Landed The Job

May 7, 2025

Technology alumna Jannat Bhalla is a Harry Potter fan who likes to describe cybersecurity as a “cloak of invisibility” for an organization’s data and critical assets.

Ms. Bhalla’s training in information security gave her a strong foundation in the field, but she didn’t expect it would also lead to the removal of her own cloak — that had kept her voice hidden — and guide her toward a deeper understanding of the importance of communication and relationship building.

“Before going to Seneca, I used to get so anxious about talking to people,” Ms. Bhalla said. “I wasn’t a public speaker.”

All of that changed with the presentation skills class she took as part of the Honours Bachelor of Information Technology – Cybersecurity program. That was the magic ingredient that gave her the fundamentals of speech writing and public speaking along with the wizardry to create and use visual aids.

Those skills and the two co-op terms Ms. Bhalla did as part of her program, helped her quickly ramp up her career.

For her first co-op, she was hired as a junior solutions architect at Scalar Decisions Inc., then a Toronto-based IT solutions provider. In February 2019, it was acquired by Toronto-based, tech solutions company CDW Canada, where she did her second co-op as a cyber risk analyst.

“Through that first co-op experience, I got to network a lot within the company and I secured a job within a different space that I really enjoyed,” she said. “That second co-op experience was like a new chapter in my life because it was in cyber risk and that’s what I do now.”

Ms. Bhalla graduated in August 2020 and worked as a cybersecurity consultant for KPMG Canada, one of the country’s big four accounting organizations. She then moved to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Canada, another one of the big four, taking on work in cybersecurity and privacy – initially as a consultant, before being promoted to her current role as a senior consultant.

Working in consulting, her role is completely client-focused.

“It’s crucial to make sure I’m able to talk to people at any level, whether that’s a chief security officer or a junior level analyst,” she said, noting she uses her communication skills on a regular basis. She also uses them for larger presentations.

Like many Seneca graduates, Ms. Bhalla feels it’s important to give back to the community that provided her the opportunity to build a thriving career.

And so, the once-reluctant public speaker delivered a guest lecture on cyber risk methodology and reporting at Seneca last year. Since then, she moderated a panel on cybersecurity at the Advanced Transportation Manufacturing Summit in Mississauga, in the Greater Toronto Area’s west end.

“Every time I participate in these events, I think the four or five years ago me would not be doing this, because I wasn’t comfortable with public speaking,” Ms. Bhalla said.

However, she tapped into a Harry Potter-like force, faced her fears and learned she could do unexpected things.

“I want to do everything that I can to make sure that I prove myself to myself — that I’ve grown, and that I continue to grow … That’s part of giving back to the community because when one person grows, everyone in the community or industry grows.”