ECRC Advisory Group

Originally from South Africa, Francis West has spent nearly 30 years in the UK delivering IT and cyber security solutions to businesses.

 

In 2010, Francis launched Westtek Solutions with the aim of redefining IT Support to the SME sector. Through hard work and innovation, he has formed strategic partnerships to provide comprehensive support and cutting-edge cyber security solutions. In 2012, he won Innovator of the Year from the South African Chamber of Commerce.

 

Westtek is a preferred supplier to leading recruitment affiliate bodies for independent agencies, TEAM and APSCo where Francis is co-chair for the Technology Leadership Forum. He is a mentor for CompTIA, helping train the technology gurus of the future, as well as a trainer for Business Builders, a local initiative that helps smaller enterprises grow and thrive.  

Steve Mair is an experienced and qualified information security professional, with a strong background in risk and governance, consultancy, IT and information security training gained over more than 35 years in the industry.

 

Steve’s experience has been gained through internal and external consultancy, working with clients ranging from Small and Midsize Enterprises (SMEs), multinationals and both local- and central- government agencies across 4 continents.

​

​

​

​

​

Dr Kemp is a specialist in the fields of cybercrime, cyber resilience and vulnerability, human trafficking and European migration policy, and both traditional and digital policing methods. 

 

Dr Kemp is currently the lead investigator within a Home Office-funded project that examines how we can better protect businesses from the risks of cybercrime. Christian works closely with regional and local police forces to support the safeguarding of businesses and the reinforcement of their cyber resilience.

 

Christian's previous research has explored the shadowy world of dark web networks and patterns of modern slavery online. Dr Kemp is currently co-chair of the Essex Cybercrime Working Group and a member of the Eastern Region Cyber Resilience Centre advisory group. 

Darren Chapman is the owner/director and principal security consultant of CyberScale Ltd, a specialist in cyber and information security consultancy and training.

 

Darren has been working in the IT and security industry for over 20 years. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), an ISO27001 lead auditor and co-founder and director of the Norfolk & Suffolk Cyber Security Cluster.

 

He is also a member of the East Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre advisory group and the UKC3 Security Cluster advisory group.

​

​

​

We are Equidistant Consulting Limited, a small Hertfordshire-based consultancy operating two distinct brands: Sphere Data Protection and Sphere HR.

 

We work with micro, small and medium-sized businesses across a broad set of markets and industries, helping build awareness and understanding of their HR and data compliance requirements.

 

Our services include retained and ad hoc support packages, bespoke live-session training and e-learning modules for staff and management, a wide range of documentation and policy toolkits, compliance audits and gap analysis, intervention assistance (e.g. for employee relations, infosec questionnaires and supply chain due diligence, data breach response, subject access requests etc), HRiS and DPO services.

Benn is a highly experienced PCI qualified security assessor and PCI forensic investigator with over 15 years of experience in this field. In addition, Benn has experience of a wide range of other disciplines in a variety of industry verticals including law enforcement and corporate digital forensics. 

 

With the aim of delivering technically excellent, class-leading methodologies for PCI QSA and PFI engagements, Benn established 3B Data Security in August 2016. He has recruited judiciously to build a team that reflect the agile, pragmatic and highly technical team at 3B Data Security.

​

Benn is also a CREST Certified Incident Manager (CCIM) and possesses the Level 3 Award in Education and Training.

Daren is the founder and principal consultant at Spritzmonkey, a customer-focused consultancy offering cyber and information security consultancy including ISO 27001, vCISO and Cyber Essentials. With over 25 years’ experience working across a variety of sectors in large and SME businesses, Daren has diverse experience in information security, compliance, privacy, and IT management.

 

Daren’s interest in cyber resilience stems from his desire to help and protect people and businesses, working as a trusted advisor that takes a straight-forward and partnership approach.

 

Daren holds a degree in computer science from the University of Leeds and a range of vocational certifications including Certified Information Systems Security Professional (ISC2 CISSP), ISO 27001 lead implementer and auditor, GDPR and privacy. He is a Cyber Essentials and IASME Governance assessor and an end-point apprenticeship associate assessor for British Computer Society, the Chartered Institute for IT.

Andy has proven himself in defining business strategies, programme, project and man management qualities, having designed end-t- end operating models, improved critical business processes, defined strategies within market leading financial services businesses. He has managed teams both in an operational and PMO capacity.

​

 

He has won awards for innovation and customer centricity. Andy has implemented continuous improvement training programmes across industry sectors and businesses of varying sizes, from SMEs through to businesses in excess of 2000+ employees.

Martin is an Ambassador for the Kent Branch of the Institute of Directors - IoD Kent, with a particular focus on the Professionals and Financial Services sectors.

 

He has over 40 years’ experience with Lloyds Banking Group, with more than 20 years working within Corporate and Commercial Banking in Senior Management positions.

