KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Keynote 1: Beyond Digital Skills: Educating for Resilience in an AI-Enabled World
Dr. Ismini Vasileiou
Dr. Ismini Vasileiou (BSc (Hons), EdD, PFHEA, FBCS, FCIIS) is an Associate Professor at De Montfort University, United Kingdom, in the School of Computer Science and Informatics. She is also the Founder and Director of the East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster (EMCSC). Her research interests include organisational cyber security, cyber governance and resilience, social engineering, human factors in cyber security, cyber security education, digital skills, and workforce development.
Dr. Vasileiou has led and contributed to a range of nationally and regionally funded projects focusing on cyber resilience, digital skills, and cyber workforce development. She has published research and professional work in cyber security and technology-enhanced education and co-edited the book Cybersecurity Education for Awareness and Compliance. She is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Fellow of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Information Security.
In addition to her academic work, Dr. Vasileiou works closely with government, industry, and professional organisations to strengthen cyber security capacity and skills. She is a member of the UK Government’s Women in Tech Taskforce and has been involved in national policy discussions on cyber skills, workforce development, diversity, and digital resilience. Her work particularly emphasises collaboration between academia, industry, and government and the development of a diverse and resilient cyber workforce.
Keynote 2: Strategy for Sustainable Higher Education: From Institutional Ambition to Organisational Transformation
Dr. Assylbek Nurgabdeshov
Heriot-Watt University
https://www.hw.ac.uk/profiles/uk/school/ebs/faculty/assylbek-nurgabdeshov
Dr. Assylbek Nurgabdeshov (PhD in Strategic Management and International Business; MBA; BSc in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering) is an Assistant Professor of Strategy and Director of Strategy Postgraduate Programmes at Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, United Kingdom. He received his PhD from the University of Sheffield, his MBA from Istanbul Sehir University, and his undergraduate degree from Middle East Technical University. His main research interests include strategic human resource management, high-performance HR practices, international HRM, strategic agility, innovation strategy, knowledge transfer in multinational corporations, and the outsourcing and offshoring of research and development activities.
Dr. Nurgabdeshov has extensive academic and higher education leadership experience across the United Kingdom and Kazakhstan. Before joining Heriot-Watt University, he served in senior academic and administrative roles including Dean of the Business School at Suleyman Demirel University, Dean of the General Education Faculty at Almaty Management University, Research Professor and Founder and Director of the HR Research Center at Narxoz University, and Head of the Science and Innovation Sector at Kazakh British Technical University. His research has appeared in international journals including the Journal of Business Research, Studies in Higher Education, and The International Journal of Human Resource Management. His recent work also addresses strategy formation and management in higher education institutions, particularly in rapidly changing and uncertain environments.