The Cyber Resilience Centre for Wales (WCRC) is delighted to announce its newest member to its board line-up – Robert Howell, who is Head of IT at Monmouthshire Building Society.

Robert strengthens even further the centre’s already distinguished board bringing his insight and knowledge of the digital arena. Having been with the Society since 2000 when he joined as an IT Support Technician, he moved up the ranks to become Head of IT in 2017 where he has led on numerous online projects that has seen great improvements and overall positive change for the organisation.

Commenting on his new role with the Wales Cyber Resilience Centre, Robert said: “I’m delighted to be able to represent the Society on the board of the Cyber Resilience Centre for Wales. As a small organisation operating in the financial services sector, we have gone through a lot of challenges around building our digital capability, whilst maintaining the highest level of cyber security.

“We’ve learned many lessons on our journey, and will no doubt learn many more as we evolve our digital strategy and infrastructure across the organisation. This is a great opportunity for Wales to build a community of experts dedicated to cyber security, who can share advice and resources with others, and the Society is proud to be a member.”

Detective Superintendent Paul Peters, Director of the WCRC, said: “Welcoming Robert to our board is a real coup for us. His experience in the cyber field and his understanding of the digital world we all now operate in will be a huge credit to us as we develop the centre even further in regards to our services and how we can continue to support our members. We work hard at staying at the forefront of cyber security and by having the opportunity to work with someone of Robert’s calibre significantly strengthens our position.”

The WCRC offers a range of membership options depending on what level of support businesses need. Free Core membership provides businesses with access to a range of resources and tools to help them identify risks and vulnerabilities, as well as providing guidance on the steps they can take to increase their levels of protection.

For more information on the Cyber Resilience Centre for Wales, its services and membership options, please visit www.wcrcentre.co.uk. To keep updated with all the latest WCRC developments follow the centre on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

ENDS

Notes to Editor

• 43% of small businesses have been targeted by cyber criminals - the WCRC makes it much harder for the cyber criminals to succeed 
• The annual cost of cyber-attacks on small businesses is thought to be £4.5billion. WCRC core membership provides tips and guidance to improve cyber resilience. 
• 55% of businesses hold customers personal data electronically. The WCRC vulnerability report service helps identify potential weaknesses and vulnerabilities in companies’ websites that could lead to a cyber-attack. 
• The WCRC Trusted Partners can help organisations achieve the Cyber Essentials certification to guard against the most common cyber threats and helps to demonstrate their commitment to cyber resilience for their customers and staff.  
• WCRC offers an affordable range of cyber security services that are designed to help businesses identify their vulnerabilities, asses current plans and policies and work with their teams to build their cyber awareness.