13 November 2019 – London, UK – Crossword Cybersecurity Plc (AIM:CCS, “Crossword”, the “Company” or the “Group”), the technology commercialisation company focused solely on cyber security and risk is delighted that Tom Ilube CBE, CEO of the Company, has today been announced as part of the #IB100 – a list of the top 100 most influential black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) leaders in the Tech Sector. Now in its second year, the list has been produced by board appointments firm Inclusive Boards in partnership with the Financial Times.
The list will be published online, and in print in the UK and Europe as part of an FT special report into Diversity in Tech. In 2018, Inclusive Boards research found that 74.5% of Boards in the tech sector had no BAME members and that BAME people made up just 8.5% of senior leaders (Directors and Executives) in the sector.
As part of their Inclusive Tech Alliance (ITA) campaign, Inclusive Boards is calling on tech companies to implement inclusive working practices to fix the progression challenges currently facing BAME individuals from moving to senior leadership positions. This year’s #IB100 list showcases role models to encourage and inspire tech’s future BAME senior leaders.
Elizabeth Oni-Iyiola, Development Director at Inclusive Boards, said:
‘Technology is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the UK and beyond. It’s crucial that as these sectors expand so too does the level of representation within them. Tom Ilube and those featured today are groundbreakers, changemakers and role models within the industry and we are proud to include them in this year’s #IB100.’
Tom Ilube CBE, CEO of Crossword Cybersecurity plc said:
‘It is an honour to find myself part of the #IB100 list. Inclusivity and diversity are crucial ingredients to the success of boardrooms and as business leaders we must do all we can to continue promoting the benefits across all industries, not just technology.’
Those featured in the list include the most influential leaders from tech companies such as DeepMind, Google, IBM, Larsen & Toubro Infotech, Microsoft, Monzo, Rolls-Royce, Twitter and Seedcamp.
Notes:
Inclusive Boards is the UK’s leading executive search agency, specialising in attracting high calibre diverse talent through their network of over 60,000 senior professionals. The services include Executive Search, Advisory and Training, Leadership Programmes and Conferences. Inclusive Boards operate across sectors including sport, social investment, third and private sectors. Inclusive Boards’ cutting-edge research has been featured in the Independent, Guardian, Daily Mail and others.
The Inclusive Tech Alliance (ITA) is an initiative developed by Inclusive Boards. Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) is a part of who we are and not simply an added value. The Inclusive Tech Alliance is a laser-focused initiative to bring more diversity to the UK tech sector with over 30 members.
About Crossword Cybersecurity plc
Crossword Cybersecurity plc focuses on the development and commercialisation of university research-based cyber security related software and cyber security consulting. The Group’s specialist cyber security product development and software engineering teams work with its university partners to develop the research concept into a fully-fledged commercial product that it will then take to market. The Group’s aim is to build up a portfolio of revenue generating, intellectual property based, cyber security products. Rizikon Assurance, Crossword’s leading product, is a SaaS platform that enables medium to large companies to assess the cyber maturity and GDPR readiness of their suppliers. Crossword’s team of expert cyber security consultants leverages years of experience in national security, defence and commercial cyber intelligence and operations to provide bespoke advice tailored to its clients’ business needs.
Contacts
Crossword Cybersecurity plc – Tel: +44 (0) 20 3953 8460
Email: info@crosswordcybersecurity.com
Tom Ilube, Chief Executive Officer
Mary Dowd, Finance Director
Grant Thornton (Nominated Adviser) – Tel: +44 (0) 20 7383 5100
Colin Aaronson / Jamie Barklem /Niall McDonald
Hybridan LLP (Broker) – Tel: +44 (0)203 764 2341
Claire Louise Noyce
For media enquiries contact:
Lorena Duke, GingerPR
lorena@gingerpr.co.uk, 01932 485 300