Northern Ireland’s business leaders have been urged to take greater responsibility for cyber security at a major new industry event hosted by Leaf IT in collaboration with Belfast Chamber.
The call to action was delivered at Belfast Cyber Expo 2026, held at the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park and attended by over 150 delegates. Under the theme Securing the Future: AI, Risk & Resilience, the inaugural Expo brought together business leaders, IT professionals and cyber security specialists to examine the rapidly evolving threat landscape and the governance challenges emerging alongside accelerated artificial intelligence adoption.
Clare Guinness, CEO at Belfast Chamber, commented:
“Across many organisations cyber security has been treated as the sole preserve of IT departments, but safeguarding a business against digital threats is a responsibility that must be owned at leadership level.
“Events such as this provide an essential platform for collaboration, knowledge-sharing and practical guidance, ensuring that Northern Ireland businesses are equipped to operate securely and competitively in an increasingly complex digital world.”
Recent statistics highlighted at the Expo reflect the urgency of the issue. Global ransomware attacks increased by 43% year-on-year, while phishing attacks rose by 1,200% in 2025, driven largely by AI-powered social engineering tactics, according to the World Economic Forum. Closer to home, the UK Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025 found that 43% of businesses and 30% of charities experienced a cyber security breach or attack in the past 12 months.
At the same time, AI adoption has surged to 88% among Northern Ireland businesses, raising significant governance and risk considerations. Despite this widespread uptake, 62% of organisations have no formal AI usage policy in place, and 30% actively encourage staff to experiment with freely available AI tools, contributing to the growth of so-called “shadow AI” practices.
Alongside keynote presentations, the Expo featured hands-on product demonstrations, specialist breakout sessions and structured networking opportunities, each designed to provide practical, actionable insight to strengthen security posture and embed more robust AI governance frameworks.
Andrew Johnston, Managing Director at Leaf IT, added:
“Our objective in hosting this inaugural Expo was to bring global expertise to Northern Ireland and provide businesses with clear, practical steps they can take to manage risk effectively.
“The level of engagement on the day demonstrated that organisations recognise the urgency of this issue and are committed to strengthening their approach to cybersecurity.”
