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Industry-first study from Evident shows leading European banks are doubling down on AI recruitment, but UK banks are struggling to compete with US rivals
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is looking to assert its AI dominance within the global banking industry, according to a new study of AI talent and hiring trends from AI benchmarking & intelligence platform Evident.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. hired twice as many AI-related jobs as any of its rivals between February to April 2023, advertising for 3,651 roles, compared to 1,754 roles advertised by Citigroup, 1,374 by Barclays and 1,268 by Deutsche Bank.
According to Evident’s AI Talent Report for Banks, the market for AI banking talent grew by 4% between October 2022 to April 2023, a period in which many banks were making layoffs in other divisions.
The 60 largest North American and European banks now employ around 46,000 people in AI development, data engineering and governance & ethics roles, with as many as 100,000 global banking roles involved in bringing AI to market. Interestingly, 40% of AI staff within these banks have started their current roles since January 2022.
Evident’s research shows that a number of European banks, including ING Groep, Barclays and NatWest Group, are stepping up their AI recruitment. In each case, AI-related hires represent over 30% of their open job descriptions, demonstrating the strategic significance of AI to each bank at a time when European banks are experiencing a growing AI gap with their North American rivals – as reported in the inaugural Evident AI Index back in January 2023.
Alexandra Mousavizadeh, Evident Co-Founder and CEO, said: “JPMorgan Chase is making huge investments in AI, but it’s not the only big bank stepping up its hiring efforts. There’s been a flurry of recruitment activity across the industry. AI is the one area of banking where people are being brought on in growing numbers, and our data shows that banks are competing ferociously to secure the best talent.”
Poaching is rife amongst the world’s biggest banks
According to Evident, banks are recruiting from a variety of sources to build their AI talent pipelines, with rival banks providing more than 22,000 of all employees recruited into AI-related roles, followed by IT consulting/tech firms (18,000) and universities (8,500).
Wells Fargo is the most active player when it comes to poaching AI talent, having sourced 5% of its AI staff from Bank of America alone. US banks have marginal net inflows of AI talent, partially at the expense of UK banks. However, most poaching is within markets rather than between them. Wells Fargo, RBC, BNP Paribas, and HSBC lead net inflows in their respective markets.
Is AI reinforcing existing banking power dynamics?
The Evident report identifies New York as the global centre for AI talent, as measured by overall employee numbers, followed by London, Toronto, Bengaluru and Paris. India has three cities in the top 10, as does the US, with India’s presence reflective of historic offshoring decisions that are now leading the banks to double down and recruit heavily into their existing locations.
However, different models of AI talent deployment are emerging, with a marked contrast between the US banks, which are recruiting globally in all of their key locations, and markets like Canada, France and the Netherlands, where AI talent is predominantly being recruited domestically.
Europe’s AI talent pool remains particularly fragmented, with Germany struggling to develop domestic AI centres. Neither Frankfurt nor Berlin features in the top 30 cities for AI talent, while Deutsche Bank, one of the leading AI recruiters, employs the majority of its AI staff outside of Germany, and is concentrating its AI recruitment efforts in other markets, particularly India.
According to Evident, these hiring trends suggest that AI is replicating traditional banking power structures. For example, the strong presence of US, European and Asian banks in London has historically made it difficult for UK banks to compete for talent. Whilst Barclays is currently hiring AI talent in similar numbers to its US counterparts, alumni from the UK’s foremost universities are more likely to end up working in AI-related fields at JPMorgan Chase & Co, Bank of America or Citigroup than any of the domestic banks.
Mousavizadeh added: “The UK’s strength as a global financial services powerhouse remains its weakness when it comes to supporting domestic banks’ AI hiring efforts. History is repeating itself, with AI reinforcing the global power dynamics we’ve seen in banking over the past few decades.”
Generative AI is not being referenced in banks’ recruitment efforts… nor is responsible AI…yet
Evident’s research shows that, despite the explosion of interest in generative AI triggered by the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, fewer than 2% of recent AI Development job descriptions advertised by the world’s biggest banks explicitly referenced Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs) or ChatGPT.
Evident Co-founder and COO Annabel Ayles said: “It’s encouraging to see the banks proceeding with caution around Generative AI rather than getting caught up in the ChatGPT noise. As they identify and test different use cases across their divisions, banks need people who truly understand the technology behind Generative AI models and how to embed it in products. It could take months or even years before these tools are put into production, so we don’t expect to see major hiring for related roles, but we do eventually expect an uptick in jobs such as prompt engineers, ML engineers and product developers.”
Evident also found little evidence that banks are increasing investment in responsible AI talent in light of the increased scrutiny being given to the risks of rolling out powerful AI systems. Between February 2022 and April 2023, just two banks explicitly recruited for responsible AI roles.
Ayles added: “Less encouraging is the apparent lack of focus on recruiting talent dedicated to ensuring the safe and responsible use of these powerful new technologies. With all industries likely to face more external scrutiny from policymakers and regulators around AI adoption, banks may be missing an opportunity to get ahead of the curve.”
Read more:
JPMorgan Chase & Co. surges ahead in AI hiring as banking battle for AI talent intensifies

