Cyber Security Experts LIVE at International Cyber Expo : Challenges, Insights & Advice:
Leading in Cyber Security today feels like navigating a constantly shifting landscape — threats evolve faster than solutions, talent is scarce, and the stakes are high. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been on the ground at events like the International Cyber Expo & Digital Transformation Expo, talking with Attendees & Vendors, understanding their challenges, and capturing the real stories behind the headlines. These face-to-face interactions aren’t just insightful — they’re energising, highlighting the human side of cybersecurity and the immense value of community for teams at every stage, from Start-Ups to Enterprises.
We take that time at the shows seriously: we record in-depth interviews with Leaders & Innovators, bringing their frustrations, lessons learned, and practical strategies straight to our audience. Then we follow it up with our On-Stage Discussions around personal branding, career development & growth in Cyber Security. It’s not just about tech or compliance; it’s about helping people grow, build confidence, and make meaningful connections in an industry that can feel overwhelming. This blend of networking, live content, and human insight creates real value for both individuals and organisations alike.
That’s why we’re thrilled to launch Cyber Security Experts LIVE: Challenges, Insights & Advice, streaming Part One on Monday 1st December at Noon. From ADVAI & Toro Solutions to ZERODAI & Dionach, our speakers share frontline insights and actionable guidance for leaders navigating today’s Cyber & AI challenges. Whether you’re building a Start-Up, scaling a business, or managing enterprise risk, this series translates real-world experience into tangible steps you can implement immediately — all while fostering human connection, learning, and growth.
Join us as we launch; Cybersecurity Experts LIVE: Challenges, Insights & Advice:
Part One of our Live Discussion will stream Monday 1st December at Noon.
Chris Jefferson – ADVAI
Chris Jefferson is Co-Founder of ADVAI and a practical security expert who’s spent years watching AI systems get exploited. Working across DevOps, MLOps & Full Microsoft Technology stack, he’s built solutions for financial risk, regulation, and compliance—and now he’s applied that same defensive mindset to protecting AI and machine learning applications. His background is deep: windows servers, data modelling, machine learning, fuzzy systems, project management. Recently, he’s been researching AI security at the University of Portsmouth, which means he’s not just theorizing—he’s actively working on the problems security teams face right now.
ADVAI exists because organizations are adopting AI without understanding the risks. Chris and the team focus on finding the points of failure—in both custom-built and off-the-shelf AI systems—before they become incidents. Their monitoring platform doesn’t just tick compliance boxes; it maps technical metrics directly to your governance frameworks and risk needs. They’ve worked with the UK Government’s AI Safety Institute and Ministry of Defence, which tells you they understand the stakes. For organizations serious about AI adoption without the security nightmares, ADVAI is where the real work happens.
ADVAI: http://www.advai.com
Katie Barnett – Toro Solutions
Katie Barnett has spent 15 years in IT security, and her path there is unusual: legal training, commercial solicitor background, then security operations across commercial, academic, and media organizations. She’s supported government supply chain assurance projects and UK/US government contracts in strategic communications. What makes her different? She actually understands both the legal side and the technical side—and she knows how to communicate between boardrooms and technical teams. She’s overseen security in some tough environments: Iraq, Somalia, Kenya, Nigeria, Ukraine. That’s not consultant-speak; that’s real-world experience handling security when things matter.
Toro Solutions reflects Katie’s no-nonsense approach to security. She doesn’t believe in overcomplicated frameworks. Instead, she conducts gap analyses against standards that actually matter—Cyber Essentials, ISO 27001, NIST, SOC 2—and builds practical solutions that address cyber, physical, and people security. She’s led organizations through ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certification and Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation. Her philosophy: security should be methodical, relationship-driven, and achievable. If you’re trying to build real security without the theater, Katie’s approach cuts through the noise.
Toro Solutions: https://www.torosolutions.co.uk/
Andrey Darenberg – RateYourCyber
Andrey Darenberg has 12 years in cybersecurity and 10 years in governance consulting, which gives him a rare perspective: he understands both the compliance side and the business side. PhD in Finance from a top school, MBA from London Business School, certifications as an ISO 27001 Lead Auditor, C-DORA-P, C-DPO—this is someone who’s paid dues across multiple disciplines. His background in corporate strategy, venture capital, and finance means he sees the real problem: SMEs are getting crushed by expensive consultants and enterprise software that costs a fortune to implement and maintain.
