ABOUT ME

In this section you can find out more about me, what I do and why I do it, and what I have done during my career.

Awards

Here are the awards I’ve been a finalist for along with the awards I’ve won over the course of my career.

Achievements

Find out more about things I have achieved during my career.

Qualifications

Discover the qualifications I have that allow me to offer my skills and expertise to my clients.

Case Studies

Read about how things progress from a booking to a presentation.

MY WORK

In this section you can find out more about me, what I do and why I do it, and what I have done during my career.

Cyber Security Unity

Find out more about my cyber security content hub and community that aims to unite the industry and help combat the growing cyber threat.

Qualitest

Find out more about my work with Qualitest Group

#IISAD

Find out more about my role as co-founder of the International Imposter Syndrome Awareness Month with Nat Schooler and Kim Adele

SERVICES

In this section you can find out more details abot the services I offer using my skills and experience to their best for my clients.

Cyber Security Awareness

I offer a professional cyber security training and awareness service to help organisations and stay safe against cyber-crime.

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Content Writing

I offer a professional content writing service mainly in the cyber security and tech space.

Marketing Consultancy

I offer a marketing consultancy service to help ambitious organisations solve their key strategic marketing challenges

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Coaching & Mentoring

In June 2022 I passed my Level 5 Diploma in Life Coaching and decided I wanted to use this to help others as a Coach and Mentor in the cyber security industry.

Keynote Speaking

My strong experience in cyber security, business and neurodiversity has led me to becoming a strong keynote, motivational and inspirational speaker. I have many “ready to go” slide decks which are detailed below, but I can of course create a bespoke talk and presentation on any of my specialist subjects.

CONTENT

In this section you can discover the types of content I have created such as books, published articles and white papers.

Published Articles

Discover a selection of articles I have written for industry magazines.

Books

I have published several books on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and is also working on others.

EVENTS

In this section you can discover the types of content I have created such as books, published articles and white papers.

Why Your Non-Cyber Colleagues Aren’t Listening To You

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In-Person Event: teissLondon2023 | Resilience, Response & Recovery

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In-Person Event: International Cyber Expo 2023

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LATEST

Find out the latest in what is going on with my website including news and blogs with more details.

NEWS ARTICLES

BLOG ARTICLES

CIISEC Live – 1 October 2024

CIISEC Live – 1 October 2024

On 1 October 2024 I will be attending CIISEC Live.

The Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec) is pleased to announce their flagship event CIISec LIVE will be held as a face-to-face event at the Delta Marriott in Bristol on the 1st October 2024.

Delegates attending this year’s conference will embark on a journey of how to stay ahead of the curve in this ever-evolving cyber landscape.

For more information click here.

International Cyber Expo – 24 and 25 September 2024

International Cyber Expo – 24 and 25 September 2024

I will be attending the International Cyber Expo on 24 and 25 September 2024.

In a world where cyberspace is both our greatest asset and most formidable challenge, we stand at the forefront, ready to guide you through the ever-evolving landscape of digital security. 

The International Cyber Expo doesn’t  merely inform; they engage, they interact, they empower. Whether you’re a seasoned cybersecurity supplier or a newcomer seeking to stand out in the digital maze, our doors are wide open for you.

Designed to help buyers source solutions they need to improve the security and resilience of their businesses and critical infrastructures, International Cyber Expo bursts with networking and business opportunities with a highly sophisticated visitor base.

For more information click here.

Teiss London 2024: 17 September 2024

Teiss London 2024: 17 September 2024

I will be appearing on a panel discussion at Teiss London 2024 on 17 September 2024.

Organisations need to be resilient to cyberthreats. They must be able to respond and recover in the event of a critical incident. Increasingly, such incidents are AI-enabled, and the response is automated. Security teams face the challenge of balancing between enabling innovation and security. 

teissLondon2024 | Resilience, Response & Recovery returns on 17th September 2024, once again with two main conference streams: Resilience, and Response & Recovery. 

The day will maximise delegate engagement, and feature interactive presentations, panel discussions, round tables and workshops. teissLondon2024 | Resilience, Response & Recovery will provide a platform for dialogue and progress, emphasising the importance of sharing experiences and best practice to meet evolving threats.

