On Wednesday 21st October (5.30pm – 8.30pm) the Centre for the New Midlands, in partnership with Talent Today, will be heading to Birmingham for the next of our roundtable dinners. This invitation only dinner is taking place during Birmingham Tech Week and will welcome Scott Thorpe (Director, Cyber Operations at Barclays) and Tejal Kaur (Fraud And Identity SME, Feedzai) as our guest speakers for the evening.

About the dinner:

AI is transforming how organisations operate, innovate, and compete. At the same time, it is creating new challenges for leaders responsible for managing risk, maintaining trust, and ensuring their organisations can adapt in an increasingly unpredictable environment. Cyber resilience is no longer solely a technology issue—it is a business issue. From AI-enabled cyber threats and fraud to evolving regulatory expectations and growing dependence on digital systems, organisations are being required to make decisions faster and with greater uncertainty than ever before.

Over a 3 course meal at Marco Pierre White’s Steakhouse Bar and Grill, both Scott and Tejal will share insights from the front line of cyber operations and digital trust, exploring what organisations are seeing today, how leaders are responding in practice, and what capabilities businesses need to build to remain resilient in the years ahead. The discussion will focus on the real-world challenges facing organisations across sectors, examining how senior leaders can balance innovation with security, strengthen organisational resilience, and foster a culture that enables growth while protecting customers, employees, and stakeholders.

This event is aimed at CTOs, CIOs and Directors of IT who are based within the Midlands region. Priority invitations will be issued to members of the Centre’s Reimagining the Region network.  Invitations will be sent to partners in August.

Discussion Points:
• How AI is changing the cyber risk landscape and what organisations are experiencing in practice.
• The emerging threats and vulnerabilities leaders should be paying attention to now.
• How organisations are moving beyond prevention to build resilience and adaptability.
• What boards and executive teams are discussing when it comes to cyber risk, AI, and organisational trust.
• Lessons from responding to incidents, disruption, and rapidly evolving threats.
• How organisations can embrace innovation while maintaining security, trust, and accountability.
• The role of leadership in building resilient organisations prepared for uncertainty.
• What the future of cyber resilience means for business strategy, reputation, and competitive advantage.

The evening will commence with a Drinks reception on the Terrace from 5.30pm, with the dinner itself starting promptly at 6.15pm. The event will formally close at 8.30pm, with guests invited to stay for further networking in one of Birmingham’s finest venues.

Invitations will be sent to our partners in August – if you wish to express an interest in attending, please email events@thenewmidlands.org.uk

(Please note that priority on invitations will be for members of our Reimagining the Region network – if you and your organisation are not yet members, please click here for more information on how to join)