Cybersecurity Expert Sarah Armstrong-Smith Partners With Champions Speakers

One of the world’s leading and most respected voices on cybersecurity and crisis leadership has signed exclusively with the UK’s best speakers agency. Sarah Armstrong-Smith is a leading light within the cybersecurity industry, where she is best known as previously working as the Chief Security Advisor at Microsoft.

Sarah has also occupied numerous other high-profile roles throughout an illustrious career, including being the Group Head of Business Resilience and Crisis Management at The London Stock Exchange Group, and the Head of Continuity and Resilience  at Fujitsu.

In 2020, Sarah was selected to become the Chief Security Advisor in Microsoft’s Europe sector, a role which allowed her to work with the largest enterprises across Europe, to develop digital transformation and cloud adoption.

Sarah’s professionalism has been recognised widely. She’s previously been named in the Top 30 Female Cybersecurity Leaders by SC Media, and she has also been recognised by ComputerWeekly as one of UK’s Most Influential Tech Leaders.

Now, in an exciting new collaboration with Champions Speakers, she will share her specialist knowledge and experiences at events in the UK and internationally.

Commenting on this role Sarah said: “I’m looking forward to bringing real-world insights and hard-earned lessons that goes beyond theory, to help audiences understand what is truly at stake, with compelling stories and practical insights.

“My goal is to ignite a sense of urgency and possibility in every audience, inspiring them to see cybersecurity not just as a technical challenge, but as a shared business responsibility and opportunity for innovation and growth.”

Asked what people can expect from talks she added: “Dynamic, engaging and tailored presentations which will demystify cybersecurity and empower audiences. I hope they listen and then take steps towards building effective resilience, providing a catalyst for proactive change.”

Sarah says one of the most frustrating phrases she sees used in her field, and which she will challenge, are those who talk about “wake up calls” when describing cyberattacks.

She added: “One of the key questions I will be asking in my talks is how many wake-up calls will it take to finally break the cycle? It’s vital to remember that lasting change only happens when we challenge misconceptions, take deliberate and decisive action and commit to deliver top-down change.”

Sarah’s work in the field of cybersecurity and crisis leadership is unrivalled. She’s helped to lead responses on multiple major incidents, including the Millennium Bug, and Global Pandemic.

These high profile roles have earned her a reputation for learning on the job throughout the most difficult scenarios.

In 2022, she released her debut book ‘Effective Crisis Management’. Using real-world examples of what may go wrong, the book grasps the factors at play in directing a successful crisis response. In 2024 she published Amazon No.1 best seller ‘Understand the Cyber Attacker Mindset’, which explores the psychology of cyberwarfare and how organisations can defend against cyberattacks.

Her commitment to the industry has earned her the recognition of being named a ‘Distinguished Speaker’ by Microsoft, whilst also becoming one of the Most Influential and Inspiring Women in UK Tech and Cyber Security. Most recently, in 2025, Sarah became a member of the UK Government Cyber Advisory Board. Bringing depth and experience across multiple fields to improve policy making, accountability and resilience to cyber events.

Jack Hayes, director of Champions Speakers, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Sarah to Champions Speakers. Sarah is already rightly regarded as one of the most authoritative voices in the world on cybersecurity, and in 2025 was voted the official No.1 Cyber Security Speaker in the UK, so her keynotes will be hugely influential and help to drive change and educate businesses. In 2025, having the very best advice to deal with cybersecurity is vital and no one is better placed in the world than Sarah to provide it.”

Sarah will also be represented by The Cyber Security Agency, the UK’s first and only business dedicated to world leading experts and thought leaders in Cyber Security, privacy and data sovereignty.