The East Midlands Cyber Summit will return to De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) in 2027 after the sold-out success of its inaugural event earlier this year.
February’s summit brought together businesses, cyber professionals, educators and government stakeholders from around the UK.
Delivered by East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster (EMCSC) and DMU, the first summit was 58% oversubscribed - demonstrating strong regional interest in practical, proportionate approaches to cyber resilience. The next summit will take place on 23 February 2027 at The Venue @ DMU in Western Boulevard, Leicester.
Designed for business leaders, SME decision-makers, technology and cyber professionals, education providers and public-sector stakeholders, the Summit will build on the first event’s focus on useful insight, real-world experience and meaningful connections.
Its purpose is to help organisations make more informed decisions about cyber risk, business continuity, workforce skills and digital security.
Dr Ismini Vasileiou, founder of the East Midlands Cyber Summit and EMCSC, said: “The response to our first East Midlands Cyber Summit showed the level of interest across the region in practical, relevant cyber-resilience support.
“Businesses do not need more complexity. They need the confidence, knowledge and connections to take proportionate action. The Summit created valuable conversations between businesses, cyber specialists, educators and public-sector partners.
“Bringing it back in 2027 allows us to build on that momentum, strengthen regional collaboration and support more organisations to make cyber resilience part of their everyday decision-making.”
The inaugural Summit explored how organisations can make cyber security a core business priority. Sessions covered leadership responsibility, cyber risk, incident planning, workforce awareness, supplier checks, secure backups and access controls.
The programme combined specialist perspectives with first-hand business experience. Keynote speaker Paul Abbott, former Group Director of KNP Logistics, shared the experience of the ransomware attack that forced the 158-year-old transport business into administration, leading to the loss of more than 700 jobs.
Other contributors included representatives from techUK, Cyber PATH, the East Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre and ISACA. The programme also considered business resilience, emerging threats, leadership, workforce skills and regional collaboration.
The event was organised by EMCSC through its CyberGrowth programme, delivered in partnership with De Montfort University and funded through the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Cyber Local scheme.
A sponsorship pack for organisations interested in supporting the 2027 programme is now available, showcasing opportunities to enable organisations to support an event focused on cyber resilience, knowledge exchange and workforce development across the East Midlands, while connecting with business leaders, cyber specialists, education providers, public-sector stakeholders and the wider technology community.
To access the East Midlands Cyber Summit 2027 sponsorship pack, visit: https://bit.ly/EMCSCsummit27.
For further information, email Ismini Vasileiou at Ismini.vasileiou@emcsc.uk.
Posted on Sunday 27 September 2026