As new technologies emerge and cyber threats continue to increase, Craig understands the importance of building cyber resilience and supporting his local region. He’s proud of his work supporting the South West Cyber Resilience Centre to enable organisations within the South West to safeguard their business, their supply chains and their partners from current and emerging cyber and security threats. Craig lives in Somerset with his wife and three boys, and can often be overheard in the office relaying the importance of ensuring the local tea room in Cornwall has the same knowledge as the likes of big organisations when it comes to protecting against and preventing cyber and security threats. He has a wealth of experience within the security and defence sectors, having worked for the likes of Marconi, BAE Systems, Thales, Selex and Capita before joining Leonardo for a second time in 2017. Craig's current role at Leonardo is as Vice President in the UK Government portfolio for the Cyber and Security Division. He leads on projects into central government including the Police and Border Force user communities. By becoming a board member for the SWCRC in December 2021, Craig aims to utilise the Cyber and Security knowledge, skills and resources within Leonardo to collaborate and share information with the SWCRC where applicable.

Chris Nelson was first elected as Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in May 2021, then again in 2024. After growing up in Leeds, state educated, Chris joined the Army at 18, attending Sandhurst. He retired as a full Colonel, having served operationally in the First Gulf War and on the streets of Northern Ireland. His senior staff roles embraced tri-service programme and resource management, operational equipment requirements, budgets, work force planning, IT, training, recruitment, and estates. He gained two degrees and multiple academic and professional qualifications during his time in the Army. Following his military service, he had a career in business, helping to provide state of the art training facilities to police forces around the world, finishing off that second career as Vice President International Business Development for a US company in Atlanta, Georgia. His third career as a politician includes time as a Borough councillor in Cheltenham, Member of the County Police and Crime Panel and Chairman of a very busy parish council. A passionate believer in the virtues of volunteering and public service, he is privileged to have supported his local community whenever an opportunity has presented itself. As PCC for Gloucestershire, Chris has introduced a zero-tolerance approach to Anti-Social Behaviour; sorted out the budget and secured funding for around 400 extra police officers/staff; tackled male violence against women and girls; reduced the cost of rural crime; mitigated scam calls; and improved Gloucestershire Constabulary’s 999 and 101 service. Working with his fellow Commissioners in the South West, he is Chair of the Prisoners Building Homes Programme, an innovative scheme that reduces reoffending and provides much needed affordable homes. Building on his experience helping the Constabulary to exit ‘Special Measures’ (something he inherited at the start of his first term of office), he has now become Joint National Lead for Performance within the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners. He is also Joint National Lead for Local Policing, in line with his focus on Neighbourhood Policing and tackling Anti-Social Behaviour.

ACC Jim Pearce moved to the Crime , Justice and Vulnerability portfolio in July 2024, which is an extensive portfolio, and continues to hold the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) Portfolio for Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime. Jim took up the Operations Portfolio in April 2023, a role which saw him leading the specialist uniform operations, including public order, roads policing, firearms, operations planning and resourcing. Jim held the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) Portfolio for Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime since last year before taking up his current role. Prior to his ACC role, Jim worked as the Policing Commander for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly for over six years, a role which he was very proud of having grown up in the County. Jim was responsible for the uniformed and neighbourhood policing deployment and capability across the County. He has broad experience of partnership working, which included being the Chair of the Community Safety Partnership for over three years and a collaborative lead in delivering the first ever Tri-Service Safety Officer scheme. A scheme which has become an exemplar for other forces across the UK. Jim has an extensive background within operational and incident command and is an accredited Public Order Public Safety Gold Commander, overseeing the police response to events and major incidents such as protests, sporting and music events and leading multi-agency critical incidents. He is also a Strategic Firearms Commander responsible for directing armed operations across the force. ACC Jim Pearce said: "This is a privileged position that I have been invited to take, and I'm looking forward to returning into the Force to further the ambitions of this professional portfolio of work in keeping our communities safe."

Paul left BT after 31 years, as BT Group’s English Regional Director where he was responsible for developing strategic relationships with combined and local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships, business, education and community organisations to focus on the success and growth of the UK’s regional and local economies. In this new phase of his portfolio career Paul is working with a company called “Advalus” as a senior consultant in the area of technology and innovation, especially 5G, Cyber and Internet of Things. Paul is based in the South West and sits on the following external boards: • Heart of the South West LEP • Tech South West Advisory Board • Member of the Court of Bristol University • Board Member of Surf Life Saving GB • South West Cyber Resilience Centre

Andy currently leads cyberthreat intelligence integration with banking businesses at a major international financial services firm. Spanning a 22+ year career in intelligence and security, Andy has led technical assurance, compliance, risk, security architecture and intelligence capabilities in the military, defence industry and financial sectors. In the financial sector, Andy has also worked with major UK domiciled financial institutions at a cross sector collaboration cybersecurity resilience initiative to support UK Financial Regulator industry resilience goals, where he led on strategic project definition and execution. Andy has also led the design and implementation of security policy infrastructure and consultancy service automation within a high-profile UK based financial services firm, where he provided transformational thought leadership in strategic information security management. When not at work, Andy enjoys reading international relations, mountain biking, walking and general fitness.

Angela Hicks is CEO at the hive- which offers 1-1 business advice and training, workspace/meeting space, and a welcoming business community for small businesses across North Somerset. the hive is purpose led, not for profit and well connected. Since 1987 they have helped thousands of businesses start up and grow. Angela joined what is now the hive when it was a small community business support project 36 years ago. Under her leadership it became the North Somerset Enterprise Agency which has a long history of delivering successful business support programmes on behalf of the UK Government. In 2008, spotting a need for flexible workspace for the small businesses they were helping, Angela set about securing £3.6 million to build a BREEAM excellent, energy efficient purpose built managed office facility for the area. With a great deal of support from the team, volunteer board and other stakeholders the hive opened in 2014. the hive is now the home of small business support in North Somerset and continues its green credentials by being carbon neutral with targets to become net zero by 2030.

After a first career as a production manager for live entertainment (Boyzone, East17, Lee Evans to name a few), a second career as a magician and escapologist, Giles accidentally become a Chief Information Officer. In this role he was responsible for not only Information Technology but Top Secret paper filing systems and a British Post Office located, bizarrely, in the middle of Washington DC. At this point 'cyber security' was the domain of very geeky basement dwellers but after meeting the former Russian Spy, Victor Sheymov, Giles decided it might be exciting to learn more. His subsequent career has been on both sides of the Atlantic, in the public and private sector, spanning a range of leadership roles in local and national government, technology, project management, operations, management consulting and support services. Whilst living in the States he collected both an MBA and a lot of speeding tickets, before relocating to Cornwall. A winner of the Institute of Directors Director the Year award and Visiting Lecturer at Marjons Business School, Giles is Chief Executive Officer of Delt Shared Services, a publicly owned support services company with a mission to 'Help People Do Amazing Things'.