SBRC appoints head of cyber security and innovation 

The Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) has appointed former Police Scotland detective inspector Eamonn Keane to the newly created role of head of cyber security and innovation.

It follows a restructuring of SBRC’s management with chief executive Mandy Haeburn-Little stepping down and the division of her responsibilities between Keane and the current chief operations officer, Lynsae Tulloch.

Haeburn-Little has been at the helm of the SBRC for almost nine years, during a transformation that has seen it become a “revered model for the bringing together of the business community with law-enforcement,” the organisation said in a statement.

She has helped to roll out its partnership model of working for the Mayor’s Office in London, is providing advice to the city of Manchester and is about to begin work on another cyber centre in Yorkshire.

SBRC is a partnership between Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Services, and the business community. It delivers prevention advice and services covering the diverse threats to businesses in Scotland – including fraud, insider threat and crimes impacting logistics.

SBRC has been at the forefront of Scotland’s response to the increasingly diverse and prevalent cyber threat – creating Curious Frank, a division that helps businesses to benefit from the expertise of ethical hacking students. It also hosts the Scottish Cyber Awards, now in their fourth year.

Speaking about her departure and the changing face of the SBRC, Haeburn-Little said: “I’m a great believer in knowing when is the right time to stand aside to enable new talent and prospects to come through.

“In both Eamonn and Lynsae we have two proven operators who will be able to focus on the cyber and non-cyber elements of what we offer. This will ensure the business community and all of our members and stakeholders see continued innovation and support.

“I am indebted to and very touched by the many people who have helped me and SBRC to develop to the scale it is now, during this time of my tenure and who have given so freely of their time and advice.”

She will continue in the role until August to facilitate the transition “at which point she is looking to establish new opportunities consulting on business resilience, in a role that will likely see her closely aligned with the SBRC,” said the statement.

Paddy Tomkins, chair of the SBRC, said: “Mandy has exceeded what she promised when she joined SBRC: truly transformational leadership which has built a fantastic team and made Scotland one of the world leaders in developing active partnerships between public authorities and businesses of all sizes. 

“The models Mandy has developed are now being emulated across the UK, ensuring that more and more communities reap the rewards of being safer places in which to invest, do business and create high-value jobs. 

“We are tremendously grateful to Mandy, and sad to see her leave SBRC, but we are also excited by her ambitious plans for the future, plans in which SBRC will play a prominent role and from which we and the business sector in Scotland will benefit.”