CIISec LIVE 2026
About this Event
CIISEC LIVE 2026 COMES TO MANCHESTER EMIRATES OLD TRAFFORD
CIISec LIVE, our flagship annual conference, will take place at Emirates Old Trafford on Tuesday 24 November 2026
This is the must-attend event for cyber security professionals, bringing together over 400 industry professionals and leaders, experts, and innovators for a day packed with:
✅ Cutting-edge insights from top speakers
✅ Lively panel debates tackling the biggest challenges in cyber
✅Interactive, delegate-driven discussions shaping the future of security
✅ Choice of workshop streams
✅Unparalleled networking opportunities with senior decision-makers
Whether you're looking to connect, collaborate, or showcase your brand, CIISec LIVE 2026 is the place to be.
Watch our 2025 highlights reel below:
Just another cyber security conference?
Absolutely not! If you're a CIISec member, this is your event - your community, your home. If you're not yet a member, this is your chance to discover how CIISec can elevate your career. At CIISec, we’re dedicated to raising the bar for professionalism in cyber and information security. CIISec LIVE is more than just a conference - it’s an opportunity to gain the knowledge, insights, and connections you need to thrive in this fast-moving industry.
As the natural home for cyber professionals, we work with our members to curate an agenda that inspires, educates, and empowers.
Browse our image library from CIIsec LIVE 2025
Sponsorship and Exhibition
Sponsoring CIISec LIVE enables you to showcase your organisation to key personnel and decision makers in the cyber and information security industry.
Our sponsorship packages are not just about presence at the event, it is about an ongoing relationship with the wider CIISec community. We will create visibility for your brand both before, during and after the event.
Download our sponsor packages brochure and if you are interested in finding out more about the opportunities available please email [email protected].
LIVE Networking Reception
CIISec LIVE begins on Monday 23 November with a networking reception (from 19:00) to be held in the Members Suite Emirates Old Trafford. The evening will include bowl food, free bar and entertainment. Attendees will include CIISec members, industry professionals, speakers, sponsors and more.
Our networking reception offers the perfect opportunity to start the conference by meeting key figures across the cyber community, making new connections and rekindling existing ones.
2026 Networking Sponsor:
Contact Us
To get involved or find out more email [email protected]
Agenda
🕑: 09:15 AM - 09:20 AM
Welcome and Introduction
Host: Amanda Finch, CEO, CIISec
🕑: 09:20 AM - 09:50 AM
The pursuit of human intelligence
Host: Timothy Neal-Hopes, National Cyber Force
Info: This keynote explores the world we are now facing as geopolitical shifts reshape the cyber threat landscape. It will examine what genuine national readiness requires, the role of offensive cyber capability, and whether organisations and governments can move beyond reacting to threats to get ahead of them. It will also consider digital sovereignty—not simply as a compliance issue, but as a strategic modernisation imperative central to resilience, autonomy and future competitiveness.
🕑: 09:50 AM - 10:25 AM
Panel: Sovereignty and Resilience - A Northern Cyber Power House
Host: Dr Paul Killworth OBE, Deputy Chief Scientific Advisor
Info: A lot has changed recently for Manchester and the North West. GCHQ are developing a strong base in the area, as are the National Cyber Force. There is extensive investment from industry within the area and academia are making great strides in leading research. All these forces are developing a new cyber workforce and strategies to counter cyberwarfare and the changing threat landscape. The panel will share their activity in the North West, how the local cyber environment is changing and how we can all get involved.
🕑: 10:25 AM - 10:45 AM
Fireside Chat with Dell Technologies
🕑: 10:45 AM - 11:15 AM
Networking Break
🕑: 11:15 AM - 11:40 AM
How AI is redefining the cyber security profession
Host: Dr Colin Williams, Field CISO, Computacenter
Info: As AI transforms cyber tradecraft, automates routine tasks, and introduces digital colleagues into the workforce, many cyber security professionals are questioning where human value fits and what will remain uniquely ours.
This keynote explores how the cyber security profession is evolving beyond technical expertise. Attendees will gain insight into the future skills required for success, and how humans and AI agents will work together to deliver outcomes neither could achieve alone.
