NCRCG is pleased to announce the appointment of Mandy Haeburn-Little as Vice-Chair of the National Ambassador Steering Group.
In her role, Mandy, who is the Executive Chair of Business Resilience International Management (BRIM), will be co-ordinating and driving forward the Steering Group’s five key activity streams, working closely with NCRCG’s National Ambassadors. These workstreams, which will direct strategic outcomes for NCRCG, include increasing awareness of the cyber resilience centre (CRC) network across the supply chain, continuing to be a national voice for the SME community and developing the student Cyber PATH programme.
Here, Mandy talks about her pivotal involvement in the conception and growth of the network, what stands out as highlights in the network’s development so far, and how she sees NCRCG extending its reach, in time, internationally.
How did the concept of the CRC network come about?
“I spent nine years as CEO at the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) and it was a huge privilege to work with the Board and previous Chairs there in considering and designing services to support the business community.
“It quickly became clear that cyber resilience and support for the SME community would, in future, require much greater agility and innovation. After several years, I was approached by the Mayor of London’s Office who had heard about the SBRC model from senior policing colleagues. They were looking to find a method to unite all those with a responsibility for cybercrime in the city, and to better support businesses in combatting the cyber threats they were facing.
“Relations with the Home Office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council continued over a period of years. This work led me to set up BRIM in 2019, and, with my team, we created an evolved model solely delivering cyber resilience advice – built on modules of mentoring and support for policing as well as for business – which would allow us to create a national network of nine cyber resilience centres across the country. After winning a tender from the Home Office, we started the roll-out process.”
SMES across the country are facing pressures on all fronts at the moment. Why is the CRC network such an invaluable resource for them?
“In a very crowded marketplace, each CRC is an absolutely trusted resource with a sole purpose to support the SME community in its locality. Each of the nine CRCs is an independent company run by policing representatives who work hand-in-hand with the private sector. This alone makes it unique as a resource for business.
“Businesses with under 50 employees – which the majority of SMEs are – benefit from free membership, free guidance and free access to all the latest information from their regional centre. There is also the opportunity for businesses to take up innovative and affordable services offered by each centre as part of Cyber PATH and really take that next step to secure their cyber resilience.
“The CRC network and NCRCG have been successful in becoming embedded within what is, for many, a confused landscape. Our clarity of purpose makes us unique, as do our links to policing and the services we provide. I see it as a tremendous privilege to accept the position of Vice-Chair of such an important national organisation.”
What would you say has been the highlight of developing the network so far?
“For me, there are two highlights. First of all, it has been extraordinary to see the confidence with which serving police officers leading each CRC can now talk about business – it really is game changing. The officers have been truly immersed in the private sector and are now knowledgeable about successfully running companies.
“We have had a lot of interest from other organisations in the public sector asking if they can do something similar. They want to be able to give their employees an insight into the private sector and, in the process, equip them with unique skills and learning. It is a hugely important model for the UK and showcases that the public sector can deliver in a very different way.
“Secondly, the recent CRC summit was a standout moment for me. It was fantastic to see everybody involved in the network coming together and show such good will towards the initiative. There was a moment where I looked around and thought, “Goodness, we have built this”.
Key to the successful development of the CRC network was securing the support of policing. What has the reception of policing been to the initiative?
“Exceptional. I have been so humbled by the efforts of all the forces and teams involved and the astonishing commitment they have shown to making this initiative work. With the ninth and final centre launched in London last month, it means that every area of England and Wales is now covered by a CRC. To have all nine centres live is a truly substantial feat.
“It is because of the tireless efforts of all the officers connected to the network that we have seen a number of awards made to CRCs over the past year. I have no doubt that they will continue to win awards which in the past were relevant only to the private sector. Policing is now ready and skilled in the same way.
“I owe a great deal of thanks to the City of London Police, and in particular to Andy Gould who has responsibility for the wider police programme, Commissioner Angela McClaren, Assistant Commissioner Peter O’Doherty and NCRCG CEO Nick Bell.”
Looking ahead to the next thirty years, how do you see NCRCG and the CRC network continuing their work?
“I see the next step for NCRCG being to extend our reach beyond the UK. We have already had a lot of enquiries about how we could work together with our international counterparts. I know it is something our National Ambassadors are very keen to explore because many of them have their own international footprint.
“Looking more broadly at how I see the cyber landscape developing over the coming decades, I think Artificial Intelligence is going to be a really crucial step for the future. How is it going to impact the future of transactions for our SMEs and, likewise, how is it going to impact how we manage our lives on a day-to-day basis? On our NCRCG CyberVERSED podcast, we will shortly be sharing some fundamental and exciting industry conversations, including on where we see innovation within the security industry coming from.
“Equipped with the knowledge of policing, academia and our private sector partners, we know at NCRCG that we have a significant role to play in strengthening our national resilience and are looking forward to continuing to support the SME community to the very best of our ability.”