Tag Archives: Women In Cyber

West Midlands Cyber Hub Diaries: Day One (Or Perhaps Day Sixty)

The West Midlands Cyber Hub marks a long-held ambition to give the region a central home for cyber. Building on the rebooted West Midlands Cyber Working Group (WM CWG), the Hub is designed to strengthen community coherence, increase investment, and connect students, SMEs, enterprises, and universities in a neutral space. Supported by DSIT, Innovate UK, Aston University, TechWM, and the Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands, the Hub will open its first phase at Enterprise Wharf in Birmingham, forming the core of a hub-and-spoke model across the region. The project team, led by Sevgi Aksoy and I (Wayne Horkan), with Rebecca Robinson as PM, is preparing for a pre-launch event on 30th September 2025.

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Steering Regional Resilience: Reflections on Two Years Supporting DSIT’s Cyber Local Programme

As Chair of the West Midlands Cyber Working Group, I’ve helped lead DSIT’s Cyber Local steering group for the region over the past two years. Working alongside regional experts, I’ve supported the selection of projects that strengthen cyber resilience on the ground, including Aston University’s powerful work on cyber violence against women and girls. This experience has reinforced just how critical locally informed funding is to building practical, inclusive, and impactful cyber capability.

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Women Shaping Cyber: Reflections from Aston University

The Women Shaping Cyber event at Aston University, held during International Women’s Day, highlighted the importance of diversity in the West Midlands cyber sector. Keynote speaker Sevgi Aksoy emphasised the human factor in cybersecurity, while roundtable discussions explored barriers facing women, how to attract and retain talent, and how to leverage regional strengths. With contributions from leaders across academia, industry, and government, the event underscored that growth in cyber must also be measured in inclusivity and representation, not just economics.

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