An introduction to the team at the UK Cyber Security Council, and their roles and backgrounds.
Interim Chief Executive officer (CEO)
Dr Claudia Natanson is a highly respected information and cyber security professional and thought leader within the international arena. She has served as board, steering committee member and programme chair for the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) and is a registered European Commission security expert.
She is Founder of the Corporate Executive Programme (CEP), a body that unites senior decision-makers from leading companies and public sector organisations across the world to discuss business impacting risks, and security related issues and threats.
A recognised top technology influencer by the Financial Times, her experience and expertise cover diverse industry sectors, FTSE 100, Fortune 500, government and growing organisations.
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Vanessa joined the UK Cyber Security Council in June 2022. She joined to lead the work within the programme directorate related to careers, outreach, and diversity. In addition to this she was 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.
Head of Governance and Executive Assistant
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.
Director of Finance and Operations
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.
Business Support Officer
Natalie joined the UK Cyber Security Council in January 2024.
She has worked in both the public and private sector and has many years’ experience in providing business and project support at a senior management level.
Web Developer and IT Manager
Peter joined the Council in 2023 and is currently pursuing a Masters in Cybersecurity, building upon a foundation forged from over 7 years of experience as a software engineer.
He is passionate about AI and Blockchain and thrives on unravelling the complexities of these technologies. Now he is seeking innovative ways to fortify cybersecurity within these domains.
Events & Membership Co-ordinator
Emma joined the Council in November 2023 as the Events and Membership Coordinator, Emma supports and oversees events which further the Council's work.
Emma has over 10 years experience in the events industry, with nearly two of those spent in cybersecurity events and webinars.
She’s helped run conferences, weddings, festivals, private, corporate, and immersive events. She’s also freelanced with membership management, sales, social marketing and design.
Coming from a creative and performance background, Emma was able to develop a superpower in people skills.
Head of Professionalisation
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.
Project Manager
Lisa has over 5 years experience in project and programme management and coordination and joins the Council to lead and support on projects that help to demystify routes into and through the cyber security profession. With a background in widening participation within the further education and charity sector, Lisa believes that no matter your background, all career paths should be accessible to all and with access to the right information and tools, everyone should be able to succeed in their chosen careers.
Outside of work, Lisa enjoys exploring new cities across the globe and has currently travelled to 25 countries, with many more places on the list to visit.
Programme Officer – Careers
Harry joined the Council in September 2023, working to demystify cyber security careers and promote the many routes into the profession. He has previously worked in teaching roles and in local government, most recently working on refugee visa programmes.
He is passionate about extending opportunities to people by increasing their skillset - whether to young people considering their future or to those looking to switch careers.
Programme Officer – Professional Standards
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.
Programme Manager – Professional Standards
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.