In this “Secure In Mind” episode, it was a privilege to welcome Neil Walsh to the podcast for a second time. Neil is the Chief of Cyber-Crime & Money Laundering at the United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime. Please listen to this episode – the impacts of COVID extend beyond the hospital bed and awareness raising is key

In the space of a circa 40 minute conversation, Neil and I pivot from an opening filled with genuine good humor and laughter about the current niggles that we are experiencing (my talking tongues to wardrobes / Neil’s ill-fitting slacks) through to the seriousness of suffering for so many victims of physical and sexual abuse of (mostly) children and women in a world of lockdown. We humans are an amazingly resilient species, having managed to survive (for now!) amidst an eternal carousel of quarks and quasars. Our evolution, and indeed evolution as a process, is marked by constant, often painful ascendancies to new levels of physiological capacity and / or cognition and intelligence. Unnoticed by our everyday conscious selves, we are continuously learning and growing at the cellular level. The push and pull of the individual and the greater global society catalysis in our species growth and at this level we can and do actively and indirectly play a part. Fundamental to this is our collective ability to expose our wounds to effective remedies rather than letting them fester… an ability not always leveraged due to fear or uneasiness resulting in avoidance. Shining a spotlight is the only way we can see what needs to be fixed.

The life of victims / responders i.e., law enforcement / or the perpetrators themselves is shocking to many folks simply because it is not part of their day to day. Of course, the life of an impoverished and starving refugee escaping a war zone in bare foot is also a shocking reality. I could go on but the point I want to draw is that these realities exist, regardless if many are ignorant, willfully, or not. Indeed, ignoring or shifting onus of phenomena such as child abuse and domestic abuse to that of a dark deity by using terms grounded in intangible contexts – ‘demonizing’ – does not help to mitigate or effectively contain and prevent it here on planet earth. I raise this point since it is incredibly easy to categories what has been identified in numerous studies as a neurological anomaly as evil – incredibly easy and incredibly true since the word evil is (correctly) attributed to that which causes immense pain and suffering. But just as we have increased life-spans and quality of existence (according to most metrics you can run a ruler over) through science and practicality rather than voodoo or our heads in the sand, so too can we at best prevent and at least minimize this pain-causing phenomenon as well.

In short, child abuse and domestic abuse are devastating issues, currently amplified by perpetrators spending more time at home with their victims and evidenced by a vast increase in new generated abuse material available on darknet and Clearnet platforms. Organizations like UNODC, LE, Intel etc. can and do combat this through the application of multiple, practical strategies – they do an incredible job amid the deluge of horror they have to wade through.

I’ll leave the reader now to press play and let the podcast do the talking as is its purpose. There are links at the bottom of the page. One in particular stands out: it is the result of decades and more spent by UNODC and associated stakeholders (LE / intel / Civil Society / Aid) trying to tackle a societal ill, facing an equal or greater amount of the same problem day after day. This link tries to nip a potential calamity in the bud before it has jumped the cranial firewall of a would-be perpetrator. It is the necessary confrontation of a sickness epitomized in a link borne of prevention, and as Neil comments during the podcast, if this awareness-raising means that even one individual halts an urge before it manifests in the real-world – a real-world with real-world pain, suffering and consequence – then the awareness has served its purpose.

This podcast has a mixed bag of listeners, some of whom know the challenges faced in fighting the above problems all too well. Some of the listeners do not share this level of insight. For both segments, share this episode: not because you enjoyed it – because you may not – but because it needs to be shared to raise awareness to either encourage victims to come forward or encourage potential perpetrators to seek help before, not after, the fact..

The Secure in Mind project

Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale.

There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate. If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the specialty, then we have surpassed our expectations. Nick Kelly Bio Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you; a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments Collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

In the lead up to Europe’s most prestigious and impactful Security Conference in Munich, we headed to the Bavarian capital to speak with Natalia Oropeza, Global Chief Cyber Security Officer, Siemens

Natalia Oropeza heads cyber security for one of the largest electrical engineering and electronic-related products and services companies in the world. In figures, 2019 data reports €87 Billion in revenue and 384,000 employees. A large chunk of the world’s electrical and operating technology backbone is provided by the company, with their products present in everything from Power, Gas, Medical Devices, Phones, Power Plants, Trains, Dams, Smart Infrastructure… the list goes on, and on, and on… The sheer scale of responsibility is pleasantly paired with Natalia’s calm and sharply intellectual demeanour. It was a pleasure to speak with her about her journey from Mexico to Munich, an inspiration for any aspiring cyber engineer and especially for girls and women who may be thinking of entering and advancing in the field. The synopsis for this episode is short and sweet as I’m on the road again, but hands down this episode covers it all – Stuxnet (yep, those were Siemens devices that were Pwnd), Supply Chain Security, Cross-Border legislative failures and successes, the push and pull of influence and compliance with policy makers, Natalia’s participation in the creation of mechanisms built to encourage greater equality in the field (ECSO’s Women4Cyber) and plenty more. As always, listen, share and please send me any feedback you may have as well as recommendations or introductions for other critical thinkers and operators you may know!

