Hello, my name is Jake. I am a cyber technologist at Awen, undertaking a placement year and will be returning to Cardiff University to complete my Msc in Computing. I am new to the cybersecurity sector and enjoy being given a challenge that requires me to test myself, learn new concepts and put them into practice, something that seems will keep me busy in this industry.
Welsh industrial cyber security company opens Dutch subsidiary
Photo by ruddy.media
Industrial cyber security software company, Awen Collective Ltd, has opened a wholly-owned Dutch subsidiary giving the ability to help critical national infrastructure, smart city and manufacturing organisations across the Netherlands become more cyber resilient.
Awen Collective CEO & Founder, Daniel Lewis says: “the creation of the subsidiary is a strategic decision which enables Awen to more easily reach new markets with the help of our investors and partners based in the country. We have registered the subsidiary in one of the international security hubs — The Hague — and are excited to use this as a launchpad for our international growth.”
The Netherlands, and The Hague in particular, were chosen for several reasons:
Ease of doing business in The Netherlands
The strong industrial sector
The innovative spirit, and in particular strong desire to progress in Industry 4.0, Smart Cities and AgriTech
The rapidly growing security community in The Hague
The English language is widely spoken
Geographic closeness to the UK
One of the international hubs to the rest of the world
Relationship with the rest of the European Union, particularly the other countries in the BeNeLux and Schengen areas
Support from investors.
Awen's CTO and fellow cofounder, Jules Farrow, says: “we're delighted to be putting down international roots at Awen Collective to enable us to work freely and easily with our friends in Europe. The opportunities this opens up for us for both research and development, and continued business expansion are significant. The Netherlands makes the perfect EU-base for Awen.”
Photo by Alexander
The Netherlands is the perfect next step for Awen, as Awen’s Head of Partnership, James Sandrone, suggests: “The Dutch business culture and the Awen culture are so similar: open and honest, where relationships and trust are key!“
CEO Daniel continues “This is just the beginning of exciting international growth for Awen Collective.”
Awen Collective
Awen Collective has the mission to reduce the cyber risk and increase the resiliency of the industrial sectors which societies rely on daily. Critical national infrastructure sectors such as energy, water, transportation and Smart Cities, as well as other industrial sectors such as manufacturing and warehousing are under increasing threat from cyber attack. Awen Collectives innovative cyber security software was built specifically with industrial engineering processes in mind, and is tailored specifically to the unique requirements of Operational Technologies (OT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Awen Collective was founded in 2017, has it’s headquarters in Caerphilly in Wales (UK) and a subsidiary office in The Hague in the Netherlands.
A note of thanks
Team Awen would like to send out a special thanks TIIN Capital, InnovationQuarter, the Security Delta and the British Embassy in The Hague for their assistance in exploring the market in the Netherlands. Thanks also to Goossens Notary for their help in registering the B.V. subsidiary.
Introducing Ethan Cotterell
We continue to grow here at Awen Collective. People are behind great business, and this is why we often post profiles of our team members. Every member of the team puts in effort that makes Awen great, and so they should (and do) get recognition for this.
Today we introduce Ethan Cotterell, who has joined the tech division at Awen. Read on to discover more about Ethan.
Welcome to the team Ethan!
Hi, my name is Ethan Cotterell. I am joining Awen as a graduate software developer after completing a computer science BSc and MSc at Lancaster University.
I enjoy experimenting with open source software and hosting different applications, with the goal of being in control of all my data. As a part this, I manage a small home lab where I test these services out and create scripts to automate everything I can. I'm looking forward to being able to apply these skills at Awen to help build something great!
When I'm not playing around with technology, I am an avid badminton player and also go on the occasional run to help keep me fit. Good quality coffee is a must, so my trusty Aeropress comes with me wherever I go.
Introducing Abinash N Ramesh
Hi there, my name is Abinash. I am currently a placement student here at Awen and will be returning to complete my BSc in Computer Science at Cardiff University next year.
I enjoy developing software and tinkering with open source projects (but I'm not ready to make contributions just yet). As this is my first full-time job in tech, I'm excited to learn about what it's like to be a full-time software developer - so far it's pretty great.
When I have a moment to myself, and weather permitting, I enjoy taking a stroll around my neighbourhood. If the weather isn't great, I usually stream Dota 2 or Rainbow Six on Twitch or binge Netflix if I'm extra lazy. I am looking forward to the next 12 months, working at Awen on some exciting projects with wonderful people!
Introducing Nimal Manivannan
As a result of our continued success here at Awen Collective, three new team members joined us in June 2021: Abinash, Nimal and Tom.
Read on to discover more about Nimal. A profile for Tom has already been published, and one for Abinash will follow in the coming days, so check back soon!
Welcome to the team Nimal!
