and bigger location in a brand-new building facility.

When she looks ahead, she is especially looking forward to comple the renovation of the Danish HQ in Copenhagen which include providing the Danish SOC much better facilities and working conditions, and then she is looking forward to developing new staff benefits. For example, dentist and discount schemes, more social events and perhaps even an OCD Padel club. The aim is of course to strengthen the workplace community and attract more skilled employees – both men and women.

"We would also very much like to support a high degree of mobility. Some employees may want to try working from abroad for a period. Or from the summer house in the days leading up to bank holidays. But since we work with cyber security, there are several requirements to comply with. We cannot simply connect to the customer's network from an unprotected end point. Here we must follow our existing security policies to the letter, while at the same time increasing mobility", she says.

If you ask Bettina where she will be in her career in 5 years, she has no doubts.

"In many ways the same place ¬– just with a lot of new projects", she says, because she is not finished being HR Manager. There are many exciting challenges ahead, and she sees herself be a part of Orange Cyberdefense Denmark in many years to come. In this way, she herself is part of the good statistics, which show that it is a workplace that most people choose to stay at for many years. And she has a clear message for all women:

"To those women who are in doubt as to whether or not they should choose a job in IT or cybersecurity industry, my advice is: Do it - we need you so much! I didn't regret it in any way - and I don't think you will either."