Operating at the forefront of the cybersecurity industry, Sarah Armstrong-Smith is the Chief Security Advisor at Microsoft. She has led a long and impactful career, guiding businesses through digital attacks and teaching organisations how to protect their data. Specialising in disaster recovery, crisis management and female representation in STEM, Sarah is a powerful addition to technology and inclusion conferences alike.
In early 2020, Sarah was appointed the Chief Security Advisor within Microsoft’s Europe sector. She works in digital transformation and cloud adoption, two topics popular at corporate events and conferences. Working with customers across Europe, Sarah offers valuable advice on cybersecurity strategies, ensuring stronger defences against attackers.
Sarah’s previous professional positions include Group Head Business Resilience & Crisis Management at The London Stock Exchange Group and Head Continuity & Resilience, Enterprise & Cyber Security at Fujitsu. Such high-profile roles earned Sarah a place in the Most Influential Women in UK Tech and Most Influential Women in Cybersecurity. As a speaker, Sarah is passionate about empowering women in STEM industries.
As the world of work embraces remote working, hire an expert like Sarah to educate your staff and protect against scams. She can supply market-leading guidance on common security threats, and prepare businesses for any future attacks. In 2022, Sarah released her first book ‘Effective Crisis Management’ which reached number two on the Amazon Best Selling List. With a new way to share her expertise with a large audience, her leading insight into technology and security is respected by many throughout the industry. Most recently, Sarah has starred on a panel for Sky News, speaking on cyber warfare and how technology is changing the battlefield. In 2023, Sarah’s achievements saw her achieve recognition on ComputerWeekly’s longlist of the UK’s Most Influential Tech Leaders 2023.
What sets Sarah apart is the nature of her career. Learning on the job, her work on the Millenium Bug and other major cyber incidents make her an industry leader. Sarah has extensive experience in the human aspect of cybersecurity, a topic she now explores at conferences to showcase the pressing issue. With her holistic approach to crisis management, your organisation is in safe hands with Sarah. In 2022, Sarah was recognised as a ‘Distinguished Speaker’ by Microsoft, which is the highest accolade provided by the Executive Briefing Center, and an individual can only win this award once. In addition to being a Distinguished Speaker, Sarah has among the highest average evaluation scores from visiting customers among all global speakers.
From PR to privacy and data protection, Sarah can discuss a wide range of topics relating to cybersecurity. She works extensively with SMEs and is a Board Advisor for several groups including e2e-Assure and Vaultree. Whether she is booked for large conferences or intimate corporate events, Sarah’s advice is grounded in years of experience with some of the biggest businesses in finance, insurance and technology.
This keynote offers expert, strategic guidance on how organizations can improve their cybersecurity operations in response, including enhancing security awareness training, educating employees to identify and resist manipulation, understanding the importance of cultural variances and how board-level decision-making can directly influence attacks. Written by a renowned cybersecurity leader, the book draws on interviews with ex-criminals and top experts in the field to share rich insights and a wide range of case studies profiling notable groups, such as Anonymous, Lapsus$, FIN7, Nigeria’s Yahoo Boys, Sandworm, and the Lazarus Group. The human side of cybersecurity has never been so important.
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