Christine Izuakor

Dr. Christine Izuakor is the CEO of Cyber Pop-up, an on-demand cybersecurity service platform powered by vetted and highly skilled cyber freelancers. Izuakor is also the author of the “Ultimate Guide to Building a Career in Cybersecurity” available now on Amazon!

She has over a decade of experience leading cybersecurity functions within Fortune 100 companies and recently played a critical part in embedding cyber security in large enterprise DNA by training the global workforce on cyber security, supporting execution of the organizations security strategy, and developing cyber talent pipelines. Prior to this, she led numerous security functions from vulnerability management to handling legal implications of data security. Today, through Cyber Pop-up, she helps corporations of all sizes and industries solve a diverse range of strategic cybersecurity challenges on-demand.

Christine earned a Ph.D. in Security Engineering, becoming the youngest student and first African American woman to do so. Izuakor also completed a master’s degree in information systems security from the University of Houston in 2012 and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). Her research has been published in several international journals, and her original contributions to the security industry have been presented in international conferences from South Korea, to Italy. In 2017, her rapid growth within the technology industry landed her a spot on Chicago Business Crain’s Tech 50 List. She was also honored in the 2018 Crains 20 in their 20s list. She’s also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Cheddar News, CW, Hemispheres Magazine, and more.

Dr. Izuakor is also active in the diversity and inclusion community. She was a co-founder and former Vice President of Gen Trend, United Airlines’ Millennial business resource group, served a 2 year term as the Head Editor of the Illinois Diversity Council Editorial Board and volunteers as a cybersecurity mentor with Year Up. She is dedicated to increasing diversity within cybersecurity and has continually curated cybersecurity development and scholarship programs to further this agenda.

Christine is a first generation Nigerian in America, native Houstonian, Chicago resident and avid traveler. She appreciates learning about different cultures and shares her journey on social media, igniting travel curiosity in folks across the globe.