The Secure in Mind project Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale. There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate. If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations. Nick Kelly Bio Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you; a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments. Collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

In this “Secure in Mind” podcast episode, we are glad to welcome Ms. Hanane Boujemi, Internet policy and governance expert directing the Tech Policy Tank in the UK, a think tank providing market intelligence, policy analysis and advice on tech products and services deployment

Hanane is an experienced and ambitious leader, specialised in internet governance and regulatory challenges, international law and diplomacy. In what was a truly enriching discussion, we explored the complex and multi-faceted world of Internet governance, with it being subject to the influence of a variety of cultures, agendas and countries. Its overall global relevance is significant, as Hanane clarifies by sharing the importance of anticipating and understanding the impact that Internet usage and management has on the users’ current and future societies, as well as by engaging users into shaping policies governing Internet usage. Women empowerment in IT & tech: how to shape the policy of the future together During the discussion, Hanane and I explored her view on the voice of women in tech & ICT, predictably still a challenging field due to strong societal and stereotypical issues. However, she highlighted the great, beneficial role the internet can and does offer when employed as a tool of empowerment… often easier said than done but Hanane is one of the inspirational women making it happen! Finally, we touched on her Blockchain research, of the rising accountability in ensuring users’ privacy and rights with reference to one Facebook’s exorbitant fine as well as the subsequent need for stronger government-enabled regulatory frameworks… the perennial issue of the day being the creation of legislation is a reactive manoeuvre, and our tech world keeps on moving faster and faster… The Secure in Mind Project Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale. There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate. If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations. Nick Kelly Bio Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

In this “Secure in Mind” podcast episode, we are glad to welcome Ms. Hanane Boujemi, Internet policy and governance expert directing the Tech Policy Tank in the UK, a think tank providing market intelligence, policy analysis and advice on tech products and services deployment

Hanane is an experienced and ambitious leader, specialised in internet governance and regulatory challenges, international law and diplomacy. In what was a truly enriching discussion, we explored the complex and multi-faceted world of Internet governance, with it being subject to the influence of a variety of cultures, agendas and countries. Its overall global relevance is significant, as Hanane clarifies by sharing the importance of anticipating and understanding the impact that Internet usage and management has on the users’ current and future societies, as well as by engaging users into shaping policies governing Internet usage. Women empowerment in IT & tech: how to shape the policy of the future together During the discussion, Hanane and I explored her view on the voice of women in tech & ICT, predictably still a challenging field due to strong societal and stereotypical issues. However, she highlighted the great, beneficial role the internet can and does offer when employed as a tool of empowerment… often easier said than done but Hanane is one of the inspirational women making it happen! Finally, we touched on her Blockchain research, of the rising accountability in ensuring users’ privacy and rights with reference to one Facebook’s exorbitant fine as well as the subsequent need for stronger government-enabled regulatory frameworks… the perennial issue of the day being the creation of legislation is a reactive manoeuvre, and our tech world keeps on moving faster and faster… The Secure in Mind Project Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale. There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate. If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations. Nick Kelly Bio Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

In this “Secure In Mind” podcast episode, Morgan Deane, CEO of Baader Helvea Group, discusses the unstoppable force of technology in banking and its potential part in increasing transparency in the banking sector

The word wheelhouse is currently working its way wildly through my mind during these days of pandemic pandemonium. Here in Milan, the epicentre Europe’s pandemic, I’m joined by the rest of the world’s non-medicos listening to and heeding the advice of virologists, epidemiologists, doctors and more transform into emergency policies. There are quasi-infinite wheelhouses one can specialise in these days, and we at Secure In Mind are fortunate enough to speak with many such people in a commanding position in their chosen fields. In this episode, I had a great conversation with Morgan Deane who, alongside being the CEO & President of the Executive Management Board at the Baader Helvea Group, is also Ambassador for the Transparency Task Force, an initiative with a goal of raising the battered level of trust the public has in its critical banking & financial institutions. Throughout what I thought was a very relaxed, engaging discussion, we explored everything from Morgan’s formative educational period as an aspiring Human Rights lawyer living in Ghana for 3 months working on issues related to child-trafficking, through to the potential application of cutting-edge technologies such as the Blockchain to cement transparency in industry (banking and finance in this case). We spend a good portion of time on the Transparency Task Force; the purpose, goals, successes thus far and ongoing challenges to tackle. When discussing precursory steps in the process of the Task Force’s creation, Morgan draws a link to his time in Ghana; both the task force and the project to combat child-trafficking evidenced incongruent views of function and outcome from the same situation. What becomes apparent is that Morgan has a deep and balanced level of insight across all sides of a particular issue, certainly a positive given the importance of both the banking sector and, in parallel yet oft in opposition, the transparency and trust of said sector. So wherever you are listening from… whether it be the bedroom, the kitchen-converted-to-office, the bathroom or the balcony, please enjoy this engaging discussion and share so that others in lockdown can also benefit!

