Richard Aldrich Profile Picture

Keynote SpeakerRichard Aldrich

Award-Winning Spy Writer, Presenter, and Tech Expert

Richard Aldrich is a leading cyber-security and technology expert, award-winning spy writer and presenter. He is Professor of International Security at the University of Warwick and helps to lead the Warwick Cyber Security Global Research Priority. He has been involved in major European projects including H2020 DigiGen and the Jean... Read More

Biography

Richard Aldrich is a leading cyber-security and technology expert, award-winning spy writer and presenter. He is Professor of International Security at the University of Warwick and helps to lead the Warwick Cyber Security Global Research Priority. He has been involved in major European projects including H2020 DigiGen and the Jean Monnet Cyberdiplomacy programme.

Richard Aldrich’s field of expertise, the future of cyber-security, AI and Big Data, is one of the most pressing current issues. His most recent research has focused on ‘Project Spaceman’, an examination of pioneering British efforts in computer security. He is the author of many books, including GCHQ: The Uncensored Story of Britain’s Most Secret Intelligence Agency (2019) and The Black Door: Spies, Secret Intelligence and British Prime Ministers (2016). He is currently completing a study of Cybersecurity and Digital Politics for Oxford University Press.

Richard Aldrich is an experienced broadcaster and public speaker, appearing on The One Show, Newsnight, the Today Programme and Nightwaves. Most recently he has appeared in ITV’s Secrets of the Spies and Alice Roberts’ C4 Fortress Britain series (2023). He has also featured in several Timewatch, Discovery, ZDF and PBS documentaries. He enjoys literary festivals and has been a regular at Edinburgh and Cheltenham. Richard has assisted with national museum exhibitions related to intelligence, science and technology.

Popular Talks by Richard Aldrich

  • AI and Europe
    Europe is far behind North America and Asia on AI. Its internal investment is a third of what is being spent in Asia and less than a quarter of that in North America. Yet the EU is a regulatory superpower and will have disproportionate effects on this market. Good global...
  • The End of Secrecy
    One of the most dramatic changes of recent times has been a decline of confidentiality, especially around business and government. Information is everywhere but secrecy is in short supply. While the ethical aspects of ‘whistle-blowing’ have received attention, few have attempted to explain the technical dynamics underpinning the growing climate...
  • Who owns cyber-power?
    Governments frequently talk of ‘cyber-power’ and national strategy reviews use the word on almost every page. Yet most of our critical national infrastructure is in private hands and the last decade has seen marked differences between government and the private sector on many issues from privacy regulation to supply chains....