Female entrepreneurs could add £250 billion to the UK economy with equal access to funding and right support, according to the Business and Trade Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, Kemi Badenoch.
This comes following the Government’s publishing of the third annual Investing in Women Code (IWC) report, revealing that the significant progress made in breaking down the finance gap between female and male entrepreneurs.
The IWC now covers a large proportion of the SME lending market, accounting for 39 per cent of UK venture and growth equity deals, an increase from 24 per cent in 2020.
The report also showed that 35 per cent of all venture capital deals made by IWC signatories were in female-founded companies in 2022, compared to the market average of 27 per cent.
The IWC was founded four years prior as a landmark government-lead initiative as a result of the Rose Review’s findings that a lack of funding support acts as one of the most significant barriers to women seeking to effectively scale a business.
Commenting on the findings, Sheila Flavell CBE, Chief Operating Officer for FDM Group, added: “The report demonstrates how important progress has been made, but further work must be conducted in order to close funding gaps. Providing equal access to finance will be the necessary boost to unlock the potential of female founded businesses and will help bolster the Government’s commitments on growing the economy further – even amongst the challenging economic backdrop, the issue should not be dropped.”
“The actions of signatories implementing various measures to improve their support for female entrepreneurs is crucial in boosting confidence. Implementing policies, female-focused networking, the recruitment from a more diverse pool of candidates and the offering of mentoring from other female founders to name a few are some of the key efforts necessary to achieving gender equity in the start-up system.”
200 plus organisations have signed up to the IWC, depicting the growing number of people committed to increasing the levels of financial support toward women-led businesses, and highlighting how the code is the leading way in addressing the pervading finance gap.
Business and Trade Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities Kemi Badenoch said: “It’s excellent that members of the Investing in Women Code are leading the way in addressing the finance gap between male and female entrepreneurs, ensuring that the UK is the best place in the world to start a business, regardless of gender.”
The findings also showed how female investors remain underrepresented on investment committees. Signatories report an average of 32 per cent female representation in their investment teams, and less than a quarter (24 per cent) on their investment committees.
The report additionally highlighted a relationship between more diverse investment committees, and successful pitches from all-female and mixed gender leadership teams, becoming a crucial area to address.
Read more:
Female entrepreneurs to add £250b to the economy with equal access to funding and support 

