Check Point Software recently hosted a highly successful summit in Belfast bringing together cyber and business leaders from across the public and private sectors in a bid to connect, collaborate and secure the future of digital innovation in Northern Ireland.
Taking place at the iconic Titanic Museum for the second year running, guests were treated to an introduction from Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA, Economy Minister for Northern Ireland, with thought leadership presentations from PwC, Microsoft and Check Point Software alongside Security in Action demonstrations with Check Point Software solution experts.
Opening the summit, Seamus McCorry, Country Manager, Check Point Software, welcomed attendees, before Dr Archibald outlined how important cyber is to the economy emphasising that as the number one destination for American foreign direct investment in cyber security, Belfast is a fitting venue for the Cyber Leader Summit to take place.
The NI Economy Minister said: “Software and cyber has been identified as one of my Department’s priority sectors. An action plan co-designed with industry was published last year and is now being implemented.
“The plan focuses on enhancing growth, improving collaboration responding to the industry skills requirements, nurturing Innovation and better co-ordinating trade and investment.”
Deryck Mitchelson presents at the Cyber Leader Summit, Belfast
Further highlights included Dr Archibald’s references to the £5million Founders Lab programme launched last year which is now providing support to its first 20 technology-based start-ups. Dr Archibald said: “This programme is helping these early businesses develop their ideas, sell into global markets and contribute to our cyber ecosystem.”
Work is also underway through the Department of the Economy NI’s Digital Skills Action Plan to ensure NI has a skilled workforce ready to meet the demands of the growing tech sector. “This plan is giving people access to the training they need to develop a career in the digital and software sectors, including childcare support and apprenticeships.”
Dr Archibald further hailed the work being carried out in both Derry and Belfast at the new Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre (AICC) in AI awareness, skills development, R&D, and SME support as well as its work driving collaboration between industry and academia.
The £16million initiative is supported by the Department of the Economy NI. “This and other important AI driven projects such as Momentum One Zero and CADRIC are helping us to keep ahead of the game on the global stage,” the Minister stated.
Deryck Mitchelson, Head of Global CISO Team and C-Suite Advisor, Check Point, delivered an impactful presentation on the ‘State of the Nation.’
This was followed by Kieron McCorry, National Technology Officer, Microsoft, who revealed fascinating insights as part of his talk on ‘Navigating the Cyber Security Landscape in Ireland.’
Charlotte Wilson presents an engaging and thought-provoking Keynote discussion at the Cyber Leader Summit in Belfast
Following Security Demos, Neil Redmond, Director of Cybersecurity and Privacy, Competency Lead at PwC, delivered a presentation in Risk Management Strategies and Managing Legislation. The discussion offered invaluable insights into PwC Ireland’s perspective on the importance of cybersecurity regulations from the EU and UK.
Charlotte Wilson, UKI Head of Enterprise and Strategic Sales at Check Point Software delivered an impactful Keynote presentation which included focus on the importance of championing diversity.
Having joined Check Point Software in October 2024, Charlotte revealed that it was the company’s commitment to culture which inspired her to come on board. “I have worked in the IT industry for 24 years and when I first joined in technology, I was the diverse candidate.” In a male-dominated industry, Charlotte quickly became a diversity champion, keen to make an impact in all areas in terms of inclusion, equality and diversity. “It is really easy to make an impact when you are empowered, and Check Point has been amazing at this for me.”
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Emerging themes from presentations included the importance of Multi Factor Authentication when it comes to cyber security, as well as the continuing prevalence of AI and what it means for us.
The interactive and engaging event concluded with an illuminating Security Panel discussion and Q&A, featuring: Lorraine Harrison, Director of IT Services at GRAHAM Construction; Joanne English, Cluster Manager, NI Cyber; and Terence Nichol, Head of Infrastructure and Operations at Ulster University, which tackled a wide range of cyber issues.
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