NCC Group and GCHQ convene second annual North West cyber growth roundtable

NCC Group and GCHQ yesterday convened senior leaders from across government, industry and academia for the second annual North West Cyber Growth Roundtable in Manchester, bringing together a powerful coalition committed to accelerating the region’s role as one of the UK’s most important cyber security clusters. 

One year on from the inaugural roundtable held ahead of CYBERUK 2025, leaders reconvened to take stock of progress against the North West Cyber Pledge 2030, assess what has changed in practice, and agree the priority actions needed to sustain momentum. The discussion also explored how the region can capitalise on major national policy initiatives, including the forthcoming National Cyber Action Plan, as the North West continues to be recognised as the UK’s fastest growing cyber security cluster.

Alongside NCC Group’s Chris Brown, the discussion was led by the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security, Professor Danielle George, and Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, reflecting the importance of cyber security to the region’s economic growth, skills agenda and long‑term resilience. 

The roundtable brought together a broad mix of voices, including senior leaders from NCC Group, GCHQ, the National Cyber Security Centre, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, DSIT and the Cabinet Office, alongside representatives from leading universities, regional cyber clusters and industry partners such as Lancaster University, techUK and PZ Cussons - reinforcing the strength of collaboration across the ecosystem. 

Agreed priorities and actions from the roundtable included: 

• Owning delivery of national priorities at a regional level: agreeing where the North West can lead delivery of specific elements of the National Cyber Action Plan, particularly across resilience, skills and innovation. 
• Scaling flexible cyber career pathways: committing to expand apprenticeships, career change routes and employer led training models to address long term skills shortages. 
• Using national assets to accelerate growth: better leveraging the presence of GCHQ, the Digital Campus and the National Cyber Force to attract investment, research and international collaboration. 
• Locking in accountability: agreeing shared outcomes and individual commitments to ensure measurable progress before the group reconvenes next year. 

Chris Brown, SVP UK Market Lead commented: “The North West has moved decisively from ambition to action over the past year. What sets this ecosystem apart is not just its pace of growth, but the willingness of leaders across government, industry and academia to collaborate and take responsibility for delivery. With the National Cyber Action Plan imminent, we now have a real opportunity to turn national ambition into regional impact and ensure the North West continues to lead by example.”