Cyber Summit at Digital City Festival

As a lead sponsor for Digital City Festival, you are invited to join us in celebrating the region as a world-class destination for the digital community. 

In partnership with the Greater Manchester Cyber Security Advisory Group, we will showcase the best of cyber innovation in the region with a variety of inspiring panels, expos, workshop masterclasses, networking opportunities and a VIP drinks reception. With guest speakers including BAE Systems, the Lancashire LEP and DCMS - it's an event not to be missed! Register here.

Cyber Summit Agenda

10:20 - 10:30am - Welcome to the Cyber Summit 

10:30 - 11:30am - Jobs and Future Skills, sponsored by Roke

Looking to the future, the panel will address how the keys to a thriving future ecosystem are in the embracing of diversity and further investment in skills and education.

• Panel Chair - Mo Isap, CEO of IN4 Group
• Mick Gallagher, Senior Account Manager at Roke
• Neil Jones, Managing Director of North West Cyber Resilience Centre
• Emma Bateson, graduate from Skills City’s Cyber Bootcamp

12:00 - 1:00pm - The North West Cyber Corridor Vision, sponsored by BAE Systems

This panel will discuss how collaboration is key to unlocking the full potential, and target outcomes of the North West corridor, and what this opportunity means for the future of the geo-region.

• Panel Chair – Victoria Knight, Strategic Campaigns Director at BAE Systems
• Andrew Elliot, Deputy Director, Cyber Security, Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS)
• Sarah Kemp, Chief Executive of Lancashire Enterprise Partnership
• StJohn Crean, Pro Vice-Chancellor research and enterprise at UCLan
• Phil Swan, Digital Director at Greater Manchester Combined Authority
• Andrew Roughan, Managing Director at Plexal

1:00 - 2:00pm - Networking lunch, sponsored by WardWiz

2:00 - 4:00pm - Greater Manchester Cyber Showcase 

This panel will showcase exciting initiatives like the AI and Cyber Foundries, and accelerator programmes, as well as the innovations of the regions SMEs. Following this, an SME and Skills Expo will be taking place with booths and presentations from North-West based SMEs and Skills City bootcamps, providing participants with the opportunity to engage directly with the ecosystem.

• Panel Chair - Keith Miller, Academic Director of the GM Cyber Foundry and GM AI Foundry
• Prof Danny Dresner, Cyber Security at University of Manchester
• Roxana Lawton, Enterprise Fellow, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Andy Beaden, Chairman of IN4 Group
• Seònaid Lafferty, GM Cyber Foundry Project Manager at University of Manchester

Expo exhibitors: Skills City, HOST Cyber, WardWiz, Praeferre, In-House Health, DustID, CodeYourFuture 

4:00 - 6:00pm - VIP Drinks Reception, sponsored by Plexal 

Register for free through Eventbrite here.