Can you tell me what the Golden Valley Development is?
The Golden Valley Development is the most exciting project that I have worked on to date. We are creating a new campus, a public-private platform for Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and the UK, that will be the country’s most intelligent garden city and community.
It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, giving us the chance to address some of the biggest challenges and opportunities of our age, such as climate change, COVID, hybrid working, emerging technology, the digital skills gap and the wellbeing of our communities.
The project will be a national asset for the UK. We have incredible resources in this region and it is time to bring these all together to create something world-class. It is a real pleasure and privilege to be part of the Golden Valley Development.
How would you describe Cyber Central UK?
When we started this project, it was about Cheltenham and wanting to serve our community. It's about creating an environment for people to flourish, especially our growing tech sectors. We have a very strong base in this region and we want to help grow our existing tech sector in Cheltenham by increasing the amount of innovation that happens. Cyber Central is where much of the innovation will happen on the campus. It will be the engine room for local, regional, and national growth in our sector and more.
This is about bringing together companies and organisations from across the public and private sectors, academia, startups and researchers; people and organisations that wouldn't ordinarily meet, to work together on shared challenges and opportunities and grow the economy in the process.
We will be focusing on challenges such as how to secure our critical national infrastructure as technology continues to evolve. We need to be able to respond to these obstacles and where better to do that than through the Golden Valley Development.
What is your role for the Golden Valley Development and Cyber Central UK?
I am a Strategic Advisor on Innovation and Technology for the project. I provide advice and guidance on cybersecurity and related technologies as a subject matter expert. I also do business development for the project, having a wide network of stakeholders in the cyber tech sector. I develop these and other relationships for the Golden Valley team and I also help to curate and activate the cyber tech ecosystem as we grow the project.
What will the Golden Valley Development deliver?
As well as creating new value that will lead to jobs and economic growth, the Golden Valley Development is about social outcomes. We aspire to help all the citizens of our region to flourish. The fact that it is a campus where people will live, work and hang out is really important but we need to make sure it meets the needs of our local communities as well as those that might wish to relocate to Cheltenham to be part of the Golden Valley Development.
We are looking to do all this in an environmentally sustainable way, whilst looking at how we can integrate both urban and rural environments and use digital technologies to put citizens in control. The Golden Valley Development needs to be fully sustainable because we only have one Earth. The project needs to serve the next generation and generations to come.
Here in Cheltenham, we have an opportunity to create thousands of homes that are among the most sustainable dwellings in the country. We will look at eco-friendly transport and this idea of Cheltenham as a 15-minute city.
Why is the Golden Valley Development needed?
We want to see our communities thrive by providing economic growth for the local area that is inclusive and sustainable. This will hopefully mean more jobs and more affordable homes in the area.
We have a lot of cyber tech companies in the region because of GCHQ’s long history in the area. We believe there is a great opportunity to develop this sector for high growth if we create the right environment. We must also think about the emerging technologies that are being developed, whether that is artificial intelligence, quantum technologies or biotech for example. Ultimately, we want to be ready for what is to come.
How will it support Cheltenham and the local economy?
I expect there will be a variety of staff needed during the construction of the Golden Valley Development site and for the organisations that will occupy the space.
We also want to be looking at the interplay with culture, placemaking and wellbeing as well as mobility and sustainability. There is an opportunity to work with the cultural sector in Cheltenham and the sort of juxtaposition between high technology and the creative arts that we haven’t seen before. We have great experience in Cheltenham as a festival town and by doing something truly distinctive, it will really help benefit the local economy as well as enrich people's lives.
What makes Cheltenham such a hotspot for cyber?
GCHQ came to the region back in the 1950s and that was probably one of the main catalysts for the growth of the cyber tech industry here in Cheltenham. Of course, now it is not just about GCHQ, the Government is one of the biggest investors in cyber in the country but there are so many other organisations that now use cybersecurity.
The Golden Valley Development will be designed for everybody, not just cyber tech companies; for citizens, small companies, large companies and all sectors of the economy including the third sector. As we live in a very high-tech society, we need to understand and integrate these technologies into the fabric of our lives and work in ways to enhance communities.
What do you think the future contains for the UK’s cyber sector?
Our lives are changing all the time. Who would have thought, two years ago, that we would all be using video services to call people around the world and that you would be able to get a job without having to live and work in that place? There has been such a rapid growth of technology such as smart devices, for example smartwatches and automation in the home from smart speakers to intelligent doorbells. We are seeing a sort of digitisation and automation of society and there are great benefits. However, there are also many challenges as we are relying on these devices to carry our data and we need to make sure we protect our citizens’ privacy and security.
There is a huge demand for cyber security products and services to support the growing technology base of the country and overseas. So, I think the critical national infrastructure is going to become even more important to make sure that the UK is the safest place to live and work. We are going to have to focus on how to make these things more resilient.
When we think about cyber security, often we think about the technology, but it is also about the people. That is as, if not more, important than the technology when we start thinking about the need for social science and the other sectors to help with security.
What are the problems currently and how will these be addressed?
We have a challenge finding enough people for the industry and especially encouraging more diversity in the sector. I think part of this is because STEM subjects at school are seen as a geeky thing that is not about people and creativity. Cyber security requires people from all walks of life with a variety of skills, experiences and training. We need to change the narrative.
I think that the Cyber First Girls Competition is an amazing initiative to help girls get into cyber security as a career. I also know that the Cheltenham Science Festival is planning some great things to engage young people in cyber and digital technologies.
How will the Golden Valley Development address the digital skills gap?
I think we talk too narrowly about skills and when we talk about STEM. We automatically think about Maths and Computer Science but actually, we need to broaden this out to include the arts, design and engineering. We need to be able to do the breadth across many disciplines and that is where true education comes.
There have been many creative things happening in our ecosystem through the likes of the Cyber First programme, the Cheltenham Education Partnership, the Cheltenham Science Festival, Gloucestershire College, UWE and the University of Gloucestershire. These organisations offer opportunities for young people such as cyber apprenticeships, work experience or bringing this learning to life.
It’s our duty and privilege to inspire the next generation and fuel their imaginations by connecting technology with people and society. This is about engaging students and young people with organisations such as CyNam, encouraging work experience in the sector and engaging younger demographics to help them understand the opportunities that are available to them on their doorstep. We have some incredible people and organisations here and they are really open to helping others. From the tech perspective, there is a real sense of common purpose and goal right here in Gloucestershire.
For those who have an interest in cyber, how can they get involved?
Events are a great way of finding out what's going on in the area. People can get involved with CyNam, which is the community cluster for cyber tech in Cheltenham and Gloucestershire.
For those interested in Cyber First, ask your teachers if they have heard about it and how they can get involved. There are many resources online if you are interested in finding out more about the industry and sector. If you are just getting involved in things like coding and hackathons, there are many online competitions to join such as capture the flag exercises and some of those are run physically in the region.
How can businesses be a part of the Golden Valley Development?
If you are interested in being an occupier or you have something distinctive that you want to bring, get in touch with us and we can chat.
The best thing to do is email us on our website to register your interest and we will get in touch. You can also sign up for the newsletter or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
What is next for the Development?
We are currently working toward a contract agreement with the preferred bidder, HBD X Factory and once that is complete, then the planning process will begin. In the meantime, we are doing more community engagement and continuing to develop proposition lines for maximising the Council’s objectives in terms of economic growth and social outcomes. There is lots of work happening behind the scenes at the moment, meaning that we have some very exciting times ahead.