Thursday 17 September 2026
Dunkertons, Cheltenham GL52 6UT
Brought to you by
Fortem IT
and
CyNam
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CyNam

Contact Email

info@cynam.org

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Gloucestershire’s hub for cyber security and technology, serving as the go-to destination for connecting diverse minds and enabling secure innovation and growth for professionals and businesses operating in these sectors.

CyNam is your Gloucestershire-focused cyber and tech network, welcoming SMEs, large organisations, investors, local and central government representatives, and everyone in between. With a wide variety of activities running through the year, CyNam has something for everyone. Engage with CyNam by attending events, signing up to receive regular updates and becoming part of one of our many programmes. If you are interested in supporting Cheltenham and Gloucestershire’s flourishing cyber and tech ecosystem, don’t hesitate to contact us to explore sponsorship opportunities, too.

Our events and initiatives serve as platforms for collaboration, where expertise is shared, and novel ideas are brought to life.

CyNam is building a thriving entrepreneurial community where people come together from all backgrounds, to collaborate, innovate and develop secure technologies that tackle global challenges and fuel economic growth.

Community and Connectivity

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Knowledge Sharing Series

Stay ahead of the curve with expert-led insights on cyber resilience, AI safety, and quantum technologies.
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Gloucestershire Tech Week

Gloucestershire’s annual flagship celebration of frontier technologies – cyber, AI, quantum, and beyond.
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Digital Directory (Coming Soon)

A live, searchable digital platform mapping organisations by capability, sector, and expertise across cyber, AI, and advanced technologies.
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Innovation Hackathons (Coming Soon)

Stay ahead of the curve with expert-led insights on cyber resilience, AI safety, and quantum technologies.

Growth & Investment

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Investor Readiness Programme

Structured guidance, mentoring, and support to help companies prepare for investment.
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Showcase Events

Connecting high-potential companies with regional and national investors through curated pitch opportunities.
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Founder Fundamentals

Practical, intensive training for early-stage founders and aspiring entrepreneurs in the cyber and technology sectors.
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Connection Brokering

Targeted introductions between start-ups and end-user customers in relevant sectors.

Talent & Development

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Mentoring & Peer Networks

Providing 1-2-1 in-kind guidance and support to cyber and tech professionals and enthusiasts within the regional ecosystem, connecting them with experienced industry mentors.
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Digital Placement Hub

Providing relevant and meaningful work experience opportunities.
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Cyberfirst South West

CyberFirst South West is a programme connecting computer science teachers with cyber security professionals to enhance teaching and bridge the curriculum-industry gap.

Event Details

CyberFest 2026

Brought to you by
Thursday 17th September 2026
10:00 - 22:00
Dunkertons Park
Dowdeswell Park, The Barlands, London Rd, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham GL52 6UT

​The South West cyber community's much-anticipated annual festival returns to the heart of the Cotswolds.

Talk

Bruno Kocsis

Cybersecurity & SaaS Revenue Leader

Bruno Kocsis is a cybersecurity business leader focused on turning complex technology into real-world business outcomes. At Acronis, he works at the intersection of cyber protection, operational technology and go-to-market strategy, helping organizations protect the systems they simply cannot afford to lose.

Known for a direct, pragmatic approach, Bruno believes cybersecurity conversations should spend less time on buzzwords and more time on what happens when things actually go wrong. His work brings together technology, partners and customers to solve one deceptively simple challenge: keeping critical operations running when disruption is not an option.

When he’s not talking about cyber resilience, Bruno is usually challenging conventional thinking - or at least trying to make cybersecurity slightly less boring.

Talk

Stefan Vasile

Enterprise Account Manager

Stefan-Catalin Vasile is an Enterprise Account Executive and Territory Manager at Acronis, with over 12 years of experience in technology sales and business development. He specialises in building strategic relationships and helping organisations address evolving cybersecurity, backup and disaster recovery challenges. Stefan works closely with customers and partners to strengthen cyber resilience, protect critical data and support their wider digital transformation journeys.

Keynote Speaker

Mark Stockley

Award-winning AI Podcast The AI Fix

For the last twenty years, Mark has worked with leading global cyber security companies, investigating emerging threats and explaining how they reshape risk. Mark's unique blend of technical expertise and humour has seen him speak at conferences and industry events across Europe and the USA, and his insights are regulaly featured in major publications like The New York Times, Forbes, Popular Science, and WIRED.

