Advisory Group
The Cyber Resilience Centre for the West Midlands has established an Advisory Group featuring a range of industry professions from all backgrounds to help support the growth of the centre.
As members of the West Midlands cyber community, our Advisory Group Members provide guidance, advice and influence the direction of the centre.
You can find out more about our Advisory Group Members below.
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Paul Street
Colmore BID
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Paul Street joined Colmore BID in January 2019 as a Special Projects Officer for the BID’s Safe and Sound working group. Safe and Sound focuses on delivering a safe and secure Colmore Business District for everyone who works, visits or passes through. The working group provides a visible Security Team patrol providing business and public reassurance, as well as specific projects aimed at tackling public safety issues such as national security, crime and anti-social behaviour.
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Paul recently completed a 12 month contract delivering award-winning work for Soho Road BID after a varied and highly decorated 30 year career with West Midlands Police. He has extensive specialist experience in regional Counter Terrorism Policing as well as Local Policing in challenging areas such as Birmingham City Centre and Handsworth. Within his last 6 years of service Paul joined the Birmingham Partnership Team and worked alongside the Birmingham Community Safety Partnership as their strategic lead project officer for thematic priorities such as Urban Street Gangs, Serious Youth Violence, Violence Vulnerability and Early Help, and Crime ASB and Community Justice.
Helen Barge
Federation of Small Business
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Helen is the friendly face of Federation of Small Businesses.
She is the FSB’s representative on Cyber Crime for the West Mids. She has also contributed to the development of British Standard BS31111 providing guidance on how to make cyber security a routine topic of boardroom conversation.
If you’re interested in combining people, processes and technology to achieve robust compliance, you may like to follow Helen’s blog or connect with her on LinkedIn.
Nicola Moxon
Cyber Security Consultant for CGI
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Nicola is currently a consultant within cyber security services for CGI in the UK. Being one of the largest cyber security practices helping clients manage complex security challenges, The group provides a balanced portfolio of services across many sectors such as Space, Defence and Intelligence, Energy and Utilities, as well as the commercial sector. Engagements include the design and delivery of major transformational programmes, consultative assignments, and the provision of a range of operational security managed services. ​
With 25 years’ experience within Information Technology gained from serving in the Armed Forces as well as a multi-national Retailer.
Sunny Vara
Founder and CEO of Cybercy
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Sunny Vara is a highly experienced cyber security practitioner who is dedicated to helping businesses protect their valuable digital assets and achieve cyber resilience in today's ever-changing threat landscape.
As the Founder and CEO of Cybercy, a leading cyber security consultancy established in 2017, Sunny has extensive experience working with clients of all sizes and across various sectors, including healthcare, finance, and government. ​
Sunny said: “It’s an absolute pleasure to be part of an inspiring group of individuals where we can collectively drive and build the Cyber Security Ecosystem within the West Midlands.”
Ian Groves
Start Tech
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Start Tech was founded in 2000 and is based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. They are proud to be one of the leading Managed IT Service providers in the county.
Unlike other IT support companies, they strive to build lasting business relationships, we are a company that has a genuine passion for securing, supporting, and evolving our clients. ​
Ian Groves said, on joining WMCRC: ​ "I'm delighted to be joining the WMCRC advisory group. I look forward to exchanging ideas with other members and to helping raise awareness of Cyber threats to businesses across the Midlands."
Julian Brettle
Hubtel IT
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Julian has worked in the IT sector for 2 decades as a consultant, specialising in Cyber Security & Compliance. He has worked with many organisations and many industry sectors across the U.K. to achieve IT security standards, including ISO & Cyber Essentials. Whether you have some in-house experience, or none at all, Julian aims to make the Cyber Essentials auditing, remedial action, submission and certification processes as easy as possible for his clients. ​
On joining WMCRC, Julian said: ​ "Hubtel IT have joined WMCRC as a Core and Advisory Member, recognising that our goals are aligned, to help organisations across the West Midlands become more secure in the face of ever increasing cyber threats."
Lindsay Thorburn
CDS Defence & Security
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Lindsay is the Cyber Security Risk & Governance Practice Lead at CDS Defence & Security, helping a diverse customer-base to address the challenges they face from today’s cybersecurity threats. He’s also the Governance and Ethics Lead for Artificial Intelligence and is responsible for developing and overseeing the company's AI governance framework. ​
His previous roles saw him working in the Ministry of Defence managing cyber security incidents for the British Army, helping them understand their exposure to cyber threats across their operating environments, and managing vulnerabilities that spanned their entire digital enterprise. He’s also held roles designing secure networks that enabled multi-national organisations share data across in complex environments, without compromising the security, ownership, and control of their own information. ​
Lindsay is passionate about ensuring the next generation of talent find their way into the cyber security job market, as such he founded ‘Cyber Five Six’, consisting of free resources and advice all aimed to demystify the transition for those aspiring to carve a career in cyber security.
Dave Daly
CODA
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Dave is a Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Information Security and the Council of Registered Ethical Security Testers, a member of multiple advisory boards, and holds Chartered Cyber Security Professional certification with the UK Cyber Security Council.
With over a decade of experience advising UK Defence and Government on cyber security, Dave, and the team at CODA, deliver high-end tailored cyber security assurance and security testing services to some of the most critical services required for UK prosperity and security.
Simon Holden
CyBer
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Before founding CyBur Ltd, Simon served as Director of Operations in two independent schools and spent 21 years as an Army Officer. His experience in developing and implementing cyber security strategies led him to establish CyBur Ltd with a mission to support schools, charities, and small businesses in building strong cyber security postures. Simon’s innovative approach disrupts conventional thinking, empowering organisations with affordable and accessible solutions to achieve cyber resilience.
Outside of work, Simon volunteers as a Trustee and Committee Chair for a Multi Academy Trust, a school Governor, a Parish Councillor, and a mentor. He is passionate about raising cyber security awareness and advocating for a coordinated, whole-business approach to cyber strategy within the West Midlands’ education and charity sectors