About John Harren

John is an information security professional with more than 15 years of experience, specialising in security GRC, and security awareness and training. He is currently a Cyber Awareness Lead with AIB. He is also a part-time Associate Lecturer with The Open University, teaching on both undergraduate and postgraduate Information Security modules, a role that enables him to support new entrants to the field as well as the ongoing development of established professionals.

He is currently a PhD candidate at Dublin City University, where his research — “Patterns of learning in the cybersecurity profession: A mixed methods study to understand continuing professional development (CPD) among cybersecurity professionals in Ireland”— examines how cybersecurity practitioners learn and develop throughout their careers. His part-time doctoral research began in 2020 and is due for completion this year, with all data collected and the thesis in its final stages. This research forms the basis of his conference contribution.

From Research to Reality: Practical CPD Lessons from Ireland’s Cyber Workforce

In a digital landscape defined by rapid innovation, security is no longer just a technical challenge, it’s a strat ping the non-technical skills required to ‘sell’ security to their organisations. To prepare themselves for the future, they need to optimise their approach to continuing professional development. With the rapidly changing threat and technology environment, it is essential that cybersecurity professionals continue to learn to maintain and develop their technical knowledge.