In episode 31, Mandy Haeburn-Little chats with members of the team at Sir Robert McAlpine, a valued member of our growing portfolio of National Cyber Resilience Centre Group National Ambassadors. Mandy is joined by Andy Black, Chief Information Security Officer, and Rachel Lloyd-Moseley, Head of Procurement - Nuclear.

Sir Robert McAlpine describes itself as a family building and civil engineering company with a desire to be renowned for their work with clients and communities as they construct a better world for future generations.

Sir Robert McAlpine's strong family values indeed come across in the discussion, which looks at the history of the company, the sectors where they work and the inter-department collaboration across a wide variety of projects. The chat also explores why Sir Robert McAlpine joined NCRCG as a National Ambassador and how it is a perfect fit with their commitment to raising awareness of cyber security throughout their supply chain.

It's a fascinating and engaging conversation during which Andy and Rachel provide examples of how the company is embracing AI to achieve greater levels of efficiency and safety.

In episode 30, Mandy Haeburn-Little chats with members of the team at ISC2, the latest National Cyber Resilience Centre Group National Ambassador. Mandy is joined by Ed Parsons, VP, Global Markets & Member Relations; Dr Sanjana Hehta, Senior Director, Advocacy; Andy Woolnough, EVP, Corporate Affairs; and Alex Mortimer, Manager, Global Academic Partnerships.

ISC2 is the world's leading membership association for cybersecurity; it is probably best known for its gold standard certification, CISSP. However, as you will discover on the podcast, there is much more to the organisation. The team talked about the work they do in research, training, and certification. They also explain the vital work they do in advocacy to ensure the relevant policymakers understand the needs of their members in three main areas of focus: workforce development, professionalisation of the sector, and critical issues of the day.

During the discussion, Ed Parsons also explains why ISC2 decided to become a National Ambassador and how they see the NRCRG model as a perfect fit to demonstrate their commitment to making an impact in the UK, particularly in developing and expanding the cyber talent pipeline, and working closely with the regional centres to make a positive impact in local communities.

In Episode 29, we turn on another National Ambassador, Baseel Group. Mandy Haeburn-Little is joined by the dynamic husband-and-wife team that is the driving force behind Baseel. Paresh Deshmukh is the Group CEO, while Poorva Deshmukh is the Group Managing Director.

Baseel is familiar to the CRC network; they have been working with multiple centres as Cyber Essentials Partners, but, in line with their global operation and ambitions, they have become National Ambassadors of the National Cyber Resilience Centre Group. During the conversation, they explained the global nature of the business and how they use specialist partners with particular areas of expertise, which enables them to offer multiple high-quality services and solutions to all customers, regardless of their requirements.

They also explain their appetite for innovation and development, which keeps Baseel at the forefront of technology. Paresh teases listeners by sharing a few of the products in development, such as a Happiness and well-being platform and another to provide end-to-end funding solutions for businesses of all sizes.

Paresh and Poorva also share their reasons for becoming National Ambassadors and their wish to be involved in various workstreams and the Cyber PATH programme, which aligns perfectly with their global Intern Programme. It is clear from the conversation that Baseel has solid values and a desire to give back to the business community. Both Paresh and Poovra speak with passion about the Baseel 'family' and what they are doing to give back to the business community and their charitable work through the Maulee Foundation, an organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable development and improving the lives of marginalised communities around the world.

Once again, it is an open and passionate discussion led by Mandy that reveals the genuine and core values on which Baseel Group is founded.

In episode 28, Mandy Haeburn-Little is joined by Karen Blake, CEO of Tech Talent Charter, and Caroline Turner, Founder and CEO of Creased Puddle. Karen's mission with Tech Talent Charter is to drive inclusion and diversity across the tech ecosystem. She discusses the need to equip organisations with practical insights to make a real difference and encourage senior-level buy-in. She highlights that this starts with recognising why data is essential, understanding how to interpret it, and what to do with it. Karen also shares her thoughts on how we ensure we're not working within a system that is set up for neurodiverse people to fail.

Caroline Turner's reasons for launching Creased Puddle were based on personal experience. She is an ex-police officer whose son was diagnosed as neurodivergent. In her quest for information, she discovered there was a lack of quality guidance and support, and any that was available focused on a deficit narrative, which she believes only tells half the story. This, and her drive to improve the understanding and neurodivergence within the criminal justice system led her to start the company. She outlines why it's essential to work with companies to identify their specific requirements and then deliver training that meets these needs.

It's a compelling episode that celebrates the progress that has been made in recent years. However, both guests are quick to highlight what still needs to happen if we are to tap into the opportunities of embracing a neurodivergent workforce. Both are not only passionate but also highly knowledgeable on the topic, which makes it an engaging, interesting, and worthwhile episode.

In episode 27, we return to our National Ambassador Focus to introduce our latest National Ambassador, Resilience. On the podcast, Mandy Haeburn-Little is joined by four senior members of the Resilience team: Si West, Director, Customer Engagement; Rehan Hussain, Head of Underwriting, International; Jack Jenner, International Head of Distribution & Strategy; and Tom Egglestone, Global Head of Claims.

Si West opens the conversation by stating Resilience's mission is to make businesses cyber resilient to material losses. He goes on to explain that they do this by helping companies assess, measure, and manage cyber risk by connecting risk quantification software, in-house cybersecurity expertise, and insurance into a single solution. This enables continuous improvement and clear alignment across risk, therefore improving cyber security and financial leadership by translating security threats and controls into actionable financial prioritisation.

The conversation among the team explores a number of facets that make Resilience's offering unique and innovative. During the chat, they discuss how they assist clients in communicating in a financial language that resonates with the Board, something they believe is essential if adequate cyber budgets are to be maintained. They ably explain why "Being able to quantify risk is a game changer".

They also discuss how they are bringing a risk management culture to cyber and how they build rapport, starting with their innovative onboarding approach for new clients.

It's an interesting discussion that covers a wide range of topics related to the business and its products, such as the Risk Profile Builder and the Breach Attack Simulation tools. It also provides some interesting insights into the variances of risk across different countries and how they adapt to the nuances of local markets.

In our latest episode of the Cyber Versed podcast, we continue with our mini-series on Diversity in Cyber; this time, we are looking at Neurodiversity. Three exceptional guests join Mandy Haeburn-Little: Dr Emma Philpott MBE, CEO at IASME Consortium; Jonathon Ellison OBE, Director of National Resilience and Future Technology at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC); and Jess Burden, Security Engineer at IASME Consortium.

During the discussion, all three more than adequately explain the numerous advantages of employing neurodivergent people. Both Jonathon and Emma outline how they have not only embraced neurodivergent workforces but also demonstrate the many benefits and how both organisations are thriving because of it. Indeed, Jonathon explains that he considers their attitude towards recruiting a broad range of neurodivergent people as 'mission-critical'.

Jess Burden also provides an open and very honest insight as a neurodivergent employee who has progressed in IASME to become a security engineer. She explains very clearly some of the challenges faced by her and many others and how her colleagues and the culture at IASME have helped her progress and grow as an individual and a valuable employee.

All in all, it's a great insight into neurodivergence and the vital role a neurodiverse workforce can play in the success of all businesses of any size.

In Episode 25, Mandy Haeburn-Little speaks to the team from SAS, the latest addition to the growing number of National Ambassador organisations.

Mandy is joined by Caroline Barnett, Principal Consultant; Nicky Furlong, Senior Director, Northern Europe, Public Sector, Health and Life Sciences; David Shannon, Head of Hyperautomation, NI&UK; and Dr Iain Brown, Head of Data Science, Northern Europe.

It's an interesting insight into the broad range of work undertaken by one of the leading global software companies to assist clients in making the best use of their structured and unstructured data. During the discussion, the team discussed a wide range of topics, from their ethos and culture to the need for transparency when using AI and Generative AI to how they predict what's coming next.

They cite some fantastic examples of how their work is helping in healthcare, such as their work with Patricia Maguire, Professor of Biochemistry at University College Dublin, on AI_PREMie. This potentially life-saving solution aims to empower clinicians by developing a powerful risk stratification tool that will help them diagnose and manage women affected by preeclampsia.

Mandy also poses the question about how to avoid being freightened of AI, and she invites the team to explain the difference between Artificial Intelligence and Automation. It is an informative episode from start to finsih and well worth a listen.

In episode 24, Mandy Haeburn-Little takes a deep dive into the work of one of the Regional Centres—the Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre. During her conversation with the centre Director, Detective Superintendent Paul Lopez, she highlights again how Eastern CRC differs from the other centres, particularly in the type of companies and industry sectors it supports.

Paul begins by explaining how he arrived in cyber and why he thinks this role is the most important and impactful job he has done in all of his years in policing. Paul also outlines his ambitions and goals for the future. He will continue to promote the CRC network as a police-led, business-focused initiative in order to establish the Eastern Centre as a one-stop-shop for all things cyber. Paul accepts they will have only some of the answers or solutions. Still, he wants business owners to appreciate that if they don't have the answers, they will be able to introduce the right person or organisation that will be able to help.

Paul also touches on the Cyber PATH programme and Fiona Bail's work in delivering this crucial element of the CRC initiative, which is building an elite talent pipeline of students who want a career in cyber.

It's a highly positive and engaging exploration of the geographical, commercial and cyber landscape in the Eastern Region. Moreover, it adequately outlines and promotes the opportunities in policing for anyone considering a career in crime prevention or, indeed, cyber!