Vicky Axon

I love working in cyber security in the NHS. Our teams are made up of lovely, inclusive, committed people who are all working together against a common threat to protect the NHS. In the current international situation, this is more important than ever before.

I didn’t go straight into the NHS at the beginning of my career. I studied maths at uni but wasn’t really interested in the ‘typical’ careers associated with it, so after graduating I was left searching for other job opportunities.

I’d been really interested in cyptography during my studies and, as luck would have it, there was an opening in BT’s Cryptographic Module Testing Lab as a trainee. That was the start of my cyber career.

Over the years, I worked in the private sector in cyptography, penetration (pen) testing and government cyber security consultancy. This cemented my passion for working with the public sector.

About 4 years ago, I joined the NHS as a regional cyber security lead. It was a brand-new role that I got to shape – my remit was to bridge the gap between NHS organisations on the ground and the national NHS organisations in ‘the centre’. In the Midlands, I’m the point of contact for cyber security specialists working in trusts and act as their trusted advisor.

There’s no looking back after moving into the public sector. I have lots of job satisfaction here and can see the tangible results of what I do. Our driving principle is to do the right things to make people’s lives better.