With the opening of a new office in Belfast, a Japanese cyber security firm will create ten new jobs.
Nihon Cyber Defence (NCD), a Japan-based technology company, has also announced the appointment of two highly experienced cyber security professionals to senior management positions.
Dougie Grant, a former senior PSNI, and National Cyber Security Centre officer is the company's Managing Director in Europe. Dougie was previously in charge of developing the Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) law enforcement cyber capability on a local and national level, as well as working with the law enforcement cyber community.
Professor Ciaran Martin, the former CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), will also join the company's board of directors in Japan. He is currently Professor of Practice at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford.
NCD, headquartered in Tokyo, offers cyber defense solutions, services, and support to governments, businesses, and public sector organizations to proactively identify and protect them from all types of cyberattacks intended to cause financial, political, or social disruption.
In response to the exponential growth of cyber threats, NCD intends to hire up to ten core staff members in Belfast over the next year to work with UK and Ireland customers and support its existing operations in Japan and other regional Asia-Pacific hubs.
Through its CEO Cartan McLaughlin, who is originally from Northern Ireland, NCD already has a strong connection with Belfast. Mr. McLaughlin stated,
"The establishment of a Nihon Cyber Defence office in Belfast has always been a long-term goal for us, and it's exciting to see this come to fruition with the appointment of an outstanding local management team."
“With this experienced and capable team, we will be able to build a safe and secure environment for our local and national businesses and industry.
“Belfast joins our head office in Tokyo and will lead NCD’s global incident management and response capability.”
Professor Ciaran Martin added that he is “delighted” to be working with the team at Nihon Cyber Defence in Tokyo.
“We continue to see the devastating impact of cyber-attacks globally, but we recognize that early preparation is key if we are to respond effectively,” he said.
“NCD is at the forefront of this capability delivering their expertise to the Japanese market and further afield.”
Dougie Grant said that NCD will be expanding “rapidly” protecting all sectors across the UK and Ireland and supporting the global operations.
“Being based in Belfast ensures we can recruit talent locally, developing the local partnerships and support industry and infrastructure across Northern Ireland,” he said.
NCD in Belfast will concentrate its assistance in the legal, accounting, critical infrastructure, and specialized sectors, offering proactive cyber services, network monitoring, and incident management capabilities to help organizations prepare for and respond to increasingly complex cyber risks and threats.
