Dr Ismini Vasileiou, founder of the East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster (EMCSC), has been invited to speak about cyber skills and national security at this year’s DIGI GOV EXPO ‘26.

The event at ExCeL London will take place on 23-24 September and will bring together more than 3,000 public sector professionals. 

The aim is to give senior leaders from central and local government a platform to share insights, tackle shared challenges, and explore new opportunities for collaboration around digital transformation and cyber resilience.

Dr Vasileiou will join a panel session on 24 September titled ‘From Shortage to Sovereignty: Developing Cyber Skills for National Security’.

The discussion will focus on why cyber workforce capability is now a strategic priority for the UK, and how cyber sovereignty underpins national security efforts.

The panel will explore how to build a strong talent pipeline through education reform, apprenticeships and public-private partnerships, ensuring recruitment, retention and upskilling strategies keep pace with evolving security needs. 

It will look at the dual role of AI – both in accelerating the sophistication of cyber attacks and in strengthening defensive capabilities – and what this means for workforce readiness.

The session will also highlight practical strategies for developing a resilient, future‑ready cyber workforce capable of protecting critical national infrastructure and wider public interests.

Dr Vasileiou said: “I’m pleased to be joining the DIGI GOV EXPO ‘26 to help shine a light on the human side of cyber security. Technical capability is essential, but without a strong, diverse and well‑supported workforce, the UK cannot achieve true cyber sovereignty. 

“Events like this are vital for bringing government, academia and industry together to plan how we develop the skills, pathways and partnerships needed to protect our national infrastructure for the long term.”

Dr Vasileiou’s invitation to DIGI GOV EXPO is a recognition of the cluster’s growing role in shaping cyber skills and policy conversations at a national level, while continuing to champion regional collaboration across business, academia and government.