East Midlands Cyber Cluster founder Dr Ismini Vasileiou has spoken about bridging the digital skills gap as part of an expert panel at the International Cyber Expo. Dr Vasileiou, who is also an Associate Professor at De Montfort University, represented EMCSC at the two-day event in London.

Speaking at Olympia London , she described the strategic role EMCSC plays in raising awareness of digital skills and the social and economic impact on SMEs of cybercrime.

The Day One panel discussion was addressing how to bridge the skills gap.

International Cyber Expo brings world leaders in cybersecurity together to explore the issues of tomorrow’s interconnected world.

It is the go-to-meeting place for industry collaboration. Everyone from vetted senior cybersecurity buyers, government officials and entrepreneurs, to software developers and venture capitalists meet to share their experiences, knowledge and resources with peers.

The expo also hosts the world-class Global Cyber Summit, which is the exhibition space where Dr Vasileiou’s panel was convened.

The expo attracts more than 6,700 attendees, as well as some of the world’s biggest brands.

As well as IT and technology, sectors represented include banking, utilities, emergency services, military, construction, manufacturing, education, and transport.

Dr Vasileiou said: “It was an incredible day and a demonstration of how academia, industry and government can come together to address cyber security challenges.

“There’s lots coming up for the East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster in the next 12 months and I’m looking forward to starting work on establishing a steering group and cyber hubs across our region.

“We will continue to build impact as we raise awareness across disciplines – developing a local cybersecurity ecosystem to support all organisations.”