About The Hacking Games
The Hacking Games is a global multi-media entertainment, training, and recruitment enterprise committed to creating a generation of Ethical Hackers to make the world safer.
THG will build, educate, and recruit the ethical hacking workforce of the future to reduce the labour deficit, and are working with FBI, NCFTA, NCA, Europol, and Intercop.
With the cost of Cybercrime forecasted to be $23trn in 2027, and 80% of NYC Teens polled having tried hacking before they were 16 years old, we are facing a generational crisis.
There is a growing labor deficit: In 2024 there are 5.5m people working in cybersecurity globally, but there are 4m unfilled roles. By 2027 this is forecasted to be 12m unfilled roles. This presents a global security crisis and a significant commercial opportunity to create the cyber workforce of the future.
We believe that Gen Z (aged 12-27, 25% of the global workforce) need to be inspired, trained, and recruited to be Ethical Hackers to fill this labour deficit.
We have developed a global TV Show with twenty-six 03 productions who were behind Survivor, Britain’s Got Talent, and X Factor, as well as a documentary with multi-award-winning documentary makers Noah Media Group and The Vulnerability Index with Professor Jonathan Lusthaus (Oxford University). The Vulnerability Index is using data to create a universal standard that indicates the sociodemographic factors that lead Generation Z (12-27) into cybercrime market by market. We’ll use these learnings to lobby government, educators and families on the threats and changes required
Listen to Fergus talk about The Hacking Games on the Sunday Times 'Danny in the Valley' podcast
Our Founding Team
Fergus Hay,
CEO
Founder Elysian Fields Group. Commercial, marketing, and technology leader. Former WW Managing Director Ogilvy & Mather/WPP, former CEO Leagas Delaney
Sandy Climan,
Chairman
BAFTA & Golden Globe award winning CEO of Entertainment Media Ventures. Former EVP Universal Studios. Founding Head of CAA’s corporate practice. Producer of ‘The Aviator’
Oliver Roskill,
Entertainment
BAFTA award winning film producer. Produced shows and movies for Netflix, BBC, and HBO
Daan Dia,
Corporate Partnerships
Cybersecurity expert with 22 years in the sector. Exited founder team of Outpost24
Aziz Makaroun,
Corporate Partnerships
Entrepreneur with 22 years of experience in Cybersecurity. Previously exited 2 companies
Our Advisory Board
Chris Wysopal
Chris Wysopal, an Ethical Hacking pioneer, was a member of the hacker think tank the L0pht where he was a vulnerability researcher. In May 1998 he testified under his hacker name, Weld Pond, in front of a U.S. Senate committee investigating government cybersecurity.
He was invited back to Capitol Hill in 2003, and the cybersecurity problems he mentioned then are still here with us today.
Chris has since co-founded industry-leading cybersecurity business Veracode, where he is the CTO.
In 2008, Wysopal was recognized for his achievements in the IT industry by being named one of the 100 Most Influential People in IT by eWeek and selected as one of the InfoWorld CTO 25.
Sam Humphries
Samantha has been happily entrenched in the cybersecurity industry for over 20 years. During this time, she has helped hundreds of organisations of all shapes, sizes, and geographies recover and learn from cyberattacks, defined strategy for pioneering security products and technologies, and is a regular speaker at security conferences around the world.
In her current regeneration, Sam heads up the International Security Strategy team at Exabeam, She authors articles and blogs for various security publications, has a strong passion for mentoring, and volunteers at cybersecurity community events.
Tim Orchard
Ex-Chief Technology Officer of WithSecure. Over 25 years of experience in various cybersecurity roles, Tim has transitioned from being one of the first UK penetration testers to leading significant lines of business.
As a Chief Technology Officer and Executive in a major European cybersecurity company, he effortlessly navigates both technical intricacies and market insights to drive strategic decision-making.
Tim also makes time for coaching and mentoring others and takes huge pride in seeing those he has worked with on any level go on to be successful in their endeavours.
Stéphane Duguin
CEO of the CyberPeace Institute. Humanitarian, entrepreneur, investigator, he spent two decades tracking how criminals groups and terrorist organisations weaponise disruptive technologies, such as Al, against vulnerable communities.
At Europol, Stephane led major international counter cybercrime, terrorism and hybrid threats operations, and investigated threat actors deploying cyberattacks, illegal content and disinformation techniques.
Stéphane has published a book, over 50 articles, book chapters, conference papers, and commentary essays exploring themes like AI, cybercrime, disinformation, and OSINT techniques. Holding numerous keynotes, he shed light on criminal innovation in the age of technology.