Software as a Service (SaaS) developer, Ringover, has announced the completion of a €20 million financing round.
The round led by Orange Ventures and Bpifrance’s Large Venture and accompanied by historical investor Expedition Growth Capital. This new round of funding will enable Ringover to significantly step up its investment in research and development, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), and accelerate its international growth.
Since 2018, Ringover’s mission has been to support corporate customer relations across all communication channels. With its revenue multiplying by eight in three years, and a successful first funding round of €10 million in 2021, Ringover now welcomes two new investors. Bpifrance’s Large Venture and Orange Ventures are both deeply rooted in tech culture and renowned for their support of global industry leaders. This funding brings Ringover’s total investment to over €30 million in 2023.
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Ringover and to be investing alongside BPI and Orange Ventures in this next phase of growth. Ringover’s growth and execution since we invested two years ago has been impressive, quadrupling annual recurring revenue and significantly broadening its product suite,” explained Oliver Thomas, Managing Partner at Expedition.
“Ringover has the technical and market expertise to become one of the world’s leading productivity suites for sales and customer care teams in small and mid-sized businesses worldwide,” added David Olsson, Principal of Expedition, who will join the board of directors as part of this investment.
This is a pure equity investment, with no debt or subsidies, to enable Ringover to extend its technological DNA worldwide with a demanding and transparent roadmap. Its ambitions include:

Creating an unrivalled suite of SaaS tools to meet the full range of customer service and sales challenges. After focusing on sales prospecting challenges, creating two new tools at the beginning of the year, Ringover is currently working on new customer service-oriented products to round out its offering.
Democratising the use of AI in the day-to-day operations of sales and customer service divisions, paving the way for a true revolution in their working methods. By enabling them to focus on high-value tasks, artificial intelligence becomes an invaluable daily co-pilot.
Consolidating quality of service with a range of advanced functions and integrations. Communication is no longer limited to traditional telephone conversations, as usage patterns evolve and communication channels multiply. Ringover aims to support companies in this transformation by providing one comprehensive tool that focuses on team performance and supervision. With integration capabilities already extended to more than 70 business tools, Ringover expects to double this figure in 2023.
Fully commit to global expansion by further establishing the infrastructures and teams in the UK, US and Spain, while leveraging existing and future partnerships.

“Knowing sales performance and customer relations are undergoing major transformations, our priority is to remain attuned to our customers’ expectations,” said Renaud Charvet, CEO and co-founder of Ringover. “With this round of funding, we’re accelerating development while remaining true to our fundamental goal — to offer a powerful suite of customer relations tools, focused on team performance and enhanced by AI.”
Bolstered by this latest round of funding, Ringover’s dedicated team of nearly 300 employees remain committed to continue developing cutting-edge products that cater to their customers’ needs in corporate communications, customer relations, and sales prospecting.
To accomplish this, the company is actively recruiting new talent across all divisions, with a third of the workforce focused on research and development. These efforts aim to create streamlined technologies infused with AI and machine learning, following the successful launch of Cadence and Empower in the first quarter of 2023. This spirit of innovation has established Ringover as a trusted partner in customer relations for its 10,000 corporate customers worldwide.
“We are very pleased to announce our investment in Ringover, an innovative company offering a complete, multi-channel solution for enriching customer relations. Orange Ventures aims to support talented teams and is delighted to enter into a partnership with a company that places growth and innovation at the heart of its strategy. This investment will enable Ringover to benefit from the Orange Group’s technological expertise in telecoms and its knowledge of the B2B market in France and abroad,” said Clément Combal, Partner at Orange Ventures.
The dynamic software innovator, already established in Spain and the UK, has made the strategic decision to establish roots in Atlanta to fulfil its international growth objectives. Under the guidance of CEO and co-founder Renaud Charvet, this new office will serve as a launching pad for Ringover’s significant expansion efforts across the Atlantic, unlocking exciting new opportunities.
“We are delighted to be supporting Ringover, a high-potential technology company, in its product launches and international expansion. Thanks to sound management and the unwavering commitment of its directors, this scale-up is well on the way to becoming a key player in the contact centre software market,” said Caroline Lebel, Investment Director at Bpifrance.
Read more:
Ringover raises €20M to revolutionise sales performance and customer satisfaction

A new online marketplace, dedicated to buying and selling pre-loved clothing for children, has received an investment of £150,000 to unlock its plans for growth.

Just three months since launch, Cress is expanding to create more opportunities for customers to buy and sell pre-loved, with new categories being launched for accessories and premium brand clothing.

The investment will also enable Cress to partner with sustainable clothing brands and introduce ‘Sustainable New’ options to purchase. By the end of the year, the business is predicting a growth trajectory of 4x its current value to bring its total to around £2.5m.

