Cross-bench Peer Baroness Eliza Manningham-Buller and Misha Glenny, author and journalist, join Robert Hannigan, former Director General of GCHQ
Richmond, Surrey, UK: 28 April 2021 – Reed Exhibitions Ltd, the organiser of Infosecurity Europe, Europe’s number one information security event, has announced the full line-up of opening Keynote Speakers due to present at the live conference which will run from 13-15 July at Olympia London. Registration for Infosecurity Europe 2021 is now open here, and details on the complete Keynote programme are available here.
Keynote Speaker Baroness Eliza Manningham-Buller headed Britain’s Security Service (MI5) from 2002 to 2007, and now serves on the Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology. Eliza has spent her career leading organisations through remarkable and pressurised times. At MI5, she led the Service through significant change, expansion and scrutiny as it dealt with the growth of Al-Qaida terrorism after 9/11, and in response to the 7/7 attacks in London. Prior to serving as Director General her various roles took her to Washington during the first Gulf war, as well as seeing her responsible, at separate times, for work on Irish terrorism, surveillance, technical collection, finance and IT, before she became Deputy Director General in charge of intelligence operations.
Eliza will reflect on 20 years as a leader in managing the unpredictable and trying to keep millions safe – outlining how priorities must change to keep pace with shifting demands from all stakeholders and the constant emergence of new, often unimagined challenges.
Our second Keynote Speaker will be Misha Glenny – author, journalist and specialist in organised crime and cybersecurity. He has served as Central Europe correspondent for the Guardian and the BBC.
Glenny has acted as consultant to several European governments and the EU on the Balkans, and has advised the US departments of State and of Justice on US-European relationships and on organised crime. He wrote the acclaimed book McMafia, which was adapted into a hit BBC drama, and DarkMarket: How Hackers Became the New Mafia looking at the new global criminality and the world of cyberattacks.
The third confirmed Keynote Speaker is Robert Hannigan, former Director General of GCHQ. Hannigan is a leading authority on cybersecurity, cyber conflict and the application of technology in national security. He currently serves as the Chairman of BlueVoyant international. As director of GCHQ he led the creation of the UK’s National Cybersecurity Centre and oversaw the UK’s pioneering Active Cyber Defence programme. Hannigan also served as the Prime Minister’s Security Adviser and was principal Adviser to Prime Minister Tony Blair on the Northern Ireland Peace Process.
In his presentation Discussing the Rising Nation-State Cyber Activity and its Impacts, Robert Hannigan will examine the reality of nation-state sponsored cybercrime, and how security professionals can mitigate that risk and develop a resilient information infrastructure for their organisation.
Nicole Mills, Exhibition Director at Infosecurity Group said: “Our Keynote Stage is back – and we’re thrilled to be able to unveil three fantastic speakers who will share insights drawn from long, distinguished careers spent leading organisations and helping to protect nations. This year, as our visitors have come to expect from our Keynote Stage, we’ll be offering three days of inspiring and thought-leading presentations that delve into the industry’s biggest issues and newest threats. It’s a unique opportunity to hear from experts working at the sharp-end of information security who are tackling major challenges every day.”
This year’s Infosecurity Europe 2021 event will combine both physical and virtual elements, to enable participants who cannot attend the live event to get involved, with selected talks and discussions to be recorded and made available online.
The health and safety of visitors, exhibitors, colleagues and partners is of top priority. Infosecurity Europe 2021 will be run in strict compliance with COVID-19 guidelines, based on emerging direction, scientific evidence and guidance from domestic and international relevant authorities (including the WHO), trade and industry associations, and Reed Exhibitions’ own commissioned subject matter experts. More information is available here.
In addition to the live expo in July, Infosecurity Europe will be running an exciting virtual conference from 8-10 June 2021 (the dates on which this year’s show was originally due to run), focused on rethinking and regrouping as the impact of COVID-19 continues to become apparent. The programme is designed to provide expert solutions to problems, stimulate conversation and ideas, and develop participants’ skills and careers. The full agenda is available here.