The Cyber Resilience Centre for Wales (WCRC) is delighted to welcome its newest member to its board line-up.
Adrian Jones is a Director at The Alacrity Foundation, strengthens the WCRC board even further, joining fellow members John Davies, Managing Director of Pervade Software and Phil Larratt public sector operations specialist at Chainalysis.
The Alacrity Foundation provides graduates with practical business training and mentorship, so they can develop as entrepreneurs and launch their own UK based, demand-driven technology company. As director, Adrian heads-up the division which sources challenges from the public sector to build new commercial start-ups.
Prior to this role, Adrian has worked across ‘big tech’ organisations and hedge funds as well as specialising in a consulting capacity. He has also completed both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Computer Science with research areas including Artificial Intelligence.
Commenting on his new role with the WCRC, Adrian said: “I’m very much looking forward to working with WCRC and helping them meet their goals. They have a strong team and a critically important mission.
“Cyber impacts everyone from individuals up to our largest organisations – public and private – and it is a constantly evolving threat. Reaching new audiences with this message will be key and will require innovation.
“Raising this issue with new audiences is just the start - the next question is the ‘so what & what does this mean for me?’ – and this is something the WCRC are well placed to help answer via their website and services.
“I am joining the board as both an individual with a concern for this critical issue – but also as part of the leadership team at The Alacrity Foundation – where we build new start-ups around public and private sector challenges – and there clearly is a lot more innovation yet to be had around cyber.”
Away from work, Adrian’s passion is supporting public sector innovation and volunteers with organisations that bridges start-ups and public sector challenges with such programmes as CyberASAP and Hacking4MoD. Adrian also volunteers one day a week with the Government as a ‘critical friend’ on innovation topics in various departments and projects.
Detective Superintendent Paul Peters, Director of the WCRC, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Adrian to our board. His experience and knowledge in the cyber field will be crucial to the development of the centre as we continue to grow. We are committed to driving the cyber resilience message across the SME landscape in Wales and it’s the dedication and passion that Adrian will bring to our team that will make our work successful.”
The WCRC offers a range of membership options depending on what level of support businesses need. Core membership is free and provides businesses with access to a range of resources and tools to help them identify risks and vulnerabilities, as well as providing guidance on the steps they can take to increase their levels of protection.
For more information on the Cyber Resilience Centre for Wales, its services and membership options, please visit www.wcrcentre.co.uk.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
43% of small businesses have been targeted by cyber criminals - the WCRC makes it much harder for the cyber criminals to succeed
The annual cost of cyber-attacks on small businesses is thought to be £4.5billion. WCRC core membership provides tips and guidance to improve cyber resilience.
55% of businesses hold customers personal data electronically. The WCRC vulnerability report service helps identify potential weaknesses and vulnerabilities in companies’ websites that could lead to a cyber-attack.
The WCRC Trusted Partners can help organisations achieve the Cyber Essentials certification to guard against the most common cyber threats and helps to demonstrate their commitment to cyber resilience for their customers and staff.
WCRC offers an affordable range of cyber security services that are designed to help businesses identify their vulnerabilities, asses current plans and policies and work with their teams to build their cyber awareness.