Simon Hepburn joined the Council in September 2021 and is a charity and education executive with over twenty years’ experience in a variety of national and international organisations. He has previously been chief executive of a charity and has founded two others, and has held director roles with a variety of charities, multi academy trusts and businesses. He was also a Trustee Board member of ACEVO (Association for Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations) and has sat on the BBC Charities Advisory Board.

His other career roles include:

• UK Director at international social action charity City Year UK, leading on school partnerships, programme design and delivery, leadership programme development, mentor experience and programme impact
• Director of Education and Policy at ed-tech company U-Explore Ltd, supporting schools, colleges, local authorities and businesses on careers and employability programme development and partnerships
• Director of Pathways and Partnerships for Academies Enterprise Trust Careers, leading on the development of the Championing Careers Guidance Programme working in partnership with the Greater London Authority (GLA)

Vicky joined the UK Cyber Security Council in January 2022.  She has supported CEO’s, Trustee Boards and Directors in Charities, member organisations and local government for the last twenty years, working in a diverse range of fields from Transport, IT and Education.

Vanessa joined the UK Cyber Security Council in June 2022. Vanessa’s role is to oversee work within the programme directorate related to careers, outreach, and diversity. In addition to this she will be leading on establishing and managing key partnerships with organisations and businesses across the UK to drive forward our company mission.

Vanessa’s background spans the employment, education, recruitment, and skills sectors in both the public and private space, she has over 20 years’ experience managing a variety of national, local government Section 106 and grant funded contracts.

Vanessa is passionate about CPD and is a qualified careers advisor, teacher, supervisor and project manager. 

Bryan has spent over 30 years as a cyber security professional in both the public and private sector, achieving a successful career built on providing direction, leadership, expertise and value to organisations and clients.

He has had many roles ranging from CTO to Business Unit Manager. He has worked in numerous countries developing a wider perspective on the role of security and privacy in society.

Annmarie joined the UK Cyber Security Council in February 2023 as the Director of Professional Standards. Her remit includes the development and management of professional standards and ethics.

Annmarie is keen to support the enhancement and expansion of cyber skills and professional registration across all roles, within industry, academia, government and not for profit organisations, to drive a world class and diverse cyber security profession. She has extensive experience managing technical advisory and steering groups, subject expert panels, committees and boards.

Exploring how professionals apply ethical values of organisational best practice is a key area of interest for Annmarie, in order that professional practice is core to operational success, compliance and safety.

Helen joined the Council in August 2022, she oversees the strategic direction and execution of the Council's brand, messaging, and outreach, working with stakeholders including government, industry, academia, and the public, to promote the Council's mission and to raise awareness and engagement for the cyber security sector.

Helen is currently pursuing a MSc in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, and aims to combine marketing expertise with technical knowledge and skills to create impactful and relevant content and campaigns for the cybersecurity community. Her background ranges from web development, events, digital marketing, private and public sector work within education, prison reform, self-employment and employment contracts across the UK.

Lorraine is employed by the council as Head of Finance and Operations and has over 20 years’ experience in finance, she has worked across the globe in the charity sector assisting start-ups in areas of governance, finance and audit.

Lorraine has qualifications in Personal Development Coaching and Events Management. She obtained these to fundraise and run large events for mental health charities and now runs weekly mental health circles. 

Sonja joined the Council in April 2022 and has extensive experience working in education in a range of roles across Higher Education, apprenticeships, and technical qualifications. This has enabled her to develop an in-depth knowledge and appreciation of education pathways. She is a firm believer that education should deliver high quality outcomes for both learners and employers, while addressing shortages and needs within the sector. Sonja is a qualified project professional (and a natural born planner!) and enjoys creating plans that deliver outstanding achievements for stakeholders.

Chloe joined the Council in July 2023 as Fundraising and Development Manager, working to build donor relationships and manage the Council’s income generation activities.

Her background is in international development and policy advisory across both London and D.C. In previous roles, she has worked for start-up consultancies, INGOs and in diplomacy. This experience provides her with a keen understanding of the funding landscape, business development and stakeholder management.

Chloe graduated with a degree in History from Oxford University and has a strong interest in educational equality and International Conflict and Security.

David joined the Council in September 2022 originally as CRM & Data Administrator. His background is a deceptively data-heavy bachelor’s degree in political economy and a graduate job at an ISP.

He is also studying a MSc in Public Policy & Management, and outside of work and study he can usually be found gardening.

Leanne has worked within Standards for 16 years, adhering to, creating, updating, and managing processes and policies around them. Leanne joins the Council with experience in risk management and volunteer management also.

As a PRINCE2 qualified Project Manager she became part of the UK Cyber Security Council Formation project and feels very excited to now be part of the team delivering the Standards to the profession.

Juliana joined the UK Cyber Security Council in May 2023 as Policy and Research Manager. Her role is to lead the Council’s Policy, External Affairs, and Research (PEAR) strategy and the Council’s contributions to the Thought Leadership pillar of the UK National Cyber Strategy.

She has a professional background in policy research, governmental affairs, and telecommunications and is currently pursuing a PhD at Lancaster University as part of the UKRI EPSRC Trustworthy Autonomous Systems (TAS) – Security node. She holds a BA in International Relations and MA in Science and Technology Studies, with scientific research on human-machine cognitive interaction in multi-agent systems across security and defense.

Ruby joined the Council in September 2022 as Quality Assurance Manager. Her background is in quality assessment and process improvement within IT service delivery for government accounts, coordinating activities between multifunctional teams of varying levels of technical knowledge.

She is a certified experienced lead auditor in Information Security Management, Business Continuity Management, and Quality Management.

She will utilise her skills and knowledge of Kaizen, Lean, Six Sigma, CMMI, and other methodologies to ensure quality is always assured at the Council.