Former MI5 Director to open IP EXPO Manchester 2016

IP EXPO Manchester, part of Europe’s number one enterprise IT event series, has announced that Dame Stella Rimington, former Director General of MI5 and the real-life inspiration for ‘M’ in the James Bond series, will be the opening keynote speaker at this year’s event.

Taking place on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 May at Manchester Central, Dame Stella will open the free to attend event. In a world of state sponsored cyber-attacks and ferocious debate around our privacy this is a rare opportunity to hear from a pioneer in the world of the secret service

Bradley Maule-ffinch, Director of Strategy for IP EXPO Manchester, says:

“With impending legislation like the Investigatory Powers Bill hitting the news, plus new challenges the global technology industry now faces, such as Apple’s digital privacy battle with the FBI, state security versus the right to privacy is once again at the top of the national agenda. We are delighted to welcome Dame Stella Rimington to IP EXPO Manchester 2016, to share her insights.”

Dame Stella was appointed Director General of the MI5 in 1992, the first woman in history to take the post and the first Director General to be publicly named. She began her career with the British Secret Service as a Security Service employee in New Delhi, and has since held positions including Non-Executive Director of Marks and Spencer Plc and BG Group Plc, Associate Director of CPS and Chairman of the Institute of Cancer Research.

Renowned for her illustrious career with MI5, Dame Stella is recognised by millions as the inspiration for Dame Judi Dench’s portrayal of “M” in the James Bond series as the first female Director General of MI5 and the first to be publicly named.

New for 2016, IP EXPO Manchester is encompassing six events under one roof, covering all key aspects of enterprise technology, including Cloud and Infrastructure, Cyber Security, Data Centre, Data Analytics, DevOps and Unified Communications. Other speakers of note include James Akrigg, Head of Technology for Partners at Microsoft Ltd, Amazon Web Services technical evangelist Ian Massingham, and leading UK tech personality Dr Sue Black OBE.

[su_button url=”http://www.ipexpomanchester.com/” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#df2027″ color=”#ffffff” size=”10″ radius=”0″ icon=”icon: arrow-circle-right”]Click here for further information and to register for free at IP Expo Manchester[/su_button]