Heather is Principal Cyber Specialist for the ICO and has over 25 years’ experience in IT, Cyber Security and Information Governance. She is passionate about highlighting the importance of cyber security in safeguarding our communities, and ensuring user-centric principles are incorporated into policy and decision making.

Prior to her current role, Heather was Cyber Policy Lead for the DfE. As a founding member of Education Data Hub, Heather designed and ran data protection and cyber services for schools, authoring freely available cyber guidance as part of a project she led for the NCSC.

She has led Cyber Security programmes for public organisations, local and central government, and is part of a number of national and international regulatory forums, steering groups, and advisory boards, including the EMCRC and iCSS.

Heather has commissioned research into cyber security impacts and digital safeguarding, and she continues to support ongoing research in her role as Non-Executive Director of the Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACE-CSR) – University of Kent. She has authored numerous, published, peer-reviewed articles and whitepapers, focussing on digital security and safety for children, including work with 5Rights and the Digital Futures Commission.

Heather is a Fellow of the BCS, holds a number of certifications, including Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE), Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/E) Certified Information Privacy Manager, and is an active member of the IEEE, IAPP and IRMS.