Cybersecurity has never mattered more to business – and the people equipped to lead it have never been harder to find. So where will the next generation of cyber leaders come from, and who will develop them? The Cambridge PACE Cybersecurity Strategy & Leadership Accelerator was built to do exactly that, shaped by the expertise of some of the most senior practitioners in the field.

Cybersecurity is taken more seriously every year. Globally, 73% of organisations’ boards say cybersecurity is a high business priority, according to Fortinet’s 2026 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Global Research Report. Yet the leadership picture remains uneven. In the UK, board-level responsibility for cybersecurity fell from 38% of businesses in 2021 to a low of 27% in 2025, and has recovered only modestly to 31% in 2026, according to the UK Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026. 

This suggests a gap between the growing strategic importance of cybersecurity and the availability of leaders equipped to take ownership of cyber risk at board level.

This gap is compounded by how leadership skills are developed within the profession. Evidence suggests that formal, structured training is not yet the norm, with many leaders learning the role informally instead. ISC2's Cybersecurity Leadership Survey found that only 53% of professionals in informal leadership roles have received formal leadership training, compared with 77% of those in formal roles, and that 81% have learned to lead by watching others rather than through structured development.

At the same time, AI is increasing both the complexity and pace of cybersecurity leadership, raising the demands placed on those in charge. Frontier AI models are enabling more sophisticated cyber threats, while organisations rapidly deploy AI across their operations, creating new governance, security and compliance challenges. Rising geopolitical tensions, increasingly interconnected systems and growing regulatory scrutiny add further complexity, increasing both the likelihood and potential impact of cyber incidents. As a result, cybersecurity leaders are being asked to make decisions in increasingly uncertain and fast-moving environments. Yet the same Fortinet research found that only half of leaders believe their board members are fully aware of the risks posed by AI. 

For cybersecurity professionals, the implication is clear: technical capability alone is no longer enough. As cyber risk becomes more strategic, leaders need industry awareness, judgement, communication skills and confidence to influence business decisions.

Meeting those demands is exactly what the Cybersecurity Advisory Board exists to help with. Drawing on expertise from financial services, global technology, AI governance and academia, board members provide insight into emerging threats, regulatory developments and the challenges facing organisations today. Through active involvement with the programme – from keynote sessions to panel discussions and content input – they bring this perspective directly to learners, ensuring it reflects the realities of modern cybersecurity leadership. 

Here are the people behind it

Marco Pereira, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Cybersecurity at Capgemini, leads cybersecurity at a global scale across complex enterprise environments, overseeing 5,000+ people in one of the world’s largest cybersecurity organisations. 

With 28 years of experience spanning senior executive roles at Trustwave, DXC, HP, Wipro and NTT Data, he brings a track record of delivering large-scale cybersecurity transformation globally. He holds an MBA alongside certifications including CISSP, CCSP, CISM, CISA and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor.
 

I've mentored and coached many great individuals during my career. Their expert knowledge in cybersecurity makes them highly credible technically, but they often struggle to get promoted…or go to the next level. That’s because they lack the skills needed to become a leader and an executive. A Career Accelerator that helps you gain these skills is really important if you want to evolve as a security leader. 

Aarti Samani, Founder of Shreem Growth Partners, brings a perspective shaped by AI innovation and the growing threat of deepfake fraud and identity risk. 

With 20+ years across financial services and AI, her work focuses on how organisations respond to emerging identity threats and increasingly sophisticated impersonation fraud.

A regular speaker at global events including Money2020, CogX and Identity Week, and a BBC commentator on AI's impact on business and society, she brings both practitioner depth and a sharp read on where the threat landscape is heading. 

Professor Kamal Bechkoum, FBCS, CITP and Chairman of Minsky Academy, brings an academic and regulatory perspective on what the profession needs next, shaped by how standards are set and assessed in practice.
A founding member of the UK Institute of Coding and a judge on the UK National AI Awards panel, he brings a rare blend of academic rigour and regulatory perspective to the question of what meaningful cybersecurity leadership development should look like.

With 30+ years in higher education and senior academic leadership, his work sits at the intersection of cybersecurity, AI and leadership development. He is particularly focused on closing the gap between collecting credentials and building the real-world leadership capability needed to respond to today’s digital risks.

Dr Asaad Moosa, has over 20 years of experience across central government, critical infrastructure, healthcare, banking and global telecommunications. This includes a PhD in Computer Science focused on AI and cybersecurity, and a CISO role at the British Forces Broadcasting Service, where he worked closely with the UK Ministry of Defence. 

He now leads enterprise security governance, AI risk and cyber resilience for Telenor, a global telecommunications group headquartered in Norway. 

Mikko Karikytö, VP and Chief Product Security Officer at Ericsson, contributes a product security perspective shaped by large-scale global technology environments. 

Beyond Ericsson, he has engaged in industry collaboration through ETIS, FIRST and EU Commission working groups, and has provided subject matter expertise to committee hearings of both the UK Parliament and the German Bundestag on 5G security.

His remit includes security requirements, standards, strategy and architecture across product development and management, alongside experience in incident response and industry collaboration on major security challenges.

Dave Gerry, CEO of Bugcrowd, brings leadership experience across offensive security, crowdsourced testing and the broader cybersecurity industry. 

His leadership has been recognised through the CyberScoop 50 Awards, the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards and the 2025 New Hampshire Tech Alliance Entrepreneur of the Year award. He holds an MBA from Suffolk University and serves on multiple industry advisory boards.

With nearly 15 years of experience, including roles at WhiteHat Security, Veracode, Sumo Logic and The Herjavec Group, he brings a CEO’s perspective on how organisations strengthen security over time.

Matt Rowe, has over 15 years of security experience, including over 10 years in leadership roles across financial services. Currently, Matt is the Chief Security Officer at Lloyds Banking Group.

Before joining the group, Matt held a range of leadership positions at Nationwide, including Chief Security & Resilience Officer, Director of Security and Head of Cyber Security.

Thinking about levelling up as a cybersecurity leader? Download the brochure to learn more about the Cambridge PACE Cybersecurity Strategy & Leadership Accelerator.