Dr. Magda Lilia Chelly is an award-winning global cybersecurity leader. She has been named one of the top 20 most influential cybersecurity personalities in 2017 and 2021 by ISFEC Global.
Magda has authored three books. The first book is called "Being Brave; Vera's Cyber Adventures." The book combines cybersecurity with science fiction and romance, intending to raise cyber awareness to the general public. The two other books address cybersecurity challenges and recommendations for c-executives.
Magda’s many appearances discussing cybersecurity on national and international TV, Radio, and News Magazines have raised her profile as the media’s go-to expert on subjects requiring accurate yet straightforward insights on cybersecurity topics. Magda appeared in a popular documentary on Channel News Asia, “The Dark Web,” where she provides insights on cybercrimes. She, later on, was featured in other TV shows, including VTV 1 News; the first Vietnamese channel of VTV launched on 7 September 1970. Dr. Magda was the guest on Task Force 7 Radio. She gave interviews, including Prime Time on MoneyFM 89.3. In 2020 and 2021, she was featured in the distributed version of the Dark Web Documentary on Canal Plus and ZDFInfo.
Magda has also been known in her early days for her appearance in non-cyber security-related TV shows and movies, including Love Me (Original title: Aime-moi (2009)); a short film with the French star and actress Armelle Deutsch: Toute la mort Devant soi (2009), Love Me (2009), Utopium: Song for an Artist (2008), amongst others.
Magda also hosted cybersecurity events worldwide, including the first Catch the Flag competition for girls in Singapore in collaboration with the Cybersecurity Agency of Singapore in 2019. Currently, she is working on its fourth edition.
In her career, Magda wore several hats. She has been an Information Security Officer for multiple organizations, including multinational insurance corporations. She developed businesses in the cyber advisory space. Furthermore, with years of experience in cybersecurity and providing services worldwide, Magda co-founded a cybersecurity start-up in Singapore valued at 7 Million SGD in 2020. She is also an angel investor in the cybersecurity space and beyond.
Magda Lilia Chelly is a popular keynote speaker. She delivers engaging presentations worldwide in five languages: English, French, Polish, Italian, and Arabic for corporate events, practitioner, and academic conferences. Known for her ability to engage audiences ranging from senior executives to ethical hackers and the general public, she brings energy, enthusiasm, and fun to cybersecurity.
Her speaking engagements address mainly topics on cyber risk quantification, bridging the gap between business and cybersecurity, cyber awareness, diversity and inclusion in the cybersecurity industry, and cybersecurity investments and entrepreneurship. Magda’s research focused on cybersecurity, the future of localization and positioning, education, and more. Her research writings around cybersecurity have been featured by IEEE, RSA Conference, World Congress on Internet Security (WorldCIS-2016), CYBER RISK LEADERS Magazine.
Magda’s international experience, technical knowledge, and multi-cultural background have equipped her with unique insights. She is known for her clear communication style and for making cybersecurity accessible to all. Magda Chelly is celebrated among the prestigious ‘Top 100 Women in Tech‘ by the Singapore Computer Society (SCS) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in 2023.
