Robert Coles

Robert is a co-opted member of the Board of Governors, a member since 1 May 2021. He is also a member of the Audit Committee.

Robert is the Director of Cumberland House Consulting Ltd, specializing in audit, risk and cyber security strategy, program delivery, and Non-Exec and Board Advisory roles. He holds a number of commercial board positions including Chair of the Crossword Consulting Ltd Board, Non-Executive Director of Crossword Cybersecurity PLC, and board advisor to Think Cyber Ltd and the Government of Singapore Ministry of Health. Robert has over 35 years of audit, risk, and cyber security experience and has held a number of senior leadership positions, including for the NHS and health and care system, GSK, National Grid, Merrill Lynch, and Royal Bank of Scotland, and he was an audit partner at KPMG.

Robert is an Honorary Professor at UCL and is an executive sponsor for the Cyber Masters Programme at Cranfield University. He was awarded a Ph.D. in psychology by the University of Leeds for his work on the perceptions of information and IT risk and has published and presented on this and other topics. He continues to undertake research in these areas. He was also awarded an MBA from Manchester Business School.