ello and welcome to

For this month ’ s cover story , which can be found on page 51 , we are delighted to feature Saudi Arabia-based Ali AlKhamis , CISO , Raya Financing , winner of CISO of the Year at Lynchpin Media ’ s Intelligent ICT Awards 2024 Middle East .

He shares his insights on leading a successful cybersecurity team , positioning cybersecurity as a strategic business enabler and tackling the challenge of balancing day-to-day operational demands with driving innovation .

“ Leadership within a cybersecurity team relies heavily on how cybersecurity is positioned as a business enabler within the organisation , particularly in the financial sector ,” he tells us . in collaboration and communication across all departments .

“ To foster leadership and a culture of continuous learning , I ensure that cybersecurity initiatives are driven by a comprehensive strategy aligned with the organisation ’ s overarching goals .”

In this month ’ s Editors Question , we ask three industry experts what impact the UK Government ’ s plan to harness AI for national renewal will have on innovation , economic growth and strengthening cybersecurity .

We hear from experts at Darktrace , Abnormal Security and Cisco among others . Please turn to page 27 to read their views on this topical issue .

This month ’ s Go Phish features Tom Exelby , Head of Cyber Security , Red Helix . He discusses his unusual route into the cybersecurity industry .

team in bomb disposal which is certainly a field that teaches you about riskmanagement , incident-management and operating under extreme pressure when the stakes are very high .

That experience has been hugely valuable and gave me a skillset that directly relates to cybersecurity .

To read the full article , please turn to page 67 .

Don ’ t forget you can read daily news updates on our website . I ’ d like to wish you a good month ahead and please enjoy the read !

“ It ’ s about shifting the perception of cybersecurity from being just a budgetheavy function to one that plays a critical role

“ As an officer in the Royal Engineers , I was constantly assessing threats and risks ,” he says . “ My career included leadership of a

Mark Bowen Editorial Director

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