Dr Ismini Vasileiou spotlighted the critical role of people in cyber resilience during a live podcast recording at Climb 26 Festival – The Festival of Business Growth.

The podcast was hosted by David Easson, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Yorkshire Podcast Studio and broadcast from Easson’s pop-up studio at the event.

Dr Vasileiou discussed the impact of EMCSC and its delivery of government‑funded programmes, which are focused on strengthening cyber capability across the region.

She outlined how the cluster continues to support organisations in building resilience, fostering collaboration, and addressing the growing complexity of cyber threats.

A central theme of the conversation was the importance of human factors in cyber security. Despite rapid technological advancement, Dr Vasileiou stressed that organisations cannot just rely on tools – and that long-term resilience depends on continued investment in people, including skills development, training, and awareness.

She also highlighted the need to embed cyber security into organisational culture. Rather than being treated as a specialist, technical function, she said cyber security should be part of everyday operations and leadership decision‑making. That way, responsibility is shared across the organisation, not confined to IT teams.

The podcast episode provided practical insights for businesses attending Climb 26, reinforcing the importance of balancing technological innovation with a people-first approach.

Dr Vasileiou, an associate professor at De Montfort University, said: “It was a pleasure to be part of the conversation at Climb 26. Opportunities like this podcast are vital for opening up cyber security discussions beyond the technical community. 

“If we want organisations to become truly resilient, we need to engage people at every level and make cyber security part of everyday thinking, not just a specialist function. Organisations that prioritise their people will be best placed to navigate an increasingly challenging cyber landscape. We all need to be cyber literate.”