With the UK marketplace thriving, Cress is also turning its attention to international territories and is set to launch Cress Australia and New Zealand in Autumn 2023.

This will include the platform’s unique ‘Golden Service’ subscription, which removes the hassle of selling by providing a postal bag for parents to fill and return. The service has proven popular, with 17 bag requests being made within just one day.

To continue its growth, Cress is now looking to enhance its position as a  community-created platform with a crowdfunding campaign and a Facebook group. The group will focus on connecting parents with each other and free educational events happening across the UK.

Carl Morris, Co-founder of Cress, commented: “As a start-up, securing investors who believe in the vision you have for your company is vital in order to make it a reality. At Cress we aim to create a community for like-minded parents to think and shop more sustainably and create a better future for our children. The investment we’ve received has already increased the company’s value by 57% and has played a key role in completing our expansion into Australia and New Zealand.

“Being able to build upon our strong community and customer base is a core objective for Cress and it’s amazing that less than a year after our UK platform went live, we will bring our sustainable and community values to a global market. We hope it will enable more people to think more sustainably when buying clothes. With numerous plans in place to grow our offering in our first year, we’re looking forward to the months ahead.”
 
Read more:
Pre-loved children’s clothing marketplace, Cress, receives six-figure cash injection to grow and expand down under

Google has announced that it is launching new Cybersecurity training to equip people with the skills needed to kickstart a career in the sector and to help businesses mitigate cybersecurity risks.
Google’s new Cybersecurity Career Certificate addresses the UK’s growing cybersecurity skills gap by providing a low-cost and accessible way for people to gain the entry-level skills required to help fill critical cybersecurity roles. The courses can be completed online in under six months of part-time study — with no prior experience required. The course teaches people to identify common cyber risks, threats and vulnerabilities, and the techniques to mitigate them.
Both the lack of digital skills and cybersecurity concerns are listed among the top digitalisation barriers for SMEs. Research from Kantar shows that 43% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) surveyed have been unable to hire cybersecurity support due to the shortage of specialists or the difficulty attracting, retaining or contracting cybersecurity experts. An analysis of job posts in Britain  between January 2022 to January 2023 shows a 59% increase in the number of advertised cybersecurity related roles, with almost 70,000 unique job postings advertised during that time.
Training and upskilling is key to mitigating the risk of a cybersecurity attack. Modelling from Public First shows that the UK could mitigate £3 billion worth of cybersecurity risks by deploying AI and upskilling people and businesses. DSIT’S Cyber Security Breaches Survey found that almost a third (32%) of UK businesses reported a cyber attack in 2022.
Course completers will get hands-on experience using Python, Linux, and an array of security programmes including Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools and will gain the qualifications needed to begin a career in cybersecurity.
Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, is also launching a Cybersecurity Fund to help build a diverse talent pipeline for the cybersecurity sector in Europe and the UK. Google.org is giving $1 million worth of funding to INCO and Women For Cyber to provide scholarships to women in the UK and Europe from lower socio-economic backgrounds to access the Cybersecurity Career Certificate and tailored wraparound support including mentorship, peer-to-peer groups and job interview preparation.
VP & Managing Director for Google UK and Ireland, Debbie Weinstein, said: “The UK’s digital skills gap, and the lack of cybersecurity experts specifically, threatens to hinder future progress. Both the lack of digital skills and cybersecurity concerns are listed as SME’s top digitalisation barriers. This is why we’re launching our new Google Cybersecurity Career Certificate to provide Brits with the job-ready skills needed to fill the roles in this high-growth sector, and to provide more businesses with the expertise needed to safeguard future economic growth.”
Minister for Science, Innovation, and Technology, Viscount Camrose, said:
“Staying on the cutting-edge of cyber security is critical to unleashing the benefits technology has to offer. The UK has already demonstrated leadership by implementing our world-first Product Security Regime, and to match this ambition it is vital that British businesses have access to the talent they need to keep their systems safe.
“It’s a huge vote of confidence to see global technology companies like Google continue their commitment to the UK, particularly as we work together to build cyber security skills. Opening new career opportunities for British workers is an important step in building a highly-skilled, diverse workforce to safeguard our economy”.
Specifically for small organisations, Google is also partnering with the NCSC to offer SMEs free online business security training to introduce small business owners to the basics of cybersecurity. The new training programme – “Improve your online business security”–  takes one hour to complete and is available either online or in-person at Google’s nationwide Digital Garage events.
Sarah Lyons, NCSC Deputy Director for Economy and Society, said: “Cyber criminals represent a challenge for all organisations, but we know that they are increasingly viewing small businesses as attractive targets.Successful attacks can be devastating for a business, causing huge levels of disruption to operations and in the worst case scenarios shutting them down completely.
“I strongly encourage small business owners to explore this new training programme – and the NCSC’s other resources – to boost their defences and keep cyber criminals locked out of their business.”
Both the Cybersecurity Career Certificate and the SME cybersecurity training programme have been created in partnership with Google’s own in-house ‘white hat’ hackers featured in the cybersecurity series, Hacking Google. The series discusses the skills the team uses to protect the technology company from cyber attacks.
Read more:
Google launches new cybersecurity training to help UK businesses growing demand for cyber support

