Our Board
Our management board is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the centre, making sure that we serve the needs of the local business community. Board members are drawn from leading companies with a strong interest in the South West region, and invariably have a strong desire to protect the regional economy. They contribute financially or in-kind to the running of the centre, and help ensure that we provide practical and useful support. We are always on the look out for the right candidates who wish to join us; if you think that you might be one of them, please contact us to arrange a conversation.
Meet Our Board
Craig Sharp
Vice President UK Government, Cyber Security Solutions Division
Leonardo
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As new technologies emerge and cyber threats continue to increase, Craig understands the importance of building cyber resilience and supporting his local region. He’s proud of his work supporting the South West Cyber Resilience Centre to enable organisations within the South West to safeguard their business, their supply chains and their partners from current and emerging cyber and security threats. Craig lives in Somerset with his wife and three boys, and can often be overheard in the office relaying the importance of ensuring the local tea room in Cornwall has the same knowledge as the likes of big organisations when it comes to protecting against and preventing cyber and security threats. He has a wealth of experience within the security and defence sectors, having worked for the likes of Marconi, BAE Systems, Thales, Selex and Capita before joining Leonardo for a second time in 2017.
Craig's current role at Leonardo is as Vice President in the UK Government portfolio for the Cyber and Security Division. He leads on projects into central government including the Police and Border Force user communities. By becoming a board member for the SWCRC in December 2021, Craig aims to utilise the Cyber and Security knowledge, skills and resources within Leonardo to collaborate and share information with the SWCRC where applicable.
Rachel Farrell
Assistant Chief Constable, Local Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice.
Dorset Police
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Rachel joined Dorset Police as Assistant Chief Constable in March 2022 from Hampshire Constabulary, taking on the portfolio of Local Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice. Having joined in 1995, she spent a career predominantly in CID, particularly in major and serious crime, leading in public protection, child abuse, rape, serious sexual offences and intelligence. Rachel now holds the regional lead for cyber dependent crime.
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Rachel is passionate about investing in people and has been actively involved in coaching and development activities. As a working mum with neurodiversity, she has passionately led and been involved in many equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives.
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Paul Coles
CEO of the South West Business Council
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Paul left BT after 31 years, as BT Group’s English Regional Director where he was responsible for developing strategic relationships with combined and local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships, business, education and community organisations to focus on the success and growth of the UK’s regional and local economies.
In this new phase of his portfolio career Paul is working with a company called “Advalus” as a senior consultant in the area of technology and innovation, especially 5G, Cyber and Internet of Things.
Paul is based in the South West and sits on the following external boards:
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Heart of the South West LEP
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Tech South West Advisory Board
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Member of the Court of Bristol University
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Board Member of Surf Life Saving GB
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South West Cyber Resilience Centre
Mark Shelford
Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon & Somerset
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PCC Mark Shelford spent over 30 years as an Army Officer and served alongside police across the globe, gaining an understanding of their role and sharing the risks they faced. As a result, Mark has a good understanding of service life and the pressures those protecting communities and people face.
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Following his military service, Mark became Deputy Leader of Bath and North East Somerset council and also sat on the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Panel.
Mark is now the PCC for Avon and Somerset and has taken on the national PCC lead for the Economic and Cyber Crime portfolio.
Angela Hicks
CEO, the hive
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Angela Hicks is CEO at the hive- which offers 1-1 business advice and training, workspace/meeting space, and a welcoming business community for small businesses across North Somerset. the hive is purpose led, not for profit and well connected. Since 1987 they have helped thousands of businesses start up and grow.
Angela joined what is now the hive when it was a small community business support project 36 years ago. Under her leadership it became the North Somerset Enterprise Agency which has a long history of delivering successful business support programmes on behalf of the UK Government.
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In 2008, spotting a need for flexible workspace for the small businesses they were helping, Angela set about securing £3.6 million to build a BREEAM excellent, energy efficient purpose built managed office facility for the area. With a great deal of support from the team, volunteer board and other stakeholders the hive opened in 2014. the hive is now the home of small business support in North Somerset and continues its green credentials by being carbon neutral with targets to become net zero by 2030.
Giles Letheren
CEO, Delt Shared Services
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After a first career as a production manager for live entertainment (Boyzone, East17, Lee Evans to name a few), a second career as a magician and escapologist, Giles accidentally become a Chief Information Officer. In this role he was responsible for not only Information Technology but Top Secret paper filing systems and a British Post Office located, bizarrely, in the middle of Washington DC. At this point ‘cyber security’ was the domain of very geeky basement dwellers but after meeting the former Russian Spy, Victor Sheymov, Giles decided it might be exciting to learn more. His subsequent career has been on both sides of the Atlantic, in the public and private sector, spanning a range of leadership roles in local and national government, technology, project management, operations, management consulting and support services. Whilst living in the States he collected both an MBA and a lot of speeding tickets, before relocating to Cornwall. A winner of the Institute of Directors Director the Year award and Visiting Lecturer at Marjons Business School, Giles is Chief Executive Officer of Delt Shared Services, a publicly owned support services company with a mission to 'Help People Do Amazing Things'.
Mark Moore
CEO/ South West Cyber Resilience Centre
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Mark is a serving police Superintendent in the Devon and Cornwall force. After graduating from Exeter University with a languages degree, he has worked for 28 years in policing, spanning a variety of operational roles. His CV includes periods as a detective, as leader of policing areas, and as a firearms commander, with an interest in cyber which led to him becoming one of the force ‘digital leaders’. He has also operated nationally as a lead consultant, helping forces across the country create sustainable operating models. Latterly, Mark chaired the board of directors of a local Multi-Academy Trust, guiding it through a period of restructure and expansion. Mark holds an MSc in police leadership and management and a postgraduate diploma in the psychology of organisation development. He is married with two children, two dogs, and a passion for Cornish beaches.
Ross Brown
Head of cyber and innovation/ South West Cyber Resilience Centre
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Ross is a retired Detective officer who carried out numerous roles during his service, although primarily operating within mainstream Criminal investigations. As a trainer with Dorset Police he led a team who implemented training for a new force wide Records Management System as well as devising and writing the supervisors course. During a number of career breaks he has also developed experience of running large scale engineering projects in the middle east. Ross joined the South West Cyber Resilience Centre as a Detective Inspector and head of cyber and innovation and served in that post until retirement, at which point he continued in role as a member of Police staff.
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Join Our Board
We are currently establishing our Governing Board. If you are interested in joining our board, please contact us.