Speakers
Talal Rajab, Head of Cyber, techUK
Talal is the Head of Programme for techUK's Cyber and National Security programmes.
Having originally joined techUK as Programme Manager, Talal manages strategic relationships between Government and industry members on cyber and national security related issues, in particular through the Cyber Growth Partnership. He also leads techUK's work on the Investigatory Powers Act and has led on a number of cyber security related research projects.
He has a parliamentary background having joined techUK from the Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT), where he managed the IPT's business relations and led on the Trust's Cyber Security Commission. Prior to that Talal worked for Quilliam, a counter-extremism think tank, running their public sector training programmes and leading on a number of research projects and events.
Talal has an MA in the History of International Relations from the London School of Economics.
Sam Trendall, Editor, PublicTechnology
Sam Trendall is editor of PublicTechnology, the UK’s leading source of daily news and analysis for anyone interested in how the public sector is using technology and digital platforms to transform citizen services. Sam has been a technology journalist for over 10 years and worked for various IT and business publications before joining PublicTechnology in June 2017.
Siobhan Coughlan, Programme Manager, Local Government Association
Siobhan works with councils, central government, the voluntary and private sectors to help councils redesign their services online, to better meet the needs of their residents, businesses and communities, more efficient and secure.
This focuses on helping councils utilise technology and digital tools and solutions. She runs a number of funded programmes that enable councils develop and implement digital tools and solutions, then capturing and sharing their learning to mainstream the assets developed and lessons learnt.
She also works with councils, local government representative bodies, the National Cyber Security Centre, Cabinet Office and MHCLG to better understand and mitigate cyber-attacks and cyber threats to public services. She set up and runs the LG Cyber Security Stakeholder Group supporting the sector better understand the risks and challenges as well as share good practice.
Dr Robert L Nowill, Chair, The Cyber Security Challenge UK Ltd
Bob is Chair of The Board at The Cyber Security Challenge UK Ltd, and an independent security Consultant Director and Advisor through Herne Hill Consulting Ltd.
He was the Director for Cyber and Assurance at BT until the end of 2013. Before joining BT in 2005, Bob was the Director of Technology & Engineering and Board Member at the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). His career has also included periods with UK MoD (Defence Procurement Agency and Research Agencies), in The Netherlands with The SHAPE Technical Centre, research at Cambridge University Engineering Department, and as a non-Executive Director with IRM Ltd.
Bob is a Chartered Engineer and Chartered IT Professional, a Fellow of the IET and of the BCS, and a Founder Fellow of the Institute of Information Security Professionals (IISP)