BrewDog co-founder and CEO James Watt has announced that all five finalists of his Next Unicorn competition will each be taking home a share of his £1million investment – backing an extra two firms who expected to miss out at the contest’s Las Vegas final.
Watt had initially planned to back three brands in his search for the next billion-dollar business but, having been so impressed by the quality of the final five, the BrewDog boss will now be injecting a minimum of £150,000 into help propel each finalist on their way to their intended unicorn status.
Announcing the news to the winners at BrewDog’s stunning Las Vegas rooftop bar, Watt committed to investing an initial £1million of his own cash, with a further £4million up for grabs, should the winning businesses reach particular milestones.
The Next Unicorn winners:

Company
Business description
Investment

Basket
An app allowing shoppers to bookmark potential purchases from any site
£250,000

Mous
Extra-protective cases and accessories for phone cases, headphones, and other consumer tech
£150,000

Tallow & Ash
A range of planet-friendly laundry shampoos and conditioners, aiming to revolutionise the way clothes are washed
£250,000

Uncouth
Personalised and prescribed skincare treatments
£150,000

Yum Bug
Edible bug-based recipe boxes and snacks
£200,000

Speaking about each finalist:
James Watt on Basket: “It’s difficult to find real innovation in tech and e-commerce, but Basket is something I would 100% use myself. It genuinely helps the consumer and I think it’s got application in the UK and globally.”
James Watt on Mous: “An upstart UK company trying to have an impact on a global scale to take on absolute giants. They’ve done fantastically well so far and have got a great team focused on R&D and innovation.”
James Watt on Tallow & Ash: “Their mission is to shake up a stuffy sector, where all the incumbents have been doing the same thing for decades. It reminds me so much of our mission to shake-up beer, when we set out in 2007.”
James Watt on Uncouth: “Skin issues affect so many people’s mental health on a daily basis. I suffered from severe acne when I was a teenager, so I feel the pain point here. Their brand is fantastic, their mission is great, and this is a business that is going to help a lot of people.”
James Watt on Yum Bug: “The food scene is going to change dramatically, and I think Yum Bug can shake it up and produce more sustainable ways to get the protein that we all need. Once you get over the fact that you’re eating bugs, it’s surprisingly delicious.”
The competition also allows members of the public to invest in the five chosen businesses via Crowdcube on exactly the same terms as Watt.
Summarising the Next Unicorn, the BrewDog chief added: “I have been so incredibly impressed by the quality of the entrants to the competition, and getting down to just five from the 750 that applied has been really tough. I want to thank Dom Joly, Codie Sanchez, Matt Cooper and Evelyn McDonald for their help selecting the eventual winners.
“What’s really exciting is members of the public can now invest in these businesses too. Each of the winning companies are available on Crowdcube, where people can invest pound-for-pound on the same terms as me. This isn’t a competition where you just sit back and watch other people make money, the public can get involved too.”
To find out more and invest in the finalists, visit: https://www.crowdcube.com/explore/the-next-unicorn-finalists
Read more:
BrewDog boss invests £1M of his own money between all finalists in next unicorn competition

