The National Cyber Resilience Centre Group (NCRCG) is marking three years since the launch of its National Ambassador Programme. This saw CGI, Chainalysis, Mastercard and NatWest come on board as the very first Founding Ambassadors to bolster the cyber resilience of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the country.
Since launching in May 2022, the National Ambassador programme has experienced impressive growth, welcoming large organisations from across a wide range of sectors including banking, cyber security, retail, construction and insurance. National Ambassadors have lent their ongoing expertise and guidance to NCRCG, helping to grow the reach of the regional Cyber Resilience Centres (CRCs) as well as NCRCG’s cyber talent pipeline – Cyber PATH – for the benefit of SMEs across the country.
With the support of National Ambassadors and the tireless efforts of the regional CRCs, around 23,500 SMEs have now registered across the network and over 100 students have benefited from Cyber PATH. Likewise, CyberVersed, an NCRCG podcast which features National Ambassadors as special guests, has been downloaded in nearly 60 countries providing listeners with access to the latest thought leadership in the UK’s cyber resilience landscape.
What’s more, this groundbreaking initiative has generated interest from INTERPOL member countries who are keen to learn more about how this first-of-its-kind model can be replicated in other regions.
Joanna Goddard, Chief Experience Officer at NCRCG, said:
“At NCRCG, we are keen that, collectively, our National Ambassadors represent a broad swathe of the business landscape. Not only does this ensure that we have a well-rounded view of the risk cyber crime is posing to UK business at a macro level but, through our Ambassadors, we are able to reach SMEs across the supply chain and offer the network’s support to some of the hardest-to-reach businesses in the nation.
“Our National Ambassadors are showing that it is not an option as a large organisation to take an isolated approach to cyber resilience. We are very grateful for the support they have provided and thank them all for the important role they play in making the UK more cyber resilient.”
NCRCG National Ambassador partners include: Akamai, Aviva, CGI, Chainalysis, GTIA, HP, Trustify, ISC2, Logistics UK, Mastercard, Microsoft, Nationwide, NatWest Group, Resilience, SANS Institute, SAS, Sir Robert McAlpine.
