welcome back to the future
As Gloucestershire’s cyber and tech ecosystem continues to evolve, we face both opportunities and challenges that will shape our future. This event brings together visionary thinkers from across the sector to explore these dynamics, share fresh perspectives, and present innovative visions for the road ahead.
Through a series of engaging discussions, we will examine how our ecosystem can grow, adapt, and thrive in an ever-changing landscape. These conversations will address key challenges, highlight forward-thinking solutions, and inspire collaboration across the region.
To conclude the evening, we invite you to join us for a vibrant networking session in true CyNam style. With live music from local talent, great food, drinks, and ample opportunities to connect, this will be a fitting celebration of our region’s collaborative spirit.
We hope you enjoy the event and leave with valuable insights, new connections, and a renewed enthusiasm for the future of cyber and tech in Gloucestershire.
Headline Partner for the event:
The University of Gloucestershire is a diverse and friendly community of 12,000 students from around the world, with campuses in Cheltenham and Gloucester.
It delivers a wide range of programmes across four specialist academic schools: Health and Social Care, Creative Arts, Education and Science, and Business Computing and Social Sciences.
Its new campus in Gloucester city centre, opening this summer, will serve as a modern hub for teaching, learning, and business and community partnerships, bringing new energy to the area.
The university has also expanded its cyber and digital facilities in Cheltenham, providing significant benefits to students, the local community, and businesses.
Bronze Sponsors:
Prism Infosec is an award-winning independent cyber security consultancy, CREST STAR, STAR-FS, TIBER TLPT provider, NCSC CHECK member, CBEST accredited PT provider and PCI Qualified Security Assessor Company employing consultants with a high standard of technical skill. Whether delivering advice on cutting edge information security architectural solutions, conducting management controls audits, or in-depth technical penetration testing our consultants always deliver a quality end-to-end service. Established in 2006 and with offices in Cheltenham and Liverpool (UK), Prism Infosec provides comprehensive information security services to organisations based in the UK and overseas.
Hexiosec is a UK-based cyber security company led by engineers with deep experience in defence, intelligence, and government. They provide practical, high-impact cyber security solutions to help organisations reduce risk and operate securely in today’s complex digital landscape.
Hexiosec ASM is a leading Attack Surface Management platform that gives visibility of an organisation’s internet-facing assets and uncovers risks such as misconfigurations, exposed services, and shadow IT.
Hexiosec Transfer is a UK-sovereign, end-to-end encrypted file transfer solution for securely sending and receiving sensitive documents and large files — with full control, strong privacy, and no software to install.
Golden Valley
A new, £1bn science and technology cluster located adjacent to GCHQ headquarters in Cheltenham, which when built out will feature over 1m sqft of new commercial space and 1,000 new homes. Golden Valley will scale an existing thriving technology ecosystem, creating a hub for those with an interest in security: culminating in a melting pot of R&D facilities, academic institutions and a new platform for international events and festivals.
EVENT Programme
18:00 – 18:45 registration and networking
18:45 – 18:50 OPENING REMARKS
18:50 – 19:05 reflections on cynam
Madeline Howard, Manager, Office of the CISO, Sage
Mads Howard is the Manager of the CISO Office at Sage, the UK’s largest software company. In this pivotal role, Mads is responsible for driving risk reduction across strategic programmes and overseeing the strategic operations of a global cyber security team. Previously, Mads served as the Director and Chair of CyNam, where she played a crucial role in transforming CyNam into the UK’s largest Cyber Security Cluster. During her tenure, she secured key funding streams and initiatives and delivered numerous headline events that significantly boosted CyNam’s profile and impact. Mads was honoured in the King’s New Year’s Honours list in 2025 for services to cyber security.
Reid Derby, Director, CyNam
Reid Derby is Head of Entrepreneurship in the Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security and an Aegis Professor of Innovation at the University of Bristol. Reid is a Chartered Engineer and Technology Leader with 34 years of experience working on AI, Cybersecurity, and Data Communications Programmes across Public and Private sectors. Reid is a Director of CyNam, a Fellow of the IET and Fellow of the RSA
19:05 – 20:10 future10 spotlight talks
Disruption for Innovation – How universities can unlock AI’s potential for social good
Prof. Cathia Jenainati, Executive Dean for Partnerships, Head of the School of Business, Computing & Social Sciences, University of Gloucestershire
Looking into the Future
Prof. Genevieve Lively, Professor of Classics, Department of Classics & Ancient History, University of Bristol
The Changing Investment Landscape
Melania Edwards, Managing Partner, Limitless
Spotlight
Senior Government Representative
Driving Inclusion
Simeon Quarrie, CEO, Founder, VIVIDA
Refreshment Break
Cyber & Tech Geopolitics
Melanie Garson, Associate Professor (Teaching) in International Conflict Resolution & International Security, UCL
Quantifying Human Cyber Risk
Ben Donaldson, Human Risk and Innovation, Tesco
Evolving Cyber Threats
Gaven Smith, Academic, Technology Advisor and Non-Executive Director
20:10 – 20:30 startup showcase
David Griffiths, CEO and Co-Founder
David Griffiths is the CEO and co-founder of Hexiosec, a UK-based cybersecurity company, where he leads its mission to develop cutting-edge solutions that help organisations navigate an increasingly complex threat landscape. With over 25 years of experience in software engineering and cybersecurity, his background spans embedded systems, cloud computing, and modern software architectures. He has designed and led the development of complex technical solutions across the commercial, defence, and government sectors.
Richard Porter, Co-Founder and COO
Richard is a co-founder of Tulpa Limited where he acts as the COO of Tulpa, a human-machine-teaming company developing explainable and configurable cyber agents. Richard previously worked at Rebellion Defence UK, overseeing technical architecture, customer success and programme delivery. Prior to this Richard delivered a £200m investment programme for facilities and test methodologies for self-driving vehicles covering safety, cybersecurity and simulation. Before this Richard was research and Innovation Director at Highways England where he restructured the R+I programmes to focus on more fundamental research and faster delivery of innovation including cloud hosted simulation and digital, machine readable policy. Richard started his career in defence and intelligence as an analyst before moving into crisis management/policy delivery, UKUSA research liaison and delivery of the first internal UK intelligence defence accelerator.
Katie Whitlock, Founder
Katie is a former senior software engineer at Deloitte Digital, where she led a range of public sector and national security projects. Prior to this, Katie started TAP London, a non-profit acquired by the Mayor of London, that uses innovative technology to connect London with homeless charities. Katie also worked at The Guardian as Head of Philanthropy and as a strategist for an advertising agency and technology start-up.
Fendr intelligently protects your data, ensuring only safe content is pasted into all SaaS, applications and URLs, including ChatGPT, Microsoft Teams and webmail. Globally, workflows are entering a new phase of breach exposure.
Half of all employees are shadow AI users and 65% of all SaaS apps are unsanctioned.
While shadow tools can increase productivity and innovation, and reduce costs, they pose significant security and compliance risks. Fendr, a patent-pending solution, provides sensible risk mitigation for these new ways of working. The desktop application prevents pasting of sensitive data into untrusted environments, protecting against data leakage.
20:30 – 20:40 cOMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
20:40 – 20:50 closing remarks
20:50 – late NETWORKING
Community Content Hub
This section showcases a diverse range of content submitted by our community, featuring insights, expertise, and thought leadership across various topics. Whether you’re looking for industry trends, technical deep dives, or personal experiences, our Community Content Hub provides a valuable resource for learning, inspiration, and staying connected with the latest discussions in cyber and emerging technologies.
Click the tiles to read on.
