Szilvia Toth
Cyber Security Officer - OSCE Secretariat
I was a diplomat at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and worked with EU coordination in the field of Telecommunications and Information Security. My experience includes co-ordinating Cyber Issues and conducting outreach to international partners – mainly multilateral organisations on cyberdiplomacy issues. My involvement with the OSCE started through my job as the Hungarian capital expert at the OSCE Informal Working Group for cyber (established by PC decision 1039).
I have a degree in international communications. Early in my career, I regularly translated for international partners doing business in my home country. Because of this experience, I received the opportunity to work in telecommunications, cooperating with the same team for several years. I also have a degree in European Union affairs and had the privilege to work for the first Hungarian EU Presidency, thus becoming a diplomat. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs I was introduced to the exciting field of cyberdiplomacy and became instantly captured by it.
In mid-2019, I started working for the Department of Transnational Threats at the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna. I am very enthusiastic about the field of cyberdiplomacy and enjoy working with experts from all our participating States. At the OSCE, I am in daily contact with diplomats and professionals in cyber both in the delegations and their respective capitals. The OSCE is the fore-runner among regional organizations in developing and implementing cyber Confidence Building Measures and I am honoured to have to opportunity to actively contribute to this process.
An International Organisation like the OSCE is a fantastic place to add to your career journey, if working in a dynamic international environment appeals to you. Cybersecurity is still considered a new and hot topic on the agenda of international security and policy. Women having an interest in technology and/or security policy can find great opportunities to meaningfully contribute to the international engagement in cyberspace. I hope more and more women will join us in cooperating in this new and exciting field.