Cyber Security

In order to continue the advancement towards digitization, Scotland perhaps needs to develop a roadmap for the integration of digital trust, identity and wallets, and in how data is shared across the public sector, especially in areas of health and social care. This, as much as possible, should be focused on the citizen, and aim to integrate with other evolving systems around the world, and respect privacy. Along with this, the evolution of new methods such as with homomorphic encryption could provide the public sector with the opportunity to better understand the demographics of the population, while supporting privacy-aware machine learning.

William (Bill) J Buchanan OBE FRSE  is a Professor of Applied Cryptography in the School of Computing, Edinburgh and the Built Environment at Edinburgh Napier University. He is a Fellow of the BCS and a Principal Fellow of the HEA. Bill was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to cybersecurity, and,  in 2024, he was appointed as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE).  His social media tagline reflects his strong belief in changing the world for the better: “A Serial Innovator. An Old World Breaker. A New World Creator.” Bill also has a strong belief in the power of education and in supporting innovation from every angle and currently leads the Blockpass ID Lab and the Centre for Cybersecurity, IoT and Cyberphysical.   Bill works in the areas of cryptography, blockchain, trust and digital identity. He has one of the most extensive cryptography sites in the World (asecuritysite.com), and is involved in many areas of novel research and teaching.  He has published over 30 academic books and over 450 academic research papers. Along with this, Bill’s work has led to many areas of impact, including a number of highly successful spin-out companies (including Zonefox, Symphonic Software and Cyan Forensics), along with awards for excellence in knowledge transfer and for teaching. He recently received an ”Outstanding Contribution to Knowledge Exchange” award and was included in the FutureScot “50 Scottish Tech People Who Are Changing The World”, along with being a regular keynote speaker at a range of conferences. Bill’s true academic passion is building, analysing and breaking cryptographic methods. 

Cheryl Torano is the Business Development Manager for Abertay cyberQuarter.

Her current role began in 2021 and is funded through Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government.

Cheryl graduated from Abertay’s Ethical Hacking programme in 2017 having undertaken an accelerated BSc Hons degree.

Prior to that she studied HND Computer Networking and Internet Technology at Dundee and Angus College.

Following graduation, she worked in Abertay University’s digital marketing team until 2019 when she took up a role with Brightsolid as a Cyber Security Engineer. During this time, she completed an MBA in Business Administration in Cybersecurity.

Cheryl is on the Scottish Women in Cyber and Ladies Hacking Society committees, and a key member in the Scottish Cyber Cluster.

Lindy became CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre in October 2020 following more than two decades of national security policy and crisis management experience. She was previously a Director-General in the Northern Ireland Office and at the Department for International Development (DFID). After starting her career in the private sector, Lindy served across government both at home and abroad, including postings in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Mr Brown served with the Royal Marines before pursuing a career in local government administration, where he was also an active trade union representative with UNISON. He is a graduate of Dundee University and studied at the University of Prince Edward Island.

Mr Brown has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament since 2007 and is currently the constituency MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane. Before his election he served for 11 years as a councillor in Clackmannanshire, and held the post of Council Leader from 1999 to 2003.

He became Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning in February 2009 and has since held a number of ministerial roles before becoming Minister for Transport and Veterans in September 2012 and Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities in November 2014. He was appointed Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work in May 2016.

Jude McCorry is CEO of the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland. She has over 20 years’ experience in the Technology sector and started her career with Dell computers in Ireland, she joined the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland in April 2020 from The Data Lab where she was Director of Business Development working with industry and academia to maximise the value of data for Scotland.
She is one of the founders of the Unicef Data Hub for Children, and always ensures there is a social aspect to everything she does in order to benefit the people of Scotland or further afield. Jude is a board member of Parkinson’s Scotland and the Policy Board at SCDI.

Maggie is an extremely experienced and respected Leader, Board member and Advisor. She worked within law enforcement for over 30 years and then a further 5 years in the Finance sector most recently as Director Intelligence and Incident Response at Lloyds Banking Group.  She combines the unique blend of a senior private sector career with the highest level of international law enforcement management.  Maggie provides an unparalleled sociopolitical awareness matched with commercial expertise and is a strong advocate for new and emerging sectors and skills.  She is a mentor and advocate for promoting diversity in cyber skills. 

Since joining Sophos in 2011 Jon has enjoyed numerous roles from Channel Manager via Firewall Specialist to sales engineer. In his current role, Jon brings his passion for all things cybersecurity to the presentation stage talking about all the wonderful technologies and services that Sophos offer to keep your users secure. 

Detective Chief Inspector Stevenson is the Cyber Investigations and Digital Forensics lead for Police Scotland.  He has an extensive history in Local Policing and Serious Criminal Investigations over a lengthy career and now focuses on Cyber Threats, Response and Investigations.  Working closely with cyber partners and industry leaders across Scotland to Pursue and Prevent is a priority, as is the support to all sectors as they prepare or if they fall victim to cybercrime. 