To register click here.

Public Service Announcement – Please #RespectMySpace

Public Service Announcement – Please #RespectMySpace

This blog is a public service announcement, or PSA. I was originally going to post it straight onto LinkedIn, but I went well over the character limit. If you see anyone wearing something like this at an event, or if someone who is #Neurodivergent points you towards it, please respect their request that they are taking a silent break:

Also, if you see someone you want to speak to at an event who is already heavily embroiled in a conversation with someone else, please don’t plonk yourself in a seat next to them and assume it is okay for you to join them without asking or checking first. And yes, both things happened to me at Infosecurity Europe this year.

Going to any event, but especially a large-scale one like #Infosec takes everything I’ve got to get through it. From a sensory overload perspective, I find having to deal with the noise levels, crowds of people, lights, bright colours and patterns from the stands and even the heat (you would be amazed at how much heat is generated from the stands and all the people at Infosec). I mitigate this by scheduling in as much down time as I can for a couple of days before and after Infosec, which does help a bit.

But from the moment I arrived at Infosec I was bombarded with texts, calls and WhatsApp messages from various people all asking where I was so they could meet me. I again mitigated this as best I could by arranging meet ups in advance with key people who I wanted to see and talk to. In addition, when generally walking round Infosec I couldn’t go more than a few steps without running into someone who wanted to talk to me, and this became very overwhelming.

It was the same last year and I assumed then that it was because Infosec took place a couple of days after I was able to announce that I had been awarded an MBE. The comments of congratulations and well done were truly humbling and heartwarming, and I was so grateful that so many people wanted to talk to me. But this year it was MUCH worse, and PLEASE don’t get me wrong, I appreciate EVERY single one of you who wanted to meet and talk to me at Infosec, but there came a point where I just couldn’t cope with the constant talking anymore.

I was approached by someone who I won’t name on the Wednesday night as I was heading to try and find somewhere to sit for a few minutes before the European Blogger awards, and at the time they approached me I didn’t recognise them as I hadn’t met them before, but they said they followed me on LinkedIn. I held out the red lanyard so they could see it, made my apologies and explained that I was trying to take a quiet break. Yet they blatantly ignored the lanyard and my request and carried on chatting away to me 😡 😡 doing something like that when I’ve specifically asked for space as I am taking a silent break will NOT adhere me to you in ANY way.

I managed to find somewhere to sit and put my feet up for a few minutes as they were killing me; the overwhelm started to dissipate and I was joined by Gary Hawkins. I didn’t mind that as I know Gary and wanted to catch up with him, but I’m sure if I had shown him my red lanyard, he would have respected it. I also heard that there was supposed to be a quiet room/area at Infosec, but I had no idea where this was and I gave up trying to find it. I’d be interested to know if anyone who was there who is neurodivergent managed to find and make use of it.

In addition, I was trying to have a meeting with someone in The Fox on the Tuesday of Infosec and someone else who wanted to talk to me pulled up a chair and joined in without checking that it was okay to do so first. This is definitely not okay; yes events like Infosec are all about the networking, but please check first that someone is happy for you to join them and join in their conversation before assuming it is okay to that. By contrast, on the Wednesday I was joined by Dr Anthony Evans when I was chatting to Jacques Schooler and Fiona Wickramasinghe – this was okay as I invited Anthony to join me. He even said he would leave me to it if I wanted him to, I didn’t, but the fact he checked with me is how it should be.

So, if you see me wearing my sunflower lanyard, or if I show you the red part of it that states I’m trying to have a silent break because I am overwhelmed, I implore you to respect it and give me some space. The sunflower lanyard signifies that someone has a hidden disability, and while I don’t think of myself as disabled due to my autism and ADHD, if I am wearing this lanyard it is for a reason.

It takes a lot for people who are neurodivergent to attend large scale events, so I hope this blog raises some much needed awareness about the importance of respecting our space if we ask for it. For those of you who do respect our need for space when we ask for it, thank you so much, because it makes all the difference to our mental well-being at events, helps us avoid overload and helps us not have an autistic or ADHD meltdown if we do get too overwhelmed.

#OpenlyNeurodivergent
#NerodivergentAndProud
#SunflowerLanyard
#RespectForSpace