It’s all change at the top of the Cyber Security Challenge UK, with former BT and GCHQ director, Bob Nowill, today taking over from outgoing chair, Judy Baker.
The Challenge is a unique combination of competitions, learning programs and networking events designed to find hidden talent and thereby grow the UK’s cybersecurity skills pool.
Baker leaves after a five-year stint following the launch of the initiative and will be replaced by 30-year industry veteran Nowill, who now has a mission to expand it into new sectors and win more funding.
“Our next phase of growth will involve a combination of nurturing and growing the cybersecurity skills base across a much wider range of sectors by expanding our reach to candidates from as wide a range of backgrounds as possible; working closely with government to define our role in the next phases of the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP); and taking steps to secure our long term future by becoming more of a self-sufficient organization,” he told Infosecurity.
The four-year, £650m NCSP is a key source of funding and resource for the Challenge, so ensuring this relationship continues to work for both sides will be another major responsibility for Nowill.
Alongside this, he will be expecting to “develop strong commercial offers that attract the revenue streams we need to support our existing programs and our future ideas.”
“The long term future of the Challenge relies on our ability to become more of a self-sufficient organization, so this is a key responsibility,” added Nowill.
Baker will be a tough act to follow, given that she founded the Challenge five years ago when there was nothing quite like it around in the industry.
But Nowill is confident he can bring to bear a formidable track record of success as director of cyber for BT, director of technology and engineering for GCHQ, and chairman of the Accreditation Committee for The Institute of Information Security Professionals (IISP).
“This combined experience places me in a great position to witness first-hand the cyber skills shortage in many critical sectors, and also to know what skills, qualifications, experience and accreditations are necessary for people to be able to move into cybersecurity as a career, and to advise on and shape career paths in that direction,” he claimed.
Nowill was also previously a Cyber Security Challenge UK board member.