As the storm clouds of World War Two gathered over Britain, brilliant minds worked tirelessly at Bletchley Park to break the German Engima ciphers. The secret intelligence unravelled by codebreakers such as Alan Turing and Donald Michie was vital to the war effort and is thought to have shortened the conflict by years.

Bletchley Park became the home not only of British codebreaking, but the birthplace of modern information technology. Its extraordinary legacy still impacts on us today and resonates through the work of cyber security experts.

Join us at this public lecture, given by Robert Hannigan CMG, exploring the link between the work of the code breakers at Bletchley Park and modern tech companies currently working in cyber security. You will have the opportunity to ask questions during the Q&A session at the end of the lecture.

Refreshments will be served from 17:00, the talk will begin at 17:30. You are welcome to stay for a drinks reception afterwards.

This lecture will be held in The Hub at Kellogg College, Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 6PN.

This lecture is part of Kellogg College’s annual programme of events celebrating a partnership between Oxford and Bletchley Park. Find out more and join the conversation #codekellogg

Speaker Bio:

Robert Hannigan is European Executive Chairman of BlueVoyant, a global cyber security services company. He was Director of GCHQ, the UK’s largest intelligence and cyber security agency, from 2014-17, when he left Government after 20 years in national security roles, including Prime Minister’s Security Adviser.

Robert established the UK National Cyber Security Centre in 2016, having been responsible for the UK’s first cyber strategy in 2009. He also was responsible for delivering the National Offensive Cyber Programme. Robert is a leading authority on cyber security, cyber conflict and the application of technology in national security and writes regularly on cyber issues in the Financial Times, Washington Post and elsewhere. He has written recently on global IT supply chain integrity, US tech companies and privacy, and encryption policy.

He is a Senior Fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center, the UK’s Institute of Engineering and Technology, and the Royal United Services Institute, and an Honorary Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford. He has a particular interest in the history of cryptology and computing and is a Trustee of Bletchley Park.

Please note:
This lecture will be photographed and filmed. If you do not wish to appear in the photographs or footage, please let the photographer and/or videographer know. Should you have any further queries, please contact communications@kellogg.ox.ac.uk