I’m Nimal and I am new to the cybersecurity world having studied Economics & Finance previously and worked in various finance roles in the private and public sector.
I decided to change careers after working in technology in the audio-visual industry so I pursued the MSc Computing at Cardiff University and have now joined Awen Collective on the university placement student scheme.I’m looking forward to applying both my previous financial experience and learning new technical skills in the industrial cybersecurity world.
In my spare time I like to keep fit by setting myself various endurance challenges every year in the gym, on the rowing machine or in the current environment – running. I am also trying to get through as many audiobooks as possible whilst I complete my latest challenge – 1000 miles of running in a year!
Introducing Tom Fletcher-Jones
As a result of our continued success here at Awen Collective, three new team members joined us in June 2021: Abinash, Nimal and Tom.
Read on to discover more about Tom. Profiles for Nimal and Abinash will follow in the coming days, so check back soon!
Welcome to the team Tom!
Hi, my name is Tom Fletcher-Jones, and I have joined Awen Collective as UX and UI Lead, although I'll be getting my hands dirty with all creative across the business.
I have been working on digital products for about 16 years now, previously agency side. I love tech, and I've relished the opportunities I've had to work with really interesting tech start-ups. I'm really excited to begin my journey with Awen Collective and get fully embedded in our products.
I have a lot of design and production experience from my years in the industry, so I'm going to be getting involved with a little bit of everything creative at Awen including brand, marketing, video, and of course the amazing products themselves. I'm really looking forward to getting stuck in.
Outside of work my Wife and I are parents to 2 amazing young people. As a family we all love camping, walking, and spending time at the beach. I'm a Cornishman, so beaching is obligatory. In my down time I love to play music. I'm not very good at it, but I think enthusiasm counts for a lot! I like to play computer games, but don't often get the time these days, and I dabble in creating my own in Unity.
Meet the Team - 2019
Twiglet supporting Wales to their first Rugby World Cup game win against Georgia @ Awen HQ
September at Awen Collective brings lots of excitement, with the rugby World Cup, the upcoming first BSides Cymru, and the addition of three new members to our tech team!
Our newest members of the Awen Tech Team - Seren, Jamie & Lara
Seren and Jamie join us as graduate software developers from Cardiff University, where they both completed their Computer Science degrees this summer. Lara is joining us part-way through her Computer Science degree at Cardiff University, undertaking her placement year at Awen as an Analyst/Developer.
Lara is very outgoing and helps maintain the great atmosphere at Awen HQ. She is very passionate about being zero waste/plastic free and has already helped us to make changes to reduce our plastic waste. One of Lara's biggest achievements is cycling 900 miles from the south of France along the coast back to England! Lara is also a very keen gym goer - her aims for the next year include gaining an insight into the cyber security industry, and getting totally shredded 💪.
Jamie honed skills in Parallel Computing and Forensics during their time at Cardiff. When not working on our Dot software, Jamie has a passion for video games, branching into the development scene recently through Game Jam competitions 🕹️. Jamie also has a love of languages and is studying Korean and French in their spare time.
With her passion for cyber-security, and looking to gain new skills and diversify her knowledge, Seren was keen to join our unique small company culture at Awen Collective. Her motivation is to develop leading-edge technologies to benefit people, organisations and customers to make their lives easier. Outside of work, Seren enjoys Zumba, travel, photography, walking in the Welsh hills and baking 🧁. The entire Awen team is highly supportive of Seren’s baking skills, especially when her brownies make it into Awen HQ for a tasting!
We were lucky enough during the summer to also have Volkan join Team Awen as our Business Development & Marketing Manager. His extensive background in growing revenues using his sales and marketing skills will certainly supercharge our future plans at Awen. In his spare time, Volkan is a keen photographer, and kindly took many of the photos you see on this page! 📷
Whilst the influx of some brilliant new faces at Awen is a great reason to celebrate - we must also offer our congratulations and thanks to Paige and Ollie. Both joined Awen in September 2018 and spent a fantastic year as Analyst/Developers for their placement year as part of their Computer Science degree course at Cardiff University. We’d like to thank them for all their great work over the last year - their input has made a huge impact on the company and their legacy will continue as they return to complete their degrees. We wish them all the best with their academic endeavours. 🎓🍻
One final new face at Awen - our Employee Well-being Consultant Twiglet has an Apprentice of her own - Elsie! Elsie has settled into office life at Awen well (with only a few accidents along the way 😳💩) and is certainly excelling at her role of maximising happiness among Team Awen.
Do you like what you see here? We’re not currently hiring for any specific positions at Awen - but if you fancy a blog post all of your own (plus benefits including working with some amazing colleagues and two energetic Spaniels) drop us a line at careers@awencollective.com and let us know why you’d be the best new member of Team Awen!