Talk

John Palmer

Strategic Head of ICT Shared Service

Experienced Information Communication Technology leader with a demonstrative history of delivering success in the public safety and public services arenas. Skilled in ICT Service design and delivery, the creation and implementation of Digital, Cyber and ICT strategies. Passionate about digital transformation, smart business process design and implementation. Strong analytical capability to ensure positive outcomes in digital transformation for public sector organisations.

Talk

Paul Cawley

Senior Partner Development Manager

Paul Cawley is a Senior Partner Development Manager within Microsoft’s Global Channel Partner Sales organisation. With more than 30 years’ experience across HP, Symantec and Microsoft, he has built a career developing strategic relationships with major technology partners across the UK. Paul also leads Microsoft’s UK Data Centre Optimisation programme, working with hosting providers, data centre operators and systems integrators to help customers transition from on-premises and hosted infrastructure to the cloud. He combines extensive global experience with a practical understanding of partner priorities, commercial collaboration and delivering measurable business outcomes.

Talk

Florence Nyasamo

Founder/CEO

Systems change leader specialising in the equitable redistribution of resources, power, and opportunity to global majority communities, through the advancement of ethical governance frameworks, sustainable finance mechanism, and digitally enabled civic participation.

Talk

Chris Graham

Director of Partner Solutions, Red Sift

Chris Graham has spent more than 20 years in cyber security, doing everything from running global enterprise messaging estates to designing security architectures for some of the world's largest organisations. He has built and led international teams delivering security programmes across hundreds of enterprise deployments, and knows first-hand why so many organisations struggle with certificate monitoring within their digital infrastructure.

Talk

Burke Stephenson

Cyber security Sales Leader – EMEA

Burke Stephenson is a cyber security and technology sales leader with more than 30 years’ experience across the IT industry, including enterprise technology, cyber security and government and military environments. As Lenovo’s EMEA Cyber security Sales Leader, he has built and led the region’s cyber security business, developing strategies that integrate specialist cyber security capabilities with enterprise hardware and technology.

Talk

Anthony Wells

Senior Solutions Engineer, Arctic Wolf

Ant Wells is a Senior Solutions Engineer at Arctic Wolf, specialising in Security Operations. With a background in protecting businesses from evolving cyber threats, Ant helps organizations strengthen their security posture. His role involves working closely with clients to understand their specific security challenges and providing tailored solutions around Arctic Wolf’s cutting-edge solutions.

Talk

David Johnson

Territory Manager UK&I, Object First

With 12 years of experience in backup, security and networking, David Johnson is passionate about helping organisations prepare for today's cyber threats. He brings practical insight, real-world experience and an engaging speaking style to discussions around data protection, resilience and the "Assume Breach" approach to security

Talk

Jemma Davis

DECID:R

International speaker, DECID:R co-founder, and cyber security leader, Jemma translates complex security and resilience concepts into actionable insights. She focuses on human-centric security, empowering leaders to communicate, decide, and perform under pressure.

Talk

Lucy Smith

DECID:R

Founder of Inclusive Change and DECID:R, Lucy blends international law enforcement experience with neuro-inclusive leadership. She provides evidence-based tools to challenge conventional thinking on workplace resilience, transformation, and organisational culture.

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Brian Lewis

Origin8tive

Brian has 30 years of experience in the test profession, working with safety critical systems such as Heart Lung bypass equipment to Air Traffic Control. The past 15 years has been in Security and Cyber.  

Talk

Hollie Wakefield

CyNam

With a diverse background spanning global financial markets, cyber security, and emerging technologies, Hollie champions the power of collective ambition to address some of society’s most complex challenges.

Talk

Juan Serna

Auvik Networks Inc

Juan is a Channel Account Manager at Auvik with extensive experience helping managed service providers and IT teams address today’s most pressing operational challenges.

Talk

Lee Dzendrowski

Fortem IT

With over 18 years of experience in the IT industry, Lee is a Solutions Director at Fortem IT, a leading provider of innovative and disruptive solutions that empower businesses.

How do I get more prize draw tickets?

Get involved in things such as our free VIP cider tours, visit our vendor stands, enjoy our networking spaces, ask a question during talks, and more!

Entertainment

Asteria's Playground

Circus Performance

To re-energise and delight before the evening kicks off, we have invited Bristol based circus performers Asteria's Playground. Catch their on-stage show at 17:15, then look out for roaming performers through the food break from 17:45.

Keynote Speaker

Jamie Bartlett

Author

Author of five books, including Sunday Times bestseller How to Talk to AI (2026).

Creator of The Missing Cryptoqueen, which exposed the biggest cryptocurrency scandal in history.

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