The government has unveiled a £7 million fund to support the most remote areas in the UK and provide them with better access to wireless networks which will support the government’s wider mission of growing the rural economy.
The new fund will involve testing new ways of bringing together satellite, wireless and fixed line internet connectivity with the aim of providing fast and reliable connectivity to remote areas for the first time, helping to support the likes of farmers and tourism businesses.
The investment follows the government’s £8 million grant scheme that they announced earlier this year which committed to delivering improved, high-speed broadband via satellite connectivity to up to 35,000 homes in the most rural areas of the UK, speeding up broadband by 10 times.
Rural areas currently contribute 15 per cent to the UK’s economy and the government hopes to support these communities in all areas, including housing, transport, digital connectivity and jobs, with the goal of providing improved opportunities.
Elizabeth Anderson, Interim Chief Executive Officer at the Digital Poverty Alliance, commented: “It is fantastic to see the government taking further steps to support the drive of providing connectivity and digital access for everyone. For some, access to wireless networks is an everyday norm, however, for millions, this is currently out of reach, leading to exclusion and acting as a key barrier when looking for jobs, or attempting to use services which are now commonly online as well as many other tasks that require digital access.
“The release of this new fund coincides with the DPA’s launch of the National Delivery Plan, which sets out 6 core missions to end digital poverty. Digital technology plays a huge role in individuals’ lives, affecting our ability to learn, participate and interact, highlighting the vital importance of proving everybody with digital access. While it is great to see the government making steps in the right direction, we must all do more to support those who lack access with the hope of a fully connected UK in years to come. We must also remember that digital inclusion is about more than just connectivity, with devices, skills and trust in online services all vital.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “I have pledged to build a better future for people in this country, and our rural communities are right at the heart of that promise.
“That’s why I’m determined to make sure that their interests are front and centre of all our work to grow the economy and strengthen our communities – so that every part of our country gets the support it needs to thrive.”
Read more:
Government launches £7m fund to bring digital access to rural communities

A startling statistic recently surfaced from the Office for National Statistics – despite 77% of unemployed autistic people being eager to work, only 29% are currently employed.
Hopefully, this figure will improve following the Government’s recently launched Buckland review, an initiative to improve employment prospects for autistic individuals.
You might wonder, ‘Why should this matter to me as a business owner?’. It matters because you could be missing out on a wealth of untapped talent.
Top-tier employers like EY, JP Morgan Chase, SAP, and Autotrader have long recognised and reaped the benefits that neurodiverse employees bring to their teams. For instance, an internal analysis by JP Morgan Chase highlighted their autistic employees’ output was equal in quality but 48% more productive than their neurotypical counterparts.
Understanding the Buckland Review
Sir Robert Buckland is leading the review with support from the Department for Work and Pensions and Autistica, a renowned charity. His recommendations are expected in September 2023, and the review will examine the following:

Ways to identify and support current autistic employees;
Techniques to prepare autistic individuals to join or return to work;
How to adapt work practices and initiatives to reduce stigma and boost the productivity of autistic employees.

What does this mean for you, the employer?
You are not just an observer in this process. The review encourages employers to re-evaluate their workplaces, identify potential barriers, and innovate their ways of working. The potential benefits are enormous:

Autistic individuals get a supportive platform to flourish and reach their potential;
Employers gain a competitive edge by benefitting from autistic individuals’ strengths and perspectives;
Collectively, we boost the economy.