RateYourCyber solves that by making enterprise-grade GRC accessible. AI-powered maturity assessments, data privacy evaluations, third-party risk management—all delivered through a platform that’s actually straightforward to use. Board-ready reporting in plain English, not consultant jargon. What traditionally cost £50k in consultant fees or required complex enterprise implementations is now available through an online platform. For SMEs tired of being overlooked by the enterprise security world, RateYourCyber fills a real gap.
RateYourCyber: https://rateyourcyber.com/
Kelsey Smith & Joanne Morley – Dionach by Nomios
Kelsey Smith is Director of Sales at Dionach and brings real energy to conversations about scaling security. She’s spent over a decade building cybersecurity programmes for major financial institutions, government bodies, and healthcare providers—which means she understands how different sectors think about risk. She’s known for transformational sales strategies and leading teams that actually get results. Joanne Morley is the GRC specialist on the ground—CISMP certified with 15+ years in the industry. While Kelsey’s architecting the vision, Joanne’s building trusted client relationships and delivering tailored risk management strategies that actually align security with business objectives. Together, they represent what Dionach is really about: not just selling security solutions, but partnering with organizations to build resilience.
Dionach has 25 years in this game and 200+ organizations trusting them globally. They’re CREST-approved, ISO 27001/9001 certified, PCI QSA qualified. But here’s what matters: they do real work. Penetration testing, red team engagements, SCADA and OT testing, governance and compliance services. They’re not trying to be everything to everyone. Kelsey and Joanne know that security teams are overwhelmed, under-resourced, and dealing with real threats. Dionach exists to handle the hard technical work and the compliance work that security leaders don’t have time for—so those leaders can actually focus on protecting their organizations. That’s the partnership model that works.
Dionach: https://www.dionach.com/services/
Part Two of our Live Discussions will stream Monday 8th December at Noon.
Register here: https://www.linkedin.com/events/ep-83-cybersecurityexpertslive-7400178610139193344/theater/
Tim Ward – Redflags
Tim Ward is Co-Founder and CEO of Redflags, and he’s spent years watching security awareness programs fail. The harsh reality: 90% of cyber attacks start with human error—social engineering, weak passwords, phishing, lost USB sticks. Yet traditional eLearning and phish-test-train approaches aren’t solving the problem. They’re infrequent, overly complex, boring, patronizing, or worse—they punish employees when they fail a test. Tim recognized this broken cycle and decided to build something different: security awareness that actually works because it’s grounded in proven behavioural and learning science, not corporate compliance theater.
Redflags delivers next-generation security awareness that keeps security front of mind without the burnout. Instead of annual training marathons, Redflags uses drip-fed, ongoing awareness pushed directly to employee devices—meaning security stays relevant and top-of-mind. Real-time, context-sensitive “nudges” guide people to make secure decisions at the point of risk, not weeks after a training session they’ve forgotten. The result? Real secure behavioural change, not checkbox compliance. For organizations serious about reducing human-driven cyber risk, Redflags is changing how security awareness actually gets deployed and retained.
Lisa Ventura MBE FCIIS – AICSA (AI and Cyber Security Association)
Lisa Ventura is an award-winning cyber security specialist, AI expert, neurodiversity advocate, and mental health champion who brings something rare to security conversations: the human element. An MBE recipient for services to cyber security and diversity and inclusion, Lisa has been recognized as one of the most influential women in tech and has built a reputation for addressing the psychological, cultural, and neurodivergent aspects of security that most organizations overlook. She’s Chief Executive and Founder of the AICSA, bringing her unique perspective to the critical intersection of AI and cyber security—where technical risk meets human risk, every single time.
The AI & Cyber Security Association (AICSA) exists at the convergence of two exploding fields, ensuring that AI technologies are developed and deployed safely, securely, ethically, and responsibly. Lisa’s mission is clear: the human aspects of security matter just as much as the technical ones. Through advocacy, education, research, and community-building, AICSA serves as a trusted hub for professionals committed to advancing secure, ethical, and resilient AI-driven systems. For organizations wanting to build genuinely inclusive, psychologically safe security cultures—where neurodivergent talent thrives and mental wellbeing is prioritized—Lisa and AICSA represent a fundamental shift in how the industry thinks about people, culture, and security.
Alex Malbon – ZERODAI
Alex Malbon is Co-Founder & CEO of ZERODAI, a tech entrepreneur who recognized a brutal truth: security teams are drowning. Not in threats, but in busywork. Manual tasks, spreadsheets, endless context-switching, and disconnected tools steal hours every week from security professionals who should be doing strategic, high-value work. After previous successes building consultancies and working with enterprise clients like Vodafone, Pearson, and Reckitt Benckiser, Alex understood the problem intimately—and decided to build the productivity platform security teams actually need. ZERODAI isn’t another tool collecting dust; it’s designed to give security teams their time back.
ZERODAI is the productivity platform transforming how security teams operate at enterprise scale. Intelligent automation and workflows handle the tasks that steal time; Microsoft Teams integration keeps InfoSec teams connected and working closely with business users instead of isolated in silos. Powerful integrated reporting gives leadership the consolidated insights they need—data from connected systems, team performance, business consumption—to make better decisions and improve security posture without adding headcount. For organizations where security teams are burning out and productivity is tanking, ZERODAI is the difference between barely surviving and actually thriving. It’s security excellence built on the foundation of team wellbeing and realistic workloads.
Kieran Roberts – Fortifi Cyber
Kieran Roberts is Director at Fortifi Cyber with 15 years in offensive cyber security across every company size and industry—from local bakeries to international banks. He’s seen the full spectrum of security maturity, and he’s spotted a pattern that traps SMEs: The Pentest Trap. Organizations spend thousands on penetration tests year after year, check the box, feel temporarily secure, then repeat the cycle without actually improving their security posture. Kieran understands why: traditional penetration testing is transactional—you hire a consultant, they test, they report, they leave. No real partnership. No strategic improvement. Just another invoice.
Fortifi Cyber flips this model entirely. Built on CREST accreditation and years of real-world experience, Fortifi operates as a security partner, not a vendor. Their consultant-led approach helps organizations use their security budgets more effectively, improving year-on-year without necessarily increasing spend. They help SMEs escape The Pentest Trap by shifting from transactional testing to strategic partnership, meaning real improvements in security posture, real relationships with their security partner, and real ROI on every pound spent. For organizations tired of pentesting theater and ready for genuine security progress, Fortifi Cyber represents a fundamentally different approach to building lasting resilience.
Alison Norman & Jane Bashford-Hobbs – Amicus HR
Alison Norman is Founding Partner and Director at Amicus HR, bringing decades of Chief People Officer & HR Director experience from tech start-ups to global enterprises. She’s led teams through hypergrowth, restructuring, acquisitions, and cultural transformation—particularly in founder-led organizations with VC backing. Jane Bashford-Hobbs, HR Director with deep expertise in Cyber, Tech, Telecoms, and Professional Services, brings strategic thinking paired with no-nonsense, commercially sound pragmatism. Together, they’ve seen what works and what fails when building people strategy: most HR consultancies push cookie-cutter solutions. Amicus HR is refreshingly different because they actually understand security organizations, tech cultures, and the unique challenges of scaling without losing your soul.
Amicus HR exists for start-ups, scale-ups, and SMEs who need HR that fuels growth instead of blocking it. They deliver end-to-end employee lifecycle support and strategic HR that keeps organizations compliant while building solid company cultures that attract, retain, and empower talent. Alison and Jane know that HR shouldn’t be stuffy, stifling, or boring—it should be about building cultures where your people reach their full potential. For Security Leaders & Founders trying to build teams that stay, grow, and deliver excellence, Amicus HR brings pragmatism, humour, and genuine partnership. They’ve adapted their expertise from corporate to Start-Up environments, meaning they understand what excellence actually looks like when you’re bootstrapped, under-resourced, and trying to scale the right way.
