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Richard Bach Joins the Alperovitch Institute as Visiting Scholar

The Alperovitch Institute is delighted to welcome Richard Bach as a distinguished Visiting Scholar during the 2022/2023 academic year.

Mr. Bach has spent over 30 years in the United Kingdom’s national security community in an extensive range of operational and technical roles, and in international relations. He also served in a policymaking capacity in the Government’s Digital Economy Unit as Assistant Director for Cybersecurity, where his focus was on delivering initiatives at scale within the UK’s Cyber Security Strategy. 

“For years Richard Bach has been an inspiration for my work,” said Dr. Thomas Rid, Professor of Strategic Studies and Founding Director of the Alperovitch Institute. “When he speaks, I listen. When he expresses doubt, I look at the delete button.”

At the Institute Richard is working on a paper on the concept and evolution of integrity attacks.

Richard Bach at a LABScon event in Arizona with Institute colleagues, September 2022

Biography
Richard Bach has spent over 30 years in the UK’s national security community in an extensive range of operational and technical roles, and in international relations. Since 2010 his focus has been on cyber security in both the public and private sectors. 

Richard’s operational activities included the leadership of complex, multi-agency operations in the UK and with overseas partners to counter strategic threats and international terrorism. In the Government’s cyber security mission Richard developed the UK’s first active cyber defense initiative to protect high value information assets and Critical National Infrastructure systems from a range of online threats. He also served in a policymaking capacity in the Government’s Digital Economy Unit as Assistant Director for Cyber Security, where his focus was on delivering initiatives at scale within the UK’s Cyber Security Strategy. 

Among his previous activities Richard co-architected NATO’s Infosec Framework, and chaired the EU Council’s first Working Group on information security. He was also responsible for devising and implementing the government’s cyber defense posture for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  

Since leaving the public sector in 2016, Richard has co-founded, led and advised a number of tech/security startups. Currently he is a partner with Heligan Group, a UK investment bank which specializes in technology relating to national security, public safety and the detection and prevention of crime. He is also chairman of a defense and security scaleup. Richard has an MSc in computer and network security.