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Sarah Armstrong-Smith is one of the world’s foremost voices in cybersecurity and crisis management. As Chief Security Advisor for Microsoft EMEA, she has become a trusted authority on how organisations can prepare for, respond to, and recover from major cyber threats. Known for her calm clarity and real-world experience, Sarah helps audiences understand not just the technology behind modern risks, but the human behaviour that drives them. Through her virtual keynotes, she empowers business leaders and technical teams alike to strengthen resilience, make smarter decisions, and build cultures that thrive under pressure.
Sarah began her career in the mid-1990s, working as a Fraud Controller at PHH Arval before joining Thames Water as a Business Continuity Analyst, where she played a key role during the Millennium Bug. From there, she became Disaster Recovery Manager at AXA and later Manager of Technology Risk Services at EY, roles that deepened her understanding of risk and continuity in fast-moving corporate environments. Her biggest career leap came at Fujitsu, where she spent more than a decade rising from Principal Consultant to Head of Continuity & Resilience, Enterprise & Cyber Security, and later earned recognition as a Fujitsu Distinguished Engineer. Sarah’s leadership helped major clients design robust crisis and recovery frameworks that shaped the industry standard for cyber resilience.
Her expertise led her to the London Stock Exchange Group, where she served as Group Head of Business Resilience & Crisis Management, steering the organisation through complex digital and operational challenges. In 2020, Sarah joined Microsoft as Chief Security Advisor for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, advising global enterprises and government bodies on cyber defence, cloud security and organisational resilience. In addition to her role at Microsoft, she is a Board Advisor for Vaultree and e2e-assure Ltd, Trustee for Hope for Justice and Slave-Free Alliance, and a Member of the UK Government Cyber Advisory Board. Her thought leadership and advocacy have earned her recognition among the Most Influential Women in UK Tech and Top 30 Female Cybersecurity Leaders.
A published author and engaging keynote speaker, Sarah has written two best-selling books: ‘Effective Crisis Management’ and ‘Understand the Cyber Attacker Mindset’. Her presentations blend storytelling with strategy, translating complex threats into actionable insights. Whether discussing the psychology of hackers, the ethics of AI, or leading through disruption, Sarah delivers practical guidance with authenticity and warmth. As one of the most sought-after virtual speakers in technology today, she continues to inspire global audiences to think differently about resilience, innovation and the human side of cybersecurity.
Sarah Armstrong-Smith is regularly booked to engage audiences at virtual events, read their latest feedback below:
“A huge thank you for today’s session – you were absolutely fantastic. You managed to make cloud security (a topic that usually makes people’s eyes glaze over) sound not just urgent but genuinely engaging. That’s a rarity in this industry, and our audience definitely felt it. I really hope this is the first of many sessions we get to do together. You brought clarity, energy and plenty of aha! moments – and honestly, I’m already trying to figure out how to lure you back for round two. Thanks again for lending us your time and brilliance today. We’d love to collaborate more often – and next time, maybe we’ll even manage to make misconfigurations sound glamorous.”
“Just wanted to say a big thank you for your session yesterday – super engaging delivery”
“Having Sarah as part of the first UK Cyber Week was an absolute pleasure. Her session was insightful and left a lasting impact on the audience, it was great to have her there!”
“Sarah was very professional and spoke with ease and conviction on IT security and it was evident that she is a subject matter expert. She delivered on the spec that was provided and discussed a detailed insight into her career and the future of the IT sector. She arrived with plenty of time and caught up with the team, then spent a good time afterwards in the networking session talking and I believe enjoying the discussions. Please thank Sarah it was good to meet her and then see her over the weekend on Sky News!”
“The event went really well and Sarah’s presentation was exceptional! I had time to speak with Sarah after the event with a glass of wine.”
“Sarah was an absolutely fabulous speaker – so interesting and a wealth of knowledge and stayed around afterwards for photos and a chat (I think she was actually last to leave!). I would really recommend her for future speaking jobs.”
“Following our event yesterday, I just wanted to ask you to pass on our thanks to both Nikki Dean and Sarah Armstrong-Smith. Our event was a huge success and we are really grateful to Nikki for doing such a great job as our host and to Sarah for her valuable insights as part of our panel of experts. They were both great to work with and their support was really appreciated. Thank you for the introduction to both speakers”
“Thank you for the talk at the Future of Cyber Conference; very useful and informative and stimulated some good points about much-needed synergy of tech/ security/ assurance/ governance etc.”
“I absolutely loved your interview on CxO Summit with Marcos Chistodonte. Thank you for all your contributions as an aspiring female leader in technology!”
“Great discussion. I really like the point that the more diverse the people, the better the business is. Clearly much more work to do in this area but recognising the benefits is key – diversity as a key business enabler/strength!”
“This is excellent Sarah, definitely reflects the journey that many companies are on with regards to their roles of CISO at Board level with an understanding of the Business and Technical challenges that the organisation faces. Love these Cyber Insights”
“Sarah’s session heavily anticipated and it did not disappoint the audience were incredibly engaged.”
“I am writing to thank you for the role you played in Empowerment Week. Please accept this note of appreciation for your support. Thank you for the role you played, please be aware that you notably contributed to the success of the week. Your contribution was integral to help attendees understand that innovation does not magically happen. It requires a motivated, empowered work force and a curious mindset that is open to experimenting and trying different things, whilst being prepared to take risks and fail fast. Feedback from both senior officials and attendees has been extremely complimentary of both the planning for the event, the ‘buzz’ of the event and the impact it had. This would not have been possible without you.”
The Online Speakers Agency is a bureau specialising in virtual speakers. Founded in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have booked leading experts on diversity, finance, teamwork and more for online events hosted across the globe.
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