Daphne Mantzanidis

Daphne Mantzanidis is an emerging cyber security professional bridging applied science, creative direction, and information security. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Sports and Exercise) from Deakin University and completed her Certificate IV in Cyber Security at RMIT University in 2024. Daphne holds a Blue Team Level 1 (BTL1) certification and is currently undertaking a Technical Learning Internship as a Cyber Security Analyst at CyLynk.

Prior to her transition into cyber security, Daphne founded and led The Vision Lab, a multidisciplinary creative agency delivering creative direction, campaign strategy, and event production for audiences of up to 1,500 attendees. Her experience managing live events under real-time pressure, designing audience engagement campaigns, and coordinating complex multi-stakeholder projects provides a distinctive and practical lens for cyber security problem-solving.

Daphne and her co-presenter Wayne Rodrigues connected through the AWSN mentoring program, and their co-presentation draws directly from that partnership. Together, they bring the perspectives of both an experienced security architect and a career changer navigating entry into the industry, offering a grounded view of how non-traditional backgrounds strengthen the cyber security workforce.