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Founder of GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre, Ciaran Martin Announced as First Keynote Speaker at Wales Tech Week

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Ciaran Martin CB, founder of GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre and NATO advisor has been revealed as the first keynote speaker for Wales Tech Week 2021 which takes place from 21st – 25th June 2021.

Martin founded the UK’s world leading National Cyber Security Centre and headed it for the first four years of its existence. Martin holds the position of Professor of Practice in the Management of Public Organisations at Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government and advises NATO on cyber security strategies.

Under Martin’s leadership, the NCSC took the lead in managing more than 2,000 nationally significant cyber-attacks against the UK, including the ‘Wannacry’ attack against the NHS in 2017. He led the detection work that prompted the Government to call out, for the first time, cyber aggression from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.

Martin’s role at Wales Tech Week supports Wales’ recognised international strength in cybersecurity, and will headline the festival’s ‘Cyber Day’, featuring a host of *experts and leaders on cyber security on Thursday 24th June.

Now in its second year, Wales Tech Week has been created by non-profit organisation Technology Connected, as a platform to showcase Wales’ innovative technology sector on a global stage.

Acting as an inclusive hub for attendees to learn, connect and interact with a diverse range of technologies and people, Wales Tech Week also looks to bring tech leaders together to discuss how technology can continue to shape society and tackles some of its biggest challenges across a range of topics including carbon emissions and global warming, sustainability, public health and ‘the new normal’ post-Covid-19.

This year’s festival is made possible through the support of its partners, Associate Partner Innovate UK, AgriTech Theme partners Aber Innovations and Aberystwyth University, Supporting Partner the Development Bank of Wales, and Global Partner GlobalWelsh.

Avril Lewis MBE, managing director of Technology Connected said:

“We’re delighted to announce Ciaran Martin as our first keynote speaker for this year’s event.

Ciaran is a world renowned expert in cyber security and brings a wealth of insight to this year’s Cyber Stage, which represents a core area of strength in Wales’ technology industry.

Wales Tech Week was created as a diverse, free-to-all festival to help the innovative, ubiquitous Welsh technology industry open its doors to the world, from industries to technophiles, to those just ‘tech curious’.

After a successful inaugural year, we’ve been able to once again keep our event free-to-attend thanks to the support of our partners Innovate UK, the Development Bank of Wales, Aber Innovations, Aberystwyth University and GlobalWelsh, and are delighted to welcome them to this year’s event.”

Wales Tech Week 2021 will run as a virtual event from 21st – 25th of June with registrations for free digital passes available now on the Wales Tech Week website.

Business News Wales