What are the biggest challenges facing cybersecurity leaders TODAY?

Live from ICE 2025 with 7,543 attendees across 94 countries, we asked industry leaders the question everyone's asking: "What's REALLY breaking security teams right now?"

The answers? Eye-opening. Honest. And packed with actionable strategies.

In Part 1, hear from:

🔹 Chris Jefferson (ADVAI) – Co-Founder protecting AI and ML applications from exploitation. As AI security threats explode, ADVAI is the UK leader in AI assurance, helping organisations manage risk, compliance and trustworthiness while mitigating AI-specific security vulnerabilities. The future of security is AI security.

http://www.advai.com

🔹 Katie Barnett (Toro Solutions) – Director of Cyber Security with 15+ years in IT and legal background. She's delivered CISO-level expertise across government contracts, global enterprises, and war zones (Iraq, Somalia, Ukraine). Her secret? Turning complex security chaos into simple, robust solutions that actually work.

https://www.torosolutions.co.uk/

🔹 Andrey Darenberg (RateYourCyber) – Founder with 12 years in cybersecurity, PhD in Finance, MBA from London Business School. He's disrupting enterprise GRC with AI-powered platforms built for SMEs—making £50k consultant fees obsolete. What he reveals about security maturity assessment will surprise you.

https://rateyourcyber.com/

🔹 Kelsey Smith & Joanne Morley (Dionach by Nomios) – Kelsey, Director of Sales, has scaled cybersecurity programmes for Fortune 500s, government bodies and healthcare with infectious energy. Joanne, CISMP Certified GRC specialist with 15+ years experience, partners with organisations to build security frameworks that actually align with business. Together they represent Dionach, an independent, CREST-approved global provider of information security solutions with 25 years delivering insight-led cyber security services. ISO 27001/9001 certified, trusted by 200+ public and private sector organisations worldwide.

https://www.dionach.com/services/

🔥 What you’ll discover:

- Real frustrations and challenges throughout industry

- The #1 reason scale-ups fail their first security audit (spoiler: it's not technical)

- Why traditional GRC frameworks are leaving SMEs vulnerable

- How AI is changing the cybersecurity game and who's winning

- Real funding challenges scale-ups face (and how to overcome them)

- The talent gap crushing security teams and how to fix it

- Career paths into cybersecurity that actually pay (for students, career-changers, parents)

- How to turn security from a cost centre into a business accelerator

- Thoughts and insights on the Internationa Cyber Expo. what you missed and why you should attend the next.

Register for 2026, here: https://www.internationalcyberexpo.com/

Perfect for: CISOs tired of doing more with less | Security leaders building high-performing teams | SMB founders securing their first enterprise deals | GRC professionals staying ahead of compliance | Career-changers entering infosec | Anyone building business-aligned security operations

🚨 This is NOT your typical cyber podcast. These are real conversations with people who've dealt with real breaches, real regulations, and real pressure from the board.

👋 Jay Adamson and Warren Atkinson welcome you to the SECURE | CYBER CONNECT Podcast, where we’re joined by Information and Cyber Security, Technology, and Talent Acquisition professionals who share their journeys, unique perspectives, and offer valuable advice and guidance.

The SECURE | CYBER CONNECT Community & team offers tailored resources and strategic introductions to help you thrive in the evolving landscape of Corporate Governance, Information Security & Cyber Security, addressing Cultural, Technological & Talent Acquisition challenges.

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