Navigating Autism and the Law
Autism is a spectrum condition affecting each individual differently. The condition is lifelong, and if it “has a substantial and long-term adverse effect” on an individual’s “ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”, it will amount to a disability under the Equality Act 2010. Accordingly, employers must make reasonable adjustments where they know (or could reasonably be expected to know) that the individual has a disability and is likely to be placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to others who do not have a disability.
Empowering Autistic Employees: A Practical Approach
The path to inclusivity begins at the recruitment stage. Here are some simple steps you could take:

Write clear, simple job descriptions with the necessary skills specified and consider using images;
Engage with candidates pre-interview, offering necessary adjustments;
Consider alternative interview formats like practical tasks or work trials;
Be flexible with interview environments – offer online interviews, and provide quiet spaces;
Ask questions sequentially during interviews to prevent information overload.

Support doesn’t stop at recruitment. During employment, engaging in regular dialogue with autistic employees and providing necessary training to neurotypical colleagues can foster a healthy and inclusive work environment.
For example, while hot-desking is a modern trend, it might unsettle an autistic individual. So be prepared to offer alternatives like allocated desks and consider developing a neurodiversity policy.
We eagerly await the results of the Buckland review, but in the meantime, these are tangible steps you can implement to support neurodiverse employees and boost your business.
Seek Support: We’re in This Together
To ease your journey, numerous support networks are available to help employers, such as the National Autistic Society and Autistica. They offer invaluable guidance on best working practices and can advise on becoming a more inclusive employer.
Remember, by embracing neurodiversity, you’re not just creating employment opportunities but opening your business to untapped potential and creativity.
Read more:
Unleashing Potential: Improving the employment prospects of autistic people

British Airways (BA) has revealed all its staff who are paid in the UK have been caught up in a cyber incident that has exposed personal data including bank and contact details to hackers.
It emerged last week that a so-called zero-day vulnerability – a flaw – in the file transfer system MOVEit, produced by Progress Software, had been exploited by cyber criminals.
It had allowed the hackers to access information on a range of global companies using MOVEit Transfer.
Thousands of firms are understood to be affected.
UK-based payroll provider Zellis confirmed on Monday that eight of its clients were among them.
It did not name the organisations.
BA, however, confirmed it had been caught up in the affair.
The airline employs 34,000 people in the UK.
Boots said it had been affected too.
The compromised information includes contact details, national insurance numbers and bank details.
A BA Spokesman said: “We have been informed that we are one of the companies impacted by Zellis’ cybersecurity incident which occurred via one of their third-party suppliers called MOVEit.
“Zellis provides payroll support services to hundreds of companies in the UK, of which we are one.
“This incident happened because of a new and previously unknown vulnerability in a widely used MOVEit file transfer tool. We have notified those colleagues whose personal information has been compromised to provide support and advice.”
A Boots spokesperson said: “A global data vulnerability, which affected a third-party software used by one of our payroll providers, included some of our team members’ personal details.
“Our provider assured us that immediate steps were taken to disable the server, and as a priority we have made our team members aware.”
Zellis said in its own statement: “A large number of companies around the world have been affected by a zero-day vulnerability in Progress Software’s MOVEit Transfer product.
“We can confirm that a small number of our customers have been impacted by this global issue and we are actively working to support them.
“All Zellis-owned software is unaffected and there are no associated incidents or compromises to any other part of our IT estate.
“Once we became aware of this incident we took immediate action, disconnecting the server that utilises MOVEit software and engaging an expert external security incident response team to assist with forensic analysis and ongoing monitoring.”
Comments by Emma Whitmore, Group Vice President, EMEA at Edgio: “Cyberattacks can happen at any time, often without warning. British Airways and Boots’ breach demonstrates that no organisation is safe from the threat cybercriminals pose and adequate security solutions are an absolute necessity in today’s climate.
“Organisations need full 360-degree visibility into all traffic across their network to detect security exploits – and they need the right solutions in place to help them respond quickly. They must be aware of their current security posture – identifying attack vectors and employing security solutions to resolve any vulnerabilities or other risks to the business. This will include understanding security best practices and the latest standards and regulations related to their online business.
“With the increase in exploits, organisations must also ensure their security solution provides the ability to make critical decisions fast to prevent any downtime. With the correct approach to cybersecurity, brands can ensure their services run smoothly.”
Read more:
BA’s UK staff and Boots hit by cyber security breach with bank details exposed