Dr Khamis is a reader/associate professor at the University of Glasgow, where he leads the SIRIUS Lab research group that works at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction and Security. Dr Khamis and his team work on understanding threats to privacy, safety and security that are facilitated or caused by ubiquitous technologies, such as mobile devices, thermal cameras, and Extended Reality sensors. He and his team then build human-centered systems and methods to mitigate these threats. Dr Khamis’ research is / has been funded the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the UK National Cyber Security Centre, Meta, and others. With 110+ publications in world class journals and conferences, he is an expert in human-centered security.

Alan is an ex-Police officer who now leads Cyber Security strategy at Registers of Scotland. Before his current role as Head of Cyber Security, he held various cyber positions, including ‘Senior Security Risk Advisor’ and ‘IT Security Technical Product Manager’. He is currently studying for a Masters’s Degree in ‘Advanced Security and Diviral Forensics’ at Edinburgh Napier University.

Karen is a passionate supporter of the Scottish digital tech industry and has been for over 17 years. As Chief Executive Officer of ScotlandIS, the membership body for the industry, she is inspired daily by innovative solutions that are created by the sector that change the way we all live. One of the greatest parts of her job is watching these companies take something from little more than an idea on paper, to a hugely successful business.

Gavin is an experienced Account Manager with 9 years’ experience working with SME organisations through to ftse 500 companies.  Gavin currently manages all of Scotland for BlackBerry and has been with the business for 15 months and has worked specifically within Cyber Security for the past 5 years delivering solutions and services to public and private sector organisations.

Jim is a highly experienced Business Consultant Manager (Cyber Security) with over twenty years’ experience in critical incident management; contingency planning; exercise planning, delivery and facilitation; and cyber response/recovery planning. He is a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) and Certified Red Team Thinker®

With experience in varied roles in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) including SO15 Counter Terrorism Command, Jim was deployed within the MPS specialist cyber crime unit and was integral in establishing cyber prepare. He represented the MPS on a government led ‘Internet of Things’ (loT) programme, liaising regularly with the National Cyber Security Centre, academia and industry in support of the UK national cyber security strategy.

Andy has over 24 years experience in the IT Industry, with success in both the Enterprise and Public Sector markets servicing the Security, Networking and Datacentre stacks. This has included experience in large Networking orientated Managed Services. Specialties: LAN, WAN, Wireless, Network Management, VOIP, IPT, IP Security, NAC, Virtualisation, SAN, Managed Services, Consultancy.

Andy Sinclair has over 15 years of experience delivering complex technical solutions, driving innovation and leading successful teams. As CTO of Brightsolid, Andy is responsible for shaping and overseeing the company’s technology and product strategy, developing innovative solutions that address our customers’ diverse and dynamic needs. Andy leads Brightsolid’s team of cloud, cyber security, network and solution engineers, ensuring that the company leverages the latest technological innovations to deliver desirable value to our market.

Gwyndaf Davies has over 10 years experience as security professional across various roles, from implementing and customising security software to leading presales and services functions across EMEA. In his current role as a Senior Solutions Engineer, he works across the public and private sector helping organisations upskill and prove their human cyber capabilities through the Immersive Labs platform.

Declan is a tireless advocate of promoting STEM skills to the younger generation and is an active mentor and coach to the next generation of cyber security professionals in Scotland. While we have been working with Declan since Jan 2018 at the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland, he has designed, curated, delivered, hosted and organised a huge number of cyber education, cyber exercising, and cyber security related events.

One of Declan’s most celebrated strengths is that whether working with internal or external group of people, he looks to find the best outcome for all involved and truly exemplifies the core values of our organisation, where we strongly believe in having the people at the heart of it all.

Declan has and continues to take an active role in the success of all of the Ethical Hacking students from Abertay University working with the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland. As Head of Ethical Hacking & Professional Services, his role involves shortlisting, interviewing, hiring and subsequently supervising, mentoring and coaching Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland’s Ethical Hackers for all Cyber Education and Cyber Exercising activities and projects.

Lyndsey Jackson is a senior arts administrator and live event producer, and the Deputy Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world, and the greatest platform for artists and creatives to develop and showcase their talents on an international stage. Lyndsey supports the Fringe Society to deliver the Society’s vision, aims and objectives through motivational leadership and clear strategic direction, leading on business continuity, governance and strategic planning, digital innovation, ticketing and commercialisation, and the development of education outreach programmes that support the place of the festival in its host city. Lyndsey was also a Non Executive Director of the Organising Committee of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Kevin is the National Security Operations Lead at NHS National Services Scotland.  He has worked within NHS IT & Cyber Security for 25 years.

He is responsible for building the national security operations capability.  The service will include security monitoring, engineering, vulnerability management, incident response, threat intelligence and threat hunting.