In Episode 29, we turn on another National Ambassador, Baseel Group. Mandy Haeburn-Little is joined by the dynamic husband-and-wife team that is the driving force behind Baseel. Paresh Deshmukh is the Group CEO, while Poorva Deshmukh is the Group Managing Director.

Baseel is familiar to the CRC network; they have been working with multiple centres as Cyber Essentials Partners, but, in line with their global operation and ambitions, they have become National Ambassadors of the National Cyber Resilience Centre Group. During the conversation, they explained the global nature of the business and how they use specialist partners with particular areas of expertise, which enables them to offer multiple high-quality services and solutions to all customers, regardless of their requirements.

They also explain their appetite for innovation and development, which keeps Baseel at the forefront of technology. Paresh teases listeners by sharing a few of the products in development, such as a Happiness and well-being platform and another to provide end-to-end funding solutions for businesses of all sizes.

Paresh and Poorva also share their reasons for becoming National Ambassadors and their wish to be involved in various workstreams and the Cyber PATH programme, which aligns perfectly with their global Intern Programme. It is clear from the conversation that Baseel has solid values and a desire to give back to the business community. Both Paresh and Poovra speak with passion about the Baseel 'family' and what they are doing to give back to the business community and their charitable work through the Maulee Foundation, an organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable development and improving the lives of marginalised communities around the world.

Once again, it is an open and passionate discussion led by Mandy that reveals the genuine and core values on which Baseel Group is founded.

In episode 28, Mandy Haeburn-Little is joined by Karen Blake, CEO of Tech Talent Charter, and Caroline Turner, Founder and CEO of Creased Puddle. Karen's mission with Tech Talent Charter is to drive inclusion and diversity across the tech ecosystem. She discusses the need to equip organisations with practical insights to make a real difference and encourage senior-level buy-in. She highlights that this starts with recognising why data is essential, understanding how to interpret it, and what to do with it. Karen also shares her thoughts on how we ensure we're not working within a system that is set up for neurodiverse people to fail.

Caroline Turner's reasons for launching Creased Puddle were based on personal experience. She is an ex-police officer whose son was diagnosed as neurodivergent. In her quest for information, she discovered there was a lack of quality guidance and support, and any that was available focused on a deficit narrative, which she believes only tells half the story. This, and her drive to improve the understanding and neurodivergence within the criminal justice system led her to start the company. She outlines why it's essential to work with companies to identify their specific requirements and then deliver training that meets these needs.

It's a compelling episode that celebrates the progress that has been made in recent years. However, both guests are quick to highlight what still needs to happen if we are to tap into the opportunities of embracing a neurodivergent workforce. Both are not only passionate but also highly knowledgeable on the topic, which makes it an engaging, interesting, and worthwhile episode.

In episode 27, we return to our National Ambassador Focus to introduce our latest National Ambassador, Resilience. On the podcast, Mandy Haeburn-Little is joined by four senior members of the Resilience team: Si West, Director, Customer Engagement; Rehan Hussain, Head of Underwriting, International; Jack Jenner, International Head of Distribution & Strategy; and Tom Egglestone, Global Head of Claims.

Si West opens the conversation by stating Resilience's mission is to make businesses cyber resilient to material losses. He goes on to explain that they do this by helping companies assess, measure, and manage cyber risk by connecting risk quantification software, in-house cybersecurity expertise, and insurance into a single solution. This enables continuous improvement and clear alignment across risk, therefore improving cyber security and financial leadership by translating security threats and controls into actionable financial prioritisation.

The conversation among the team explores a number of facets that make Resilience's offering unique and innovative. During the chat, they discuss how they assist clients in communicating in a financial language that resonates with the Board, something they believe is essential if adequate cyber budgets are to be maintained. They ably explain why "Being able to quantify risk is a game changer".

They also discuss how they are bringing a risk management culture to cyber and how they build rapport, starting with their innovative onboarding approach for new clients.

It's an interesting discussion that covers a wide range of topics related to the business and its products, such as the Risk Profile Builder and the Breach Attack Simulation tools. It also provides some interesting insights into the variances of risk across different countries and how they adapt to the nuances of local markets.