Dr Claudia Natanson MBE
Cyber Thought Leader, Role Model and CEO of UK Cyber Security Council
The cyber industry is fast-paced and rapidly growing. Despite being a function that every organisation, no matter what industry, needs to be clued up on, the UK faces a shortage of cyber skills.
In April 2021, the UK Cyber Security Council was established with input from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to serve as the UK’s sole self-regulatory body overseeing the cybersecurity profession.
Ensuring standards in the cyber industry
Similar to other professional bodies that represent industries such as medical, legal and engineering, the Council’s role is to ensure that the cyber industry operates within a standard of the highest level. Individuals can become professionally registered cyber professionals (Chartership) by applying through one of the Council’s Licensed Bodies that have been awarded accreditation status.
Creating diverse entry pathways to build
career pathways is also a key focus area.
Signalling cybersecurity trust and confidence
As a thought leader and role model in the cyber industry, the Council are in good hands with their CEO, Dr Claudia Natanson MBE . She was named a top cybersecurity leader for 2022 by the Security Magazine and received an MBE in the Queens 2022 Honours list for services to the cybersecurity profession.
Natanson’s vision is for the Council’s professional registration titles to signal trust and confidence in individuals within the cyber industry. She says: “Globally, cybersecurity attacks continue to increase. In a data-dependent and data-centric world, data is the most expensive commodity and, therefore, a motive for cybercrime. As cybersecurity professionals, we have a duty to protect this data within the UK.”
Recruiting talent to the cyber profession
Another key focus for Natanson and the Council is talent recruitment. “We already know about the importance of raising awareness of cyber careers at a young age, and we have started professional awareness at the school, tertiary and university levels,” explains Natanson. “Creating diverse entry pathways to build career pathways is also a key focus area for the Council’s strategic roadmap.”
Through the work of the Council, Natanson enforces the importance of national and global collaborations to make the UK the safest place to live and work online. She adds: “In the UK, organisations will also need to adopt a ‘cybersecurity first’ strategy to create and maintain a strong cyber-aware culture led by the top of their organisations. The UK is the only country that has begun management of its cyber profession in this way, and the Council is proud to be a global leader.”