The Secure in Mind project Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale. There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate. If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations. Nick Kelly Bio Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you; a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments Collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

In this “Secure in Mind” podcast episode, we discover the human brain behind Intel: Matthias Wilson, Senior Intelligence Analyst and Trainer at government level, guides us through the fascinating and multi-faceted world of Intelligence

I had the pleasure to chat with Matthias Wilson, a super-smart guy having a senior intelligence and military background for civilian, government, corporate and law enforcement services. He is one of the major experts in multiple types of Intelligence a.k.a. the strange acronyms you often stumble across without being able to decode them (perhaps) – OSINT, HUMINT, GEOINT, SIGINT. Keep on listening to learn more! Do you really think there’s just one type of Intelligence? He is skilled at combining different types of Intelligence collections methods in order to leverage another type of information gathering, putting it all together to support businesses in fraud investigation and due diligence, as well as reporting critical information to governmental authorities to protect both the German army and nation. Nice!

How to discover the human being behind online communications We covered a broad range of subjects, including the level of sophistication of German intelligence, the German law on HUMINT and data protection, and the importance of understanding financial accounting and forensics for corporate purposes. Particularly, I could learn the major tech- and policy-wise shifts in intel information collection (to discover if now it’s all about HUMINT or OSINT, you know what to do). As for OSINT – ok here I can say that: Open Source Intelligence – we explored the role of some of the major communities, such as bellingcat, and their collaboration with intel agencies as for criminal activities detection and prevention. Interesting use, isn’t it? Finally, all social media and online platforms addicted will be interested in learning that different cultures do a different use of social networks… find out how! The Secure in Mind Project Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale. There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate. If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations. Nick Kelly Bio Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

This “Secure in Mind” podcast episode sees Nick Kelly speak with Martijn Van de Beek, whose impact on cross-border law enforcement collaboration was critical to many serious crime investigations

This “Secure in Mind” podcast episode sees Nick Kelly speak with Martijn Van de Beek, whose impact on cross-border law enforcement collaboration was critical to many serious crime investigations. In an episode with a true pioneer in EU high tech crime, we discuss all things cyber-crime, risk and crucially the separation of politics from everyday law enforcement activities. If you like the idea of cops from all countries working together to stop truly horrendous bad guys, then this is an episode not to be missed!

Cooperation in the field of cybercrime law enforcement Martijn Van de Beek started his working life for the Amsterdam Police Force where he gained exposure to a variety of different policing disciplines including investigation, which became his core area of focus. He has worked in the War Crimes unit and was responsible for establishing the Cyber Crime Unit looking at serious organised cybercrime in 2006/2007. This led to a distinguished career in different positions in the Netherlands National Police involving relationship building and joint investigation activities with multiple, cross-border law enforcement stake-holders including the FBI and FSB. He has also worked as a Europol expert into the Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan. Currently, he is the General Manager of Hoffmann BV, a consulting firm that provides fraud, cyber and risk expertise to corporate sector clients. He holds a Master’s degree in Law and Criminal and Administrative Law amongst an array of other associated certifications and trainings. The Secure in Mind project Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale. There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate. If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations. Nick Kelly Bio Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you; a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

In this “Secure in Mind” podcast episode, we welcome Ms. Maria Smekalova, Project Director at the RIAC think tank in Moscow, who discussed with us the current state of affairs in cyber space at the global level from a peculiar perspective

Maria is a PhD candidate and Project Leader at the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), a think tank based in Moscow committed to raise awareness and stimulate the debate on all matters cyber security, cyber culture and international affairs at the global level. The project coordinated by Maria looks at Information Security and Cooperation in Cyber Space between two historically opponent super-powers: Russia and USA. If we add to this that the project’s kick-off coincided with the 2016 Russiagate, we can easily get Maria’s brave and strong leadership.

