A member of the expert team behind the UK’s new Cyber Growth Action Plan will address delegates at next month’s East Midlands Cyber Summit.

Martin Sadler OBE, an adviser at the University of Bristol, specialises in helping organisations seize the opportunities of emerging technology. His work also considers ways of improving how academia, industry, and government work together. 

Over a long corporate research career, including serving as Vice President for Research at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Martin led European operations for the company’s global research labs.

He headed up cyber security research at HPE, overseeing work on early implementations of elliptic curve cryptography, advanced techniques for detecting sophisticated cyber attacks, modelling how large organisations respond to incidents, and designing hardware protections for PCs, printers, and servers.

More recently, Martin was part of the team behind the Government’s Cyber Growth Action Plan, published last month, which sets out how the UK can accelerate innovation and economic growth in the cyber sector. He was awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List in 2013 for his services to science.

The sold-out East Midlands Cyber Summit takes place on February 12 and will feature expert talks, interactive workshops, and targeted networking. It will give delegates a practical view of how cyber attacks unfold – and the concrete steps they can take to protect their organisations.

Speakers include regional industry director Paul Abbott, former group director of Knights of Old, which went into administration with the loss of hundreds of jobs following a ransomware attack in 2023. 

Other confirmed speakers include:

• Colin Ellis, Director of East Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre 
• Jon O’Grady, information security expert at De Montfort University
• Jill Broom, lead for the techUK Cyber Resilience programme
• Simon Plummer, Director of Information Security at Collective Security
• Sophie Powell, co‑founder and director of CyberWomen Groups CIC and talent manager for Cyber PATH.

The East Midlands Cyber Summit is organised by East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster as part of its DSIT-funded Cyber Growth programme. The Summit offers SMEs the chance to understand how and why cyber attacks happen and to discover proven ways to boost your business’s resilience.

The event runs from 9am to 4pm on 12 February 2026 at The Venue, Western Boulevard, Leicester. All funded places have now been reserved, but you can join the waitlist for returns here.

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FAQS

What is the East Midlands Cyber Summit 2026 and who is it for?

The East Midlands Cyber Summit 2026 is a one‑day event in Leicester designed to help organisations understand how cyber attacks unfold and what practical steps they can take to strengthen their defences. It is aimed primarily at SMEs and regional organisations that want accessible, real‑world guidance on improving their cyber resilience.

Who is speaking at the East Midlands Cyber Summit 2026 and what expertise will they share?

Speakers include cyber growth specialist Martin Sadler OBE, who helped shape the UK Government’s Cyber Growth Action Plan and brings deep experience from corporate research at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Other experts from policing, academia and industry will share insights on real‑world attacks, resilience planning, supply chain security and developing cyber skills.

How can SMEs benefit from attending the East Midlands Cyber Summit 2026 and is there a way to join the waitlist?

SMEs benefit through expert talks, interactive workshops and networking that translate complex cyber threats into clear, actionable steps they can apply immediately. Although the event is sold out, businesses can still register their interest by joining the waitlist for returned tickets via the official Eventbrite page.