On the morning of 23rd February, we were delighted to welcome over 80 members and guests to The Ivy Montpellier, for our first in-person event of 2022.
The room was buzzing with new connections being made and old relationships being rekindled. Not only was the breakfast delicious but we had an insightful update from Reid Derby, Director of Strategy at Cyber Cheltenham, on the current process of the Golden Valley Development. This project is one of the largest to come to Cheltenham since GCHQ relocated to its current site.
The Chamber is working with Reid and his colleagues to ensure that we encourage ‘buying local’ and engaging and supporting the local community. Reid shared with us some of the context behind the cyber and tech developments across Cheltenham. He gave us an insight into what has been happening over the last few years in the cyber tech community in our region and the value proposition and opportunities that will become available as a part of the Golden Valley Development.
“Gloucestershire is a top location for cyber-related businesses compared to those outside London. We in Cheltenham have 11 times the density of cyber businesses compared to the national average. This is why we plan to build the UK’s most intelligent garden community because we have a mission to create compelling, integrated development of work, rest and play. ”
Our very own Cyber Executive, Jason Kalwa of Salus Cyber, believes Golden Valley is good news for the future of his business.
“This development further solidifies Cheltenham’s position as the cyber hub of the UK. It will allow large and small businesses alike to innovate, collaborate and recruit the next generation of UK cyber consultants through both academia and apprenticeships. There are exciting times ahead that Salus Cyber is proud to be part of. As a local SME, the benefits and facilities coming to the region will be fantastic, especially as a business that wants to recruit locally – all our consultants are currently based in Cheltenham.”
We look forward to seeing further developments in the not too distant future.
