The University of Bristol has appointed Martin Sadler OBE, an acclaimed tech industry and cyber security expert, as its first special advisor on industrial strategy.
Martin, pictured, has a long and illustrious career at the leading edge of industrial research and development, particularly in fields related to digital and cybersecurity. 
Most recently, he was vice-president of Hewlett Packard (HP) Labs in Bristol, responsible for directing the company’s exploratory and advanced research in security and large-scale system management.
He is an expert in issues that are of significant national concern, including the continued growth of organised cybercrime, the deeper alignment of business and IT, the rapid adoption of social networking tools and cloud-based services and the blurring boundary between personal and work life.
In his new role, Martin will advise the vice chancellor, senior management and leading academics on how to maximise the opportunities emerging for new collaborative research programmes and sources of funding arising from the government’s Industrial Strategy.
He will work to position the university with leading industry research partners and government policy makers and funders to ensure Bristol is a leading partner in the development and delivery of research programmes originating from a variety of funding sources.
Martin, who was awarded his OBE in 2013 for services to science, will also play a key role in mobilising the potential of its planned Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus in securing collaborative research and associated funded-programmes with key industry partners.
The £300m campus, on land next to Temple Meads railway station, is expected to open in time for the start of the 2021/22 academic year, with construction work scheduled to start in 2019.
He said: “Having spent most of my career in industrial research, I am very pleased to be helping industry and the university connect to create opportunities built on exciting, innovative research.”
University of Bristol vice-chancellor and president Prof Hugh Brady said the appointment would build on Bristol’s existing world-leading strengths in cryptography.
“This will lead to stronger links to other areas of international strength in wireless communication, software defined networks and quantum technologies, and help deliver important business opportunities within our new campus development,” he said.
Martin represented HP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise on a number of British government and academic bodies and was a member of the advisory board for the government’s Foresight Cyber Trust and Crime Prevention project.
He was also a member of the board for The Institute of Information Security Professionals, served as a member of the steering committee for the government’s Cyber Security Knowledge Transfer Network and as a member of the CBI’s Information Security working group.
He is currently chair of the advisory boards for the EPSRC-funded Quantum Communications Hub, the EPSRC/NCSC-funded Research Institute in the Science of Cyber Security, and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport group advising on how best to secure connected consumer devices.
