A tour of KPMG for student finalists

Our Corporate Sponsor, KPMG, put on a grand tour and event package for one of the finalist teams of the 2023 UK Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge. This included a personalised tour of the office in Canary Wharf, right from the basement gym and music practice room, through to the state-of-the-art conference venues and media production studios, to the cyber team’s offices. This really was a comprehensive tour of the venue that one would normally only expect as a new staff member’s induction.

The students were able to speak directly with recent hires of the cyber team over a coffee, including a former winner of the UK Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge now working at KPMG, hearing about their journey and the hiring process, as well as the highlights of their jobs so far. The culmination of the day was a lunch in the Partner’s Lounge with Matthew Martindale, Cyber Security in Financial Services partner at KPMG and Matt Roach, Head of I-4 and UK Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge judge.

Here again, the students were able to ask the partner questions about the strategic direction of cyber at KPMG. They discussed the evolution of the job market over the 20 plus years that the partner has worked in cyber. It was insightful and inspiring to hear about the great care taken at all stages of the application processes at KPMG.

At the UK Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge, we are once again blown away by the support from our supporters from across industry and government. Through their presence at the Cyber 9/12 Finals event and this visit and access to a senior partner, KPMG has provided a unique experience for students embarking on their careers in cyber. It is wonderful to see students from the competition now working at KPMG, after being recruited following a connection made at the competition.

We and our supporters, such as KPMG, continue to be amazed by the calibre of students participating in the competition. With one KPMG staff member calling the work of UK Cyber 9/12 ‘a recruiter’s dream.’ As the UK competition concludes its sixth year, we are really seeing the career outcomes come to life. Our organising team has a substantial number of former competitors and students are discovering new career paths in cyber.

One such example is Grace, winner of the 2022 competition and Cyber Incident Response Analyst at KPMG. She spoke with the current students about her experience moving into a graduate role following the competition. Find out more about technology & engineering roles at KPMG.

Teddy Humphrey, from the 2023 runners up, reflected on his visit. “One particularly memorable event from our trip to KPMG, was the productive conversation we had with recent graduates and ex-cyber 9/12 competitors. They were able to offer a great insight into the nuances of the KPMG application process and how best to succeed during it. Subsequently, two of our teammates have received offers from other prominent firms.”

We are incredibly proud that, after 6 years of the competition, we are starting to see former competitors support current students in starting an exciting career in cyber.

On behalf of the students who attended and all at the UK Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge, we would like to thank Matt Roach (Head of I-4), Sophie Burnett (recruitment), Ammaarah Sachedina (recruitment) and Matthew Martindale (Cyber Security in Financial Services partner) for organising such a fantastic experience and for being fantastic supporters of the UK Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge.