The cyber security community came out in force for the eighth year of CyberFest, a month dedicated to supporting and elevating the cyber business community in the North East to come together to connect, collaborate, and debate.
Here at CyberNorth the focus is on collaboration and bringing businesses together, and over the years CyberFest has emerged as a key driver in showcasing the strength of the region by raising awareness of cyber security businesses, services and talent across the North East as part of our mission ‘To make the North East THE place for cyber security.
Highly regarded on a national scale for its intrinsic impact in the sector, CyberFest has developed a reputation for its calibre of engaging events and insightful speakers. With the ambition to be bigger and bolder than ever before, this year’s CyberFest 2025 was no exception and marks another successful chapter for the team here at CyberNorth.
CyberFest has grown year on year since inception and the flagship festival resulted in a gathering of over a thousand delegates, forty-two brilliant speakers from across the country and the world, from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the National Space Agency, key personnel in maritime, government security leaders, alongside 21 events running across the region focussed on education, compliance, careers and trade – with introduction and connection at the core of all the events.
Annabel Berry, a prominent figure in the UK cyber security sector, and Chair at CyberNorth said:
“We set out to make CyberFest 2025 bigger and bolder than ever before, and the team delivered. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to open and address the CyberFest Community Conference, however it’s key to acknowledge that the month of CyberFest and the Community Conference are not just gatherings—CyberNorth are creating spaces that enable knowledge, collaboration and innovation to be shared.
In an age where cyber risks are growing more complex, these events are not just beneficial — they’re essential for building a safer digital future. The North East is a hotbed for innovation and collaboration and CyberNorth play a vital role in infusing the community together. The month-long CyberFest programme has become a prominent point in the cyber community diary, but we couldn’t do this without our key partners and sponsors, and we’d like to extend a heartfelt thanks to them all.”
The infinite power of CyberFest 2025 was that it wasn’t designed for one audience, it was an open invitation to everyone shaping, securing or imagining the North East’s digital future. Leaders and professionals from the field pledged their support at speaker events, panel debates, networking opportunities and practical workshops across the month of October, alongside the sell-out one day CyberFest Community Conference, and the return of the CyberNorth Awards.
The flagship event, the CyberFest Community Conference, took place at Newcastle Civic Centre, with the theme of ‘Your Connected Community’ and the conference saw CyberNorth bring together a full day of ideas, energy and collaboration.
Danielle Phillips, CEO, CyberNorth said:
“As we close on CyberFest 2025, the success of the month-long festival and community conference is a testament to the dedication, collaboration, and expertise of our team and the fantastic, active cyber community we have in the region.
CyberFest was key to bringing together other prominent clusters in the region from the Space, Maritime and Defence sectors. And the calibre of speakers we attracted this year was second to none. Projects and collaborations between some of the speakers and other clusters are already happening because of the festival, which is terrific!
The North East has something really special to offer, and our cyber community is now known on a national level for being connected and collaborative. Only good can come from this.”
This year’s highly anticipated CyberFest 2025 concluded on a high note with the return of the CyberNorth Awards, held at Tyne Bank Brewery, Newcastle in which businesses came out in force to celebrate the crème de le crème of the North East’s cyber security community.
Accenture’s Newcastle Security Team won Team of the Year. Aspire Technology Solutions took home the Innovation of the Year award. Kimberley Graham from Sage was named Outstanding Cyber Professional. Matthew Chambers received the Rising Star award and Dr Martin Wilson was named Community Champion.
CyberNorth’s core ethos is to be an evolving community, and it’s built by people who lobby this region and its future, since inception, we have built a vibrant cyber security community in the North East, supporting 100 businesses and over 2,000 professionals, while collaborating across FinTech, Space, Maritime, and Defence sectors.