Forum committee

BAE Systems has appointed ten business leaders to the steering committee of its new cybersecurity forum and lobby group.

The Intelligence Network was launched in July to respond to lack of collaboration between companies in the fight against cybercrime, as criminals begin to develop capabilities similar to hostile nation states.

This followed a government announcement in April that criminals were launching more online attacks against UK businesses than ever before, and called for more collaboration to counteract this.

The new forum will be led by prominent figures from organizations that generate hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue and are threatened by cyber attacks.

The members of the steering committee, which are due to hold their first meeting on Wednesday, August 29, are:

:: James Hatch, Cyber ​​Director at BAE Systems
:: Andrzej Kawalec, Security CTO at Vodafone
:: Paul Lynch, RSSI at ITV
:: Roxanne Morison, Senior Policy Advisor at CBI
:: James Sullivan, Cyber ​​Program Manager at RUSI
:: Mark Swift, RSSI at Trafigura
:: Peder Jungck, Vice President of Intelligence Solutions at BAE
:: Christina Richmond, Vice President of Program at IDC security services
:: Sian John, Executive Security Advisor at Microsoft
:: Jonathan Luff, co-founder of CyLon

The committee could consider producing a research agenda for academic institutions and helping researchers secure funding by showing that their work will have an impact on society.

Longer-term problems

Speaking to Sky News, BAE Cyber ​​Director James Hatch explained: “One of the things we plan to do is define a research agenda exploring longer-term issues.

“Other initiatives have covered specific technological challenges, but we, as the larger network, want to give visibility to the need for entrepreneurs, academics and innovators to work together to solve cybersecurity issues longer. term facing society. “

“In the UK, to receive research council funding, you have to demonstrate the economic and societal impact, and how the research benefits individuals and organizations.

“The UK academic research community has told us how important it is to the funding and delivery of their work that big companies like us and other members of The Intelligence Network collaborate with academics.

“The Intelligence Network aims to bring organizations together to create a common understanding of the challenges we face, and already has over 700 registered members,” added Hatch.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, which manages the UK’s research and innovation fund, told Sky News in a statement:

“Science and innovation are at the heart of our modern industrial strategy and we are investing an additional £ 7 billion in R&D by 2022, the biggest increase in public funding for R&D in 40 years.

“The government wants to ensure that the UK reaps the economic and societal benefits of our excellent academic research and encourages collaboration between businesses, universities and other institutions when applying for funding.”

“Research is just one area that we are looking at,” added Hatch, saying the network was “agnostic about the kind of action needed to protect the digital society and plans to adopt measures that will move forward. most effectively our ethical goal “.

“The types of action we pursue are likely to include establishing communities of interest and collaboration, developing and promoting best business and technology practices to address security challenges, and exploring new models.” commercials for the provision of security that operate for the benefit of society. “

The Intelligence Network will also seek to contribute to government policy, although the cross-jurisdictional nature of the Internet has limited the value of single-state solutions.

Mr Hatch said the tech sector has crashed headlong into the old-fashioned worldview of the nation-state, where the government is reflecting.

“We are seeing a shift in who bears the burden,” said Hatch, regarding the responsibility of companies to collaborate more and share intelligence on cybersecurity threats.

He added that since the steering committee had yet to meet, the network was deliberately large and agnostic as to which direction it would go.

As a business forum, it could “slightly change the economic structure” of start-ups, he said, by pooling demand or changing regulatory incentives.

“Entrepreneurs often start developing new products by looking at a small problem and a simple solution that can secure the investment, and grow from there based on the financial support they receive,” Hatch explained.

“Big business CISOs tell us their biggest challenge is to integrate all of this technology.

“We have no shortage of brilliant ideas and gimmicks – we lack effective, integrated cybersecurity so people can do their jobs easily. We are looking at how to help entrepreneurs see beyond the initial economic incentives to tackle the longer term problems. “

The minutes of the steering committee meeting will then be released to the network’s 700 members, Hatch added.

Chamber of Commerce Annual Women’s Forum celebrates women in all fields of business and entrepreneurship who make a difference every day in the community. A highlight of the Annual Forum is honoring the Woman of the Year.

The Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce proudly announced that Angel Co-op Co-Owner Christy Kinsman is the 2018 Woman of the Year. She will be recognized at this year’s Women’s Forum on Friday May 4th. House Executive Director Jennifer Zinzi and Women’s Forum committee members made a surprise visit to Angel Co-op today, flowers in hand, to share the good news with Christy!

The community is invited to celebrate Christy and her good works at the 13th Annual Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce Women’s Forum on Friday, May 4, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Salem Golf Club, North Salem, NY Tickets are on sale NOW at the Destination Ridgefield Website.

Christy, an award-winning home stager and interior designer, has been in the retail business for almost 15 years and owned The Little House Shoppe from 2011 to 2017. She has been featured on HGTV and HGTV.com. She is the Reader’s Choice for Best Home Stager 2018 (Ridgefield Magazine). Christy has been an active member of the Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce, serving on the Retail Board and as Chair of the Board of Directors. She was a model for the annual Ann’s Place fashion show and a candidate for the RVNA spelling contest. She enjoys being a member of the Ridgefield Playhouse Gala Committee. She is also chair of the board of directors of her daughter BearHug’s charity. Christy holds an MA from the University of Pennsylvania.

“We have criteria to determine who will be our Woman of the Year. We are looking for a strong businesswoman who gives back spirit and time and is committed to making our community a much better place,” Zinzi said. who adds, “The Chamber of Commerce is delighted to celebrate Christy Kinsman as our 2018 Woman of the Year. Christy truly embodies the spirit of our award and we look forward to celebrating it on May 4th!”