Daisy Wong isn’t what most people picture when they think of cybersecurity leadership – and she’s perfectly happy with that.
With a love of makeup, hot pink hair and a pink wheelchair to match, Daisy studied marketing. Yet today, she leads and heads up the Security Culture function at Medibank.
Quite the 180, right? So, we sat down with Daisy to find out just how far her marketing skills have carried her in the world of cybersecurity.
The career she thought she’d have
Daisy knew early on that marketing was for her. She imagined herself somewhere like L’Oréal, selling lipstick and big ideas. But another layer was shaping her expectations.
‘I’m a wheelchair user. I’m physically disabled… I think it’s important to highlight.’
When she graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Business, majoring in marketing, she couldn’t help but think practically. Junior marketing roles often meant events, grunt work and moving things around.
‘I was like, oh no, how am I going to move that box? How am I going to help set up the event?’
She wasn’t ready to face the answers to those questions yet, and the industry didn’t feel ready to embrace an employee with a physical disability. So, instead, Daisy went back to university to complete two Masters in two years: one in International Business, the other in European Studies.
‘That was around the time that my best friend’s ex-boyfriend told me I was a professional student and would never get a job – which I obviously took personally. I couldn’t put it off after that,’ Daisy says. ‘So, I headed into the job market.’
She landed a graduate role at IBM, a multinational technology company. Needless to say, it wasn’t the glamorous marketing world she’d imagined.
‘It wasn’t what I expected, but it was a foot in the door,’ she says. And sometimes, that’s all you need.
When you’re ‘not technical’ – but you’re translating
Daisy’s early career wasn’t linear. She moved through IT roles, project coordination and change management. Then came redundancy. Twice.
‘I had two redundancies before the age of 30,’ she shares. ‘I literally had managers say, “I don’t know where to put you. You’re not technical. There’s no space for you in the industry.”’
That’s a confronting thing to hear – especially when you’re already navigating the male-dominated cyber industry as a woman with a disability.
For years, she says, ‘I didn’t even know what to say when someone asked me what I did for a career. To me, I just had a job.’
But here’s what no one realised at first: she wasn’t ‘not technical’. She was a translator.
In cybersecurity, technical experts identify vulnerabilities. Business teams don’t always understand the jargon. So, Daisy would step in to clear things up.
‘One of my early mentors asked me what I studied at university, and I told her marketing,’ Daisy says. ‘She was like, “That’s why. That’s why you’re so good at this.”’
Her ability to break down complex concepts, make them engage and connect with an audience? That was marketing. And, combined with the project management course she completed on the job, it was her edge.
Marketing as a skill set
Even when her job title didn’t say ‘marketing’, Daisy never stopped using it. At one point, feeling disconnected from her creative roots, she started an Instagram account.
‘I treated myself as a product or service,’ she says.
It started with food and lifestyle content because, at first, Daisy felt the need to hide her disability. But as time went on, her content evolved into disability advocacy and thought leadership, and she has since amassed over 27,000 followers.
That side project turned out to be more valuable than she realised.
‘The number of times I’ve had to use my video editing skills for work is insane.’
Today, in her role as Head of Security Awareness at Medibank, she often creates short-form, TikTok-style videos to educate employees on password policies and online threats. She crafts messages that shift behaviour, building a true security culture.
She calls it ‘the best of both worlds’ – combining her passion for cybersecurity with her background in marketing and communications.
Disability, redundancy and reality
Daisy is the first to say her journey wasn’t easy.
‘I did expect a little bit more grace when my roles were made redundant. Because I knew for a fact that my male colleagues were given much more support.’
She even spent a few years volunteering as the Corporate Partnership Manager at the Australian Women’s Security Network – an association that supports women in the cyber industry.
‘I grew up with no role models that looked like me,’ Daisy says. ‘Last time I checked, only 17% of the cybersecurity industry are female. So, imagine working in it from a pink wheelchair rocking hot pink hair! It isn’t easy.’
But, as she says, her wheelchair is visible. Many other challenges aren’t.
‘Disability comes in all forms… There are a lot of invisible disabilities, illnesses and chronic fatigue,’ Daisy says. ‘And I just want to encourage people who may have whatever condition, that there is space for them.’
Grab the opportunity – even if it’s not perfect
Today, after her long career climb, Daisy has some sage advice.
‘Early in your career, getting a foot in the door is all you need,’ she advises. ‘And network! Network like your life depends on it.’
Your first role might not match your dream. It might not even feel close. But experience compounds. Skills stack. Confidence builds. And sometimes, progression means swallowing your pride.
‘You often need to take a step back in your career to take two steps forward. Try telling 24-year-old Daisy that,’ she laughs. But now she knows it’s true.
Daisy’s marketing degree equipped her with insight into human behaviour, communication, persuasion and strategy – skills that apply across beauty, banking, government, tech and beyond.
But if her journey proves anything, it’s that there is space for people with disability in every industry. Sometimes, all it takes is the willingness to claim it.
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