🕑: 11:40 AM - 12:15 PM
People Powered: Why cyber security starts with psychology
Host: (Chair) Tarnveer Singh FCIIS, CISO & Author
Info: Cyber security is often viewed as a technical challenge, yet many of today's most successful attacks exploit human behaviour rather than technological weaknesses. As artificial intelligence enables increasingly sophisticated social engineering, misinformation and manipulation, understanding the psychology behind cyber risk has never been more important. This panel session explores why traditional awareness approaches are struggling to keep pace with modern threats and examines how psychological principles can be used to strengthen cyber resilience. The panel will share practical insights into how people make security decisions, the biases attackers exploit, and how organisations can design cultures, policies and technologies that better support secure behaviour.
🕑: 12:15 PM - 12:50 PM
What's keeping CISOs awake at night?
Host: (Chair) Luke Beeson, CISO, Capita
Info: Cyber security leaders face an increasingly complex landscape of threats, regulations, board expectations and business pressures. In this candid panel discussion, senior CISOs share the challenges they are discussing behind closed doors, from emerging threats and resilience concerns to talent, AI, third-party risk and securing investment. Join us for an honest conversation on what matters most to security leaders today and how they are responding.
🕑: 12:50 PM - 01:50 PM
Lunch and Networking
🕑: 01:50 PM - 02:25 PM
Regulation, Legislation, Obligation
Host: (Chair) Sian John MBE, National Cyber Advisory Board
🕑: 02:25 PM - 03:00 PM
Securing the unseen: Defending critical infrastructure beyond the perimeter
Host: Fiona Kastrati, OT Security Consultant, Bureau Veritas
Info: This panel explores how organisations can secure critical infrastructure beyond the physical perimeter. Industry leaders will discuss emerging threats, lessons from recent incidents, the convergence of IT and OT security, and the role of resilience, monitoring and threat intelligence in protecting the systems society depends on most.
🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:25 PM
Networking Break
🕑: 03:25 PM - 04:25 PM
Deep-Dive Workshops
Info: Delegates can choose to dive more deeply into one of three key topics. Whether you are looking for practical takeaways, wanting to get into a deeper discussion, or just curious, our quantum, AI and human behaviour workshops will give you that opportunity.
🕑: 03:25 PM - 04:25 PM
Preparing for the post-quantum future
Host: Host: Daryl Flack, Partner, Avella
Info: Quantum computers represent a fundamental threat to the public-key cryptography that secures today’s digital systems, communications and information. Protecting against this threat will require organisations to transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC), replacing vulnerable algorithms with alternatives designed to resist quantum attacks.
Post-quantum cryptography is now moving from a research topic to a major technology migration programme. The NCSC has published a roadmap targeting full migration by 2035, with organisations expected to begin understanding their cryptographic dependencies, assessing risks and developing migration plans now. This workshop will provide a clear and accessible introduction to the challenge. It will explore what PQC is, the risks posed by quantum computing, and the practical steps organisations should be taking today to prepare for a secure transition.
🕑: 03:25 PM - 04:25 PM
Making AI work securely: Governance, controls and real-world applications
Host: Jean Carlos, Head of Information Security, Checkatrade
Info: As organisations move from experimentation to implementation, AI is increasingly becoming a board-level governance and risk management consideration. This workshop will explore how organisations are evaluating AI opportunities, understanding the risks within their existing technology landscape, and establishing the guardrails needed for responsible adoption. Drawing on practical use cases and lessons learned, the session will examine proof-of-concept projects, AI sovereignty, governance, human oversight, and the importance of understanding your organisation's wider digital estate, dependencies and risk landscape before introducing AI-driven capabilities. Attendees will gain practical insights into balancing innovation with effective governance, enabling organisations to adopt AI with confidence, control and accountability.
🕑: 03:25 PM - 04:25 PM
What drives secure behaviours?
Host: Host: Tom Henson, Head of Security Culture, Capita
Info: This workshop explores one of the most important questions facing security professionals today: what influences secure behaviours? Drawing on behavioural science, organisational culture and motivational theory, the session will examine the growing discipline of Human-Centric Security, recently introduced as a dedicated specialist area within the CIISec Skills Framework, and explore how people, culture and behaviour shape security outcomes.
The session will introduce two practical, practitioner-focused toolkits "Driving behaviour change in the moment" and "Driving behaviour change over time."
Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the factors that influence human behaviour in cyber and information security and leave with practical frameworks, tools and techniques to help start, strengthen or scale their own security culture initiatives.
🕑: 04:30 PM - 04:55 PM
Closing Fireside Chat
Host: Amanda Finch, CEO, CIISec
🕑: 04:55 PM - 05:00 PM
Conference Close
Host: Luke Beeson, CIISec Chairman
🕑: 05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Networking Drinks
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 150.00 to GBP 267.00
