About

On Wednesday 21st October (5.30pm – 8.30pm) the Centre for the New Midlands, in partnership with Talent Today, will be heading to Birmingham for the next of our roundtable dinners. This invitation only dinner is taking place during Birmingham Tech Week and will welcome Scott Thorpe (Director, Cyber Operations at Barclays) and Tejal Kaur (Fraud And Identity SME, Feedzai) as our guest speakers for the evening.

About the dinner:

AI is transforming how organisations operate, innovate, and compete. At the same time, it is creating new challenges for leaders responsible for managing risk, maintaining trust, and ensuring their organisations can adapt in an increasingly unpredictable environment. Cyber resilience is no longer solely a technology issue—it is a business issue. From AI-enabled cyber threats and fraud to evolving regulatory expectations and growing dependence on digital systems, organisations are being required to make decisions faster and with greater uncertainty than ever before.

Over a 3 course meal at The Ivy, Birmingham, both Scott and Tejal will share insights from the front line of cyber operations and digital trust, exploring what organisations are seeing today, how leaders are responding in practice, and what capabilities businesses need to build to remain resilient in the years ahead. The discussion will focus on the real-world challenges facing organisations across sectors, examining how senior leaders can balance innovation with security, strengthen organisational resilience, and foster a culture that enables growth while protecting customers, employees, and stakeholders.

This event is aimed at CTOs, CIOs and Directors of IT who are based within the Midlands region. Priority invitations will be issued to members of the Centre’s Reimagining the Region network.

Discussion Points
• How AI is changing the cyber risk landscape and what organisations are experiencing in practice.
• The emerging threats and vulnerabilities leaders should be paying attention to now.
• How organisations are moving beyond prevention to build resilience and adaptability.
• What boards and executive teams are discussing when it comes to cyber risk, AI, and organisational trust.
• Lessons from responding to incidents, disruption, and rapidly evolving threats.
• How organisations can embrace innovation while maintaining security, trust, and accountability.
• The role of leadership in building resilient organisations prepared for uncertainty.
• What the future of cyber resilience means for business strategy, reputation, and competitive advantage.

The evening will commence with a Drinks reception from 5.30pm, with the dinner itself starting promptly at 6.15pm. The event will formally close at 8.30pm, with guests invited to stay for further networking in one of Birmingham’s finest venues.

Date

Wednesday 21 October 2026 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (UTC+01)

Location

Get directions

The Ivy
67-71 Temple Row, Birmingham, West Midlands B2 5LS

Contact Event Organiser

Objectives of the dinner:

One of our guiding principles is to be the place where people come to 'debate, shape and create' a better region and roundtables play a key role in bringing people together to think about what needs to happen to create the thriving region that we all want to see.

We intend to produce a short write up of the conversations, however will not attribute any remarks to attendees.  The purpose of the report is to provide an overview of the discussions, rather than who said what.  Please note that we will also have a photographer for the event, however please do let us know if you would prefer for your image not to be used inany subsequent materials produced by the Centre for the New Midlands.

This event has been made possible thanks to our generous sponsors:

Talent Today is a specialist IT recruitment consultancy delivering carefully assessed contractor talent across project delivery, software development, cloud and cybersecurity.

With an extensive IT network and solid industry insight, we provide curated video shortlists within 24 hours, helping businesses quickly identify the right professionals for urgent project demands.

Our contractors drive critical initiatives forward, enabling our clients to maintain momentum and deliver objectives with confidence.

About our venue - The Ivy, Birmingham

Located in the heart of Birmingham’s bustling city centre, The Ivy Temple Row offers sophisticated dining overlooking the stunning St. Philip’s Cathedral. This restaurant is located near the financial district, making it ideal for business lunches or leisurely dinners.

For this roundtable, our guests will be served a three course meal.  Please confirm your menu choices at the registration page and provide any dietary requirements that you may have.