The event took place yesterday evening with almost 200 business leaders and directors in attendance. Key pieces of legislation were also discussed, including the newly approved EU AI Act.
Caroline Spillane CDir, Chief Executive Officer, IoD Ireland, opened the event by reflecting on the importance of effectively integrating the governance of cyber security into a company's overall governance framework. She also acknowledged and thanked the event sponsor Accenture, and welcomed Colin Scanlan, Managing Director at Accenture and Rob Clarke from Accenture to the event. Caroline also welcomed the IoD Ireland members to the event, and noted the aim of the event was to support directors in this key area.
She also highlighted the IoD programme 'Cyber Security Fundamentals for Directors' , which aims to provide more support to members and directors. The programme covers governance, tech and cyber risks, regulatory compliance, legal matters, cyber culture, and incident response planning. As part of IoD Ireland’s aim at enhancing best in class standards in this area, the body also has a MOUs with Cyber Ireland and the Global Cyber Alliance.
The event included a panel discussion with guest speakers: Barry Scannell, Consultant, William Fry LLP, and member of the Irish Government's Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council; Dr Valerie Lyons, Company Director, and Chief Operating Officer, BH Consulting; and Kevin Buckley, Senior Development Advisor, Enterprise Ireland and Board Member of Cyber Ireland. The discussion was moderated by Caroline Spillane CDir, Chief Executive Officer, IoD Ireland.
During the panel discussion, Valerie discussed key areas such as compliance and governance, how directors should manage a cyber security threat and strategy, the digital services Act and GDPR, and what advise she would give in a cyber security crisis. As part of her discussion, Valarie also outlined a number of free resources that members and directors might find helpful.
Barry Scannell, Consultant, William Fry LLP, and member of the Irish Government's Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council, talked through the importance of the new EU AI act, as well as the importance in managing risk, the role of an AI policy training, as well as other key areas such as IP and copyright. He also addressed the opportunity of AI.
Kevin Buckley, Senior Development Advisor, Enterprise Ireland and Board Member of Cyber Ireland reflected on 2023 research from Cyber Ireland, which notes that the number employed in the cyber security sector in Ireland at present is just over 7,000, and has the potential to reach to 17,000 by 2030. Kevin also addressed the importance of having procedures in place for cyber security, the role of training and the impacts of new legislation.
After the discussion, the event provided business leaders and directors with a key networking opportunity to connect and reconnect as a member community.
The IoD Ireland Briefing Series: Designed for Directors is sponsored by Accenture. Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security.