The “Russia Trend”, cyber hygiene and cyber education Maria shared with us some of the key principles to follow in order to overcome the numerous preconceived ideas in cyber nowadays, namely cyber education and cyber hygiene. Particularly interesting was exploring Maria’s opinion on the so-called “Russia trend”, which puts her country at the center of a true media hype for any kind of bad news, especially when referring to the cyber sphere. Education, curiosity, information and awareness of the fingerprints we leave online are the weapons we can rely on to fight national biases and positively rebrand a country. I really enjoyed this well-balanced conversation with Maria, a person coming from a think tank who understands and appreciates the complexities concerning a country as a whole and its distinct layers of state, including military, policing and civil society as well as macro trends. Although a think tank perspective often tends to be as objective as possible, and considering the think tank as a positive yet new and emerging phenomenon in Russia, it was an interesting conversation to uncover some of the most tangled and multi-faceted cyber issues from the other side of spectrum. The Secure in Mind Project Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale. There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate.

f we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations. Nick Kelly Bio Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.

This “Secure in Mind” podcast episode sees Nick Kelly speak with Keren Elazari, Israel’s most famous hacker with 2.5 Million views on TED and a Forbes Israel 30 under 30. What a discussion – hacking, women in tech, philosophy…

This “Secure in Mind” podcast episode sees Nick Kelly speak with Keren Elazari. Keren is an internationally recognized researcher, author and speaker on all matters cyber security and hacker culture. Since 2000, Keren has worked with leading security firms, public organizations and Fortune 500 companies. Keren’s independent research about cyber security has been featured by Scientific American, WIRED, TED, CNN, Financial Times and more. The Internet’s immune system Keren’s TED talk “Hackers: the Internet’s immune system” has been viewed by millions online, translated to 30 languages, selected as “Most Powerful Ideas” and helped shape a global conversation about the role of hackers in the information age. In 2016 Keren founded BSidesTLV, a community event for hackers in Israel. Keren is also a visiting faculty member of Singularity University, in NASA Research Park, California. Her latest collaboration is an Amazon bestseller, a book for “Women in Tech” (2016, Penguin Random House).

The Secure in Mind project Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale. There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate. If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations. Nick Kelly Bio Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you; a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations around the world in diverse countries and environments collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life like politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are all merely mortals making the best of it.

Karol Okonski is the Secretary of State at the Polish Ministry for Digital Affairs and, in this episode, he discusses Poland’s cyber security mandate, his role’s key responsibilities and the country’s approach to the cyber security issue

All roads lead to cyber, it seems… Karol holds a polyhedric background, ranging from technical to economical, from accounting to banking: he is currently a member of the European Cyber Security Organization BoD, as well as being entitled by the Polish Prime Minister with the responsibility to craft, coordinate and manage the national cyber security environment.

How to shape and coordinate a national cyber security environment Together, we went over some of the main responsibilities involved in the role, such as how the government implements new technologies to automatize and secure processes such as electronic identification and national central registry management, by also identifying the solutions and tools available to citizens in this respect. Top national cyber priorities and the international cyber diplomacy game What are the main responsibilities of a country’s representative for cyber and digital affairs? Karol explored this theme with us: securing and protecting the public administration’s critical infrastructures and core services, as well as educating people to foster cyber hygiene, awareness and culture, are the top key missions contemplated by his mandate. We ended our chat looking at the international scenario and analyzing the complexities involved in the cross-border diplomacy, military and policy cyber game, especially where adversarial countries are involved, as well as examining the EU scenario, its need to find a common ground in cyber and the distinct nature of relationship with the so-called “digitally-like-minded” countries. The Secure in Mind Project Our mission is to greatly increase and encourage community discussion about technological and ethical issues that have done, are and will impact society on a global scale. There is a longstanding and distinct disconnect between the way information is packaged and presented to the public and the effectiveness of this presentation in terms of generating informed, considered debate. If we can take complex, important topics and present them, as best we can, in a manner that can interests people from outside the speciality, then we have surpassed our expectations. Nick Kelly Bio Nick is someone who, in many senses, is just like you: a human being trying to make sense of this existence of ours as we hurtle around a ball of gas in a sea of infinite eternity. More relevant though are his vacillations in the world amongst diverse countries and environments, collaborating, negotiating, elaborating and celebrating with fascinating people from all walks of life including politics, technology, activism, military and intelligence the world over. He brings this unique breadth of perspective to the table and has a dogged interest in pursuing the human story behind the title or policy, appreciating the fact that underneath all of our bravado, political correctness and dichotomous states of creation and destruction, we are, after all, merely mortals trying to make the best of it.