In a climate where cyber attacks are now more likely to down a fighter jet than a missile, a cybersecurity leader has been recognised in this New Year’s Honours list.
UKC3 Board Member, Melanie Oldham, has been recognised in the 2022 New Year’s Honours List for her ‘services to cyber security’. Melanie, also CEO and Founder of cyber firm, Bob’s Business, was awarded the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty The Queen.
For the past two decades, Melanie has been actively involved in the Information Security industry, helping individuals and organisations to understand how cyber security can help them live and work safer online.
Melanie is the Founder and CEO of Bob’s Business, where her efforts are directed at developing engaging information security awareness to develop a secure organisational culture by challenging and changing employee behaviour. Since last year, Melanie has been the Vice Chair of the UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3) focusing on supporting cyber clusters and encouraging greater collaboration between regional cyber security networks to drive skills growth and innovation in the cyber industry in the UK.
In June 2020, Melanie became a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Information Security (FCIIS), having demonstrated commitment and earned respect and authority in the cyber security community. Her services to cyber security were remarked also for her work as the Director of Yorkshire Cyber Security Cluster, which is one of the UKC3-recognised cyber clusters, where Melanie facilitates collaborative work to build and increase information security knowledge and provide a networking platform to share ideas and best practice.
A major component of her service in the cyber security sector is through her collaborations with schools and academia, inspiring the cyber security professionals of tomorrow, encouraging diversity and helping influence and improve cyber career and qualification paths.
Melanie Oldham’s contribution to the numerous cyber security and information security projects, programmes and educational campaigns, on a regional, national and international level was the basis of the recommendations for the OBE title. The OBE is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions in their fields at a local level, or to those whose work has gained national profile.
On receiving the OBE, Melanie said:
“I am deeply honoured to be receiving the OBE distinction from Her Majesty The Queen, and grateful to see that my work in the Information Security sector over the last 17 years has been recognised at the national level. The road to integrating cyber security and Information Security into the day to day working processes to have better secured organisations has just started and I am committed to lead on new projects and initiatives that will have a positive impact for organisations’ Information Security at the national level.”
As the Vice Chair of UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3), Melanie is working with cyber clusters, coordinating the knowledge exchange and sharing of best practice between clusters, in order to develop the ecosystem, promote innovation and grow cyber skills. To find out more about UKC3, visit here.
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