Bertha Akua Asare
Bertha Asare is a cybersecurity professional with over seven years of experience spanning finance, banking, higher education, consulting, and biotechnology. Her path into cybersecurity was shaped by a deeply personal experience: as an international student in the United States, she was scammed while searching for work. Seeing how frequently immigrants and vulnerable communities are targeted ignited her determination to protect others from cybercrime. Although she began her career in banking and holds a master’s degree in Sustainable International Development, Bertha successfully pivoted into cybersecurity, blending her humanitarian roots with technical expertise.
Throughout her career, Bertha has held roles as a cybersecurity engineer, consultant, auditor, and senior privacy and information security analyst. Her work focuses on threat hunting, incident response, phishing detection, and data protection, with a growing specialization in responsible AI and security awareness. She has led investigations into complex cyber threats, developed incident response programs, and designed security training initiatives that help organizations understand not only how attacks happen, but how to prevent them. Her ability to translate technical risks into clear, actionable guidance has made her a trusted partner to both technical teams and business leaders.
Today, Bertha is the co-founder of an organization dedicated to training people for cybersecurity careers while providing security services to small and growing businesses. In addition to hands-on threat investigations, she leads security workshops and awareness programs that empower organizations to protect themselves in an increasingly hostile digital landscape. Beyond her professional work, she is a committed advocate for inclusion and impact, founding a nonprofit that supports persons living with disabilities and earning recognition as a Global Goodwill Ambassador and a “Hero of Change.” At the core of her work is a simple mission: using cybersecurity and responsible AI to protect people, create opportunity, and make technology safer for everyone.
• Certified Security Awareness Trainer
• Certified AI Data Security Specialist
• Certified Information Security Auditor
• Brandeis NSF-I Corps Program
• Introduction to Cybersecurity Tools & Cyber Attacks
• Brandeis University- Master's
• University for Development Studies- B.A.
• MIT Sloan School of Management
• Global Goodwill Ambassador (2019)
• Heroes of Change
• AI-Powered Women
• Black Women in Cybersecurity
• Sronko Diaries Ghana
• Global Goodwill Ambassadors
• Miracle Cyber
• AI Blueprint for MA
What do you attribute your success to?
I'm a Christian, so I would say that God is my inspiration. He guides me and directs me. I also attribute my success to my parents as well. They helped me throughout my career journey, and my mentors. So, first is God who gives me the inspiration, and second are my parents and my mentors.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received when I started my journey, when I finished college and was looking for a job, was to get rest if I can, because it'll get to a time where I wouldn't be able to get so much rest. Right now that I'm going up in my career, I need to reflect more, get more rest when I can, because as I grow in my career, I wouldn't make time, so I should always remember that I need rest. Rest is important. And practicing stillness and mindfulness is important.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
One advice that I'll give to women entering into my industry is that the cybersecurity journey is not a get-rich scheme. Usually I get people call me that I want to start cybersecurity because I want to make money and I want to just work from home and make six figures, and it's not really how people pitch it. It's a process, it's a learning journey, because policies change, threats are evolving, so if you are coming in as an entry level, you need to psych yourself that I have to be learning, I can't be an island. You have to start connecting with more people, sharing information, cross-referencing. It's very important. You cannot be an island as an entry-level person. It's not a get-rich scheme. Try and collaborate with more people, and consistent learning will help you thrive in the cyberspace.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the main challenges that I faced was the struggle to belong as a woman. Most of the roles that I work with are really men, and I'm the only female, and sometimes I'm the only Black female with an accent, and immigrant female as well, so it's always challenging to sometimes question myself, do I belong here? Can I make it? Am I speaking right? Am I doing it right? What I learned is that I have to set myself apart, make myself unique. Once I'm bringing value, and I learned something that once you're able to show power, once you're able to show your experience, everyone would think that you are playing until you exhibit more knowledge. So, what I did was to gather more knowledge, network properly, and then now I'm able to work with any type of people. It was challenging for me because of my accent and trying to belong into a certain group, but now I'm good.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
One of my key values is that I believe in supporting others and giving constructive feedback so people can grow, and so I always expect to receive the same thing. One thing I value most is to see issues getting resolved, even if it's the little things. Making sure that issues are resolved, people are receiving what they need from me. In my training as someone who trains people to get cybersecurity jobs, one thing I value is to make sure that my students are not just being learned, but they understand the role of a cybersecurity professional. They leave there with so much experience such that they're able to get a job. So I value impact a lot. I value supporting people, and I value that the more you give, the more you receive. That's one of my key values.