 

A Member of the IoD (MIoD) and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (FCIB), Martin was formerly a specialist Corporate Relationship Director in the London Professional Practices market.

 

Martin is also a Business Advisory Board member of the Kent and Medway Economic Partnership, and a member of the Business Crime Advisory Group - a joint initiative between Kent Police and Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce.

​

Following a 15-year career in the Royal Navy, Professor Rogers held a number of senior leadership roles at the Ministry of Defence. He then joined the Bank of England where he was chief information security officer and latterly chief security officer. In June 2019, Professor Rogers joined HSBC as group head of resilience advisory function, and since 2021 has been in a senior cyber role in the defence industry.

 

Buck is a member of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace – Fincyber project. The initiative provides innovative research, actionable policy proposals on how to protect the financial system against cyber threats. It also updates on key developments for decision makers in government and industry as well as other stakeholders.

 

Buck’s research and development of note was designing CBEST, the intelligence-led cyber testing programme for the financial system. Since its inception it has been used as a global standard for intelligence-led testing, being adapted to other sectors both in the UK and overseas.

Maria Bada is a Lecturer in Psychology at Queen Mary University in London and a visiting lecturer at Royal Holloway.

 

Her research focuses on the human aspects of cybercrime and cybersecurity, such as profiling online offenders, studying their psychologies and pathways towards online deviance as well as the ways to combat cybercrime through tools and capacity building. She is a member of the National Risk Assessment (NRA) Behavioural Science Expert Group in the UK, working on the social and psychological impact of cyber-attacks on members of the public.

 

She has collaborated with governments and International Organisations to assess national level cybersecurity capacity.  She has a background in cyberpsychology, and she is a member of the British Psychological Society and the National Counselling Society.

David has spent his career in software and services, working for and with leading blue-chip organisations and technology ventures, within and across different industry sectors.

 

The breadth of his experience enables him to bridge technical and commercial domains when licensing technology and defining solution delivery terms and balance the perspectives of both the acquirer and provider.

 

He heads the licensing function at Trustonic - a Cambridge-based provider of market-leading cybersecurity solutions for connected devices.

Dr Budi Arief is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Computing, and the Innovation Lead at the Institute of Cyber Security for Society (​iCSS), at the University of Kent.

 

His research interests include cybercrime, the security and dependability of computer-based systems, ransomware, and the Internet of Things, with a strong overarching element of interdisciplinary research.

 

So far, he has published over 50 research papers in the areas of computer security (especially in the topics of ransomware, the Internet of Things, human factors), dependability, and Intelligent Transport Systems.

Having spent over 30 years in senior leadership roles at two of the UKs leading blue-chip companies responsible for running Sales and IT Departments.  Andy decided to change career path in 2014 and focus on Data Protection.  He is now an experienced DPO (Data Protection officer) within the Education sector who maintains strong compliance at over 40 schools around the UK.

​

He understands the ways schools and colleges operate and provides a high level of professionalism alongside a personal service.  

 

Andy takes pride in taking away the stresses that schools may have around data protection issues, allowing the SLT (Senior Leadership Team) to concentrate on what they do best.

​

Andy is an IBITGQ® EU General Data Protection Regulation qualified Practitioner.

Sean in an experienced Digital, Data and Technology Director with experience of working in Financial Service, NHS, Housing, Police, Local Government and Higher Education leading large teams and significant digital transformations in the organisations that he has worked for. 

​

In his previous role he was the Director of a Digital, Information and Technology service that provided a shared service across the City of London Corporation and the City of London Police.

 

In his current role he leads the Digital and Data Technology Services for the University of East Anglia (a leading top 30 UK University) which is one of the few UK Universities with a dedicated Cyber practice and specialist Cyber labs. 

​

Sean said ‘Cyber Security is amongst the biggest threats to individuals and organisations across the UK.  It is a privilege being able to bring my experience to support the ECRC Advisory Board and acting as a link to the Higher Education sector’ 

Marta F. Arroyabe is a reader and Deputy Head of the Strategy, Operations and Entrepreneurship Group at Essex Business School (University of Essex). 

​

Her research interests include digitalisation, cybersecurity and entrepreneurship. Her research explores the adoption of digital technologies in organisations, exploring determinants, strategies, and decisions driving digitalisation in the context of cybersecurity. Marta’s research focuses on UK SMEs, understanding the drivers and cybersecurity implications of their digital transition. Her research seeks to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and practical management advice in IT security for SMEs.

​

Marta is a member of the Bank of England and HM Treasury’s CBDC Academic Advisory Group. She has a track record of publishing in prestigious journals and attracting external funding for her research projects (Leverhulme Trust, British Academy, European Commission, UK Research and Innovation, UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology), including the Digital Security by Design Social Science Hub+ (Discribe) and the Cyber Security Academic Startup Accelerator Programme (CyberASAP) in the field of cybersecurity and digital transformation.