Lancaster University and Templar Executives, a leading cyber security company, are joining forces to develop a unique new cyber programme aimed at executives.

This exciting new partnership combines the expertise of Lancaster University, one of the UK’s premier cyber security research and education universities and executive education providers, with that of Templar Executives, an award-winning international cyber security consultancy providing strategic advice and training to governments and commercial organisations across the globe. The partners aim to design and deliver an innovative Cyber Security MBA that will help drive business resilience and growth in local and global organisations.

Targeting business leaders and executives, the Cyber Security MBA programme, which launches in 2022, will be industry-focused with an emphasis on tackling and learning from real-world examples and cross disciplinary challenges.

Supporting government ambitions for the UK to be the ‘safest place to do business online’ in the world, the Cyber Security MBA will highlight the need to engrain cyber security throughout organisational culture and there will be a key focus on how cyber security can drive opportunities for business growth.

Cutting across academic disciplines, the programme will be taught by experts from Lancaster University’s School of Computing and Communications and Lancaster University Management School, as well as experts from Templar Executives.

Guided by the three pivotal principles of responsibility, sustainability, and inclusivity, the new MBA will cover key management areas ranging from digital innovation and entrepreneurship to regulation, law and governance, in addition to core cyber security technology concepts. The programme will equip students with the necessary language, tools and techniques to succeed in cyber security, business and management.

Professor Louise Heathwaite, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise at Lancaster University said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Templar Executives on this important initiative to train the next generation of business leaders to not only defend but also grow their businesses with opportunities provided through having robust cyber security. Our understanding of cyber security as an interdisciplinary, socio-technical challenge places Lancaster at the cutting edge of cyber education and research. This programme is a natural next step in extending our MBA, and to work with Templar Executives as a leading cyber consultancy, to tackle the most pressing cyber challenges – and opportunities - facing business this century.”

Andrew Fitzmaurice, CEO of Templar Executives, said: “This Cyber Security MBA is aimed at senior executives from all backgrounds and industry sectors to help ensure their cyber security posture provides a competitive advantage to their organisation.

“To achieve this, Lancaster University, one of the foremost cyber security universities in the UK, and Templar Executives, with its international leadership in cyber security, have combined their knowledge and skills to produce a ‘challenge-led’ MBA. This means that academics deliver alongside our highly experienced cyber security specialists who will provide realistic learning and practical steps to students on how best to make the cyber security agenda truly business enabling.”

The partnership aims to deliver both full and part-time versions of the MBA programme, with the part-time version launching in May 2022 and the full-time programme planned for launch in September 2022.

About Lancaster University

Lancaster is one of an influential group of UK universities, and the only one in North West England, to be triple-accredited for excellence in cyber security education and research. This includes National Cyber Security Centre recognition as a Gold Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education, having an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research and having its Cyber Security Master’s programme certified.

Lancaster has unique strengths in safe, secure, and resilient digital and cyber systems ranging from forensic and network security, cutting-edge research around trust, accountability and ownership of data through its Data Science Institute, to interdisciplinary research at the social and technical interface. We also assist businesses to defend, innovate and grow. Lancaster is the lead institution in the Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (CREST) - the multi-million ESRC-funded UK hub for behavioural and social science research into security threats.

Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) is one of the longest-established business schools in the UK and home to a thriving and truly international community. We welcome students and staff from more than 180 countries and have a presence in 24 countries, including campuses in China, Germany, Ghana and Malaysia. LUMS is ranked as the top business school in the UK for 'research power’ (REF2014), and our research projects and engagement initiatives challenge convention, push boundaries, and shape agendas.

Quadruple-accredited and world-ranked, Lancaster University Management School is an established community for cutting-edge knowledge. Our MBA is ranked 9^th in the UK and 96^th in the Financial Times MBA Global Rankings and 8^th in the UK and 66^th in the world The Economist Which MBA Full time MBA rankings, 2021. We challenge and support our creative staff, students and partners to realise their ambitions as they experience a transformational journey that leads to real impact on whole industries, societies and economies.

About Templar Executives

Templar Executives is an award-winning, international Cyber Security and Information Assurance consultancy. We are a British Crown Commercial Service Supplier and work with businesses, Government, academia, sector regulators and industry bodies delivering tangible business benefits through an expert portfolio of Cyber Security solutions including: building local and international Cyber Security capability; Strategy, Governance and Policy Review and Development; Security Risk Assessments and Audits; IT Health Checks; Penetration/Vulnerability Testing; Incident Response/Business Continuity; Cultural Transformation; Cyber-as-a-Service; CISO-as-a-Service. Products include BLADE, a global threat intelligence/analysis capability; The Templar, a ruggedised ‘data centre in a box’ and deployment of deception technologies.

The Templar Cyber Academy offers a market leading portfolio of virtual and personalised face to face training and education from the Board to security specialists and frontline staff. This includes National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Certified courses and e-Learning, as well as bespoke training and executive mentoring, delivered by accredited experts. We also work with the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) to support national capacity and capability building and the development of Cyber resilience in partner countries. To find out more about Templar Executives contact enquiries@templarexecs.com or visit our website www.templarexecs.com

For more information and to register your interest in the Cyber Security MBA programme email Dr Robyn Remke, co-Director of the Cyber Security MBA, r.remke@lancaster.ac.uk