Christina Hillsberg

Ex CIA intelligence officer
Expert on women in espionage, intelligence tradecraft, parenting
Fee: Please inquire
"Christina is one of the smartest analysts around. Whether it's cybersecurity or even parenting... she tells stories that entertain, most importantly educate!"
Maarten Van Horenbeeck
Chief Information Security Officer, Zendesk
Areas of Expertise

Christina is available for training, consulting and speaking engagements, with notable expertise in the following areas:

  • Cybersecurity, technology
  • Intelligence, clandestine operations
  • Parenting using CIA principles
  • Women in tech & national security
Christina's Background

Christina Hillsberg is a former CIA intelligence officer, writer, and recognized expert on women in espionage, intelligence tradecraft, and parenting.

While at the CIA, Christina wrote analytic assessments for the President, his Cabinet, and other senior-level policymakers. She specialized in African politics and leaders and was one of the Intelligence Community's few Swahili and Zulu linguists. Christina later worked in the CIA's Directorate of Operations, clandestinely collecting intelligence from the field. She is the recipient of multiple CIA Exceptional Performance Awards.

After leaving the CIA, Christina worked in Information Security at Amazon, where she stood up the company’s first Insider Threat program, created a new global framework to analyze cyber risks, and established new processes to utilize intelligence tradecraft to analyze information security threats.

She is the author of License to Parent: How My Career as a Spy Helped Me Raise Resourceful, Self-Sufficient Kids. Her writing has been featured in outlets such as The Washington Post, The Seattle Times, Harvard Business Review, Parents Magazine, Thrive Global, and Working Mother.

Presentation Examples
  • The CIA Way of Parenting: How to use CIA principles to raise well-rounded, security-conscious kids
  • Communication: Leveraging CIA techniques to improve your writing and communication skills
  • Threat analysis: How to apply CIA analytic techniques to cyber security programs in the private sector
  • Women in Tech & National Security: How to use CIA techniques to be successful as a woman in a male-dominated field
Partnership Examples
  • Boeing
  • Amazon Prime Video
  • IMDb TV
  • FBI
  • U.S. Department of State
  • National Security Council
Listen to Christina featured in SPYSCAPE's hit podcast, True Spies
More from Christina
More from Christina

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ExperTISE

Secret Intelligence Service - MI6
GCHQ
Belfer Center
FBI
CIA

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