BTO associate appointed director of Scottish Business Resilience Centre

Laura Irvine, a criminal solicitor advocate and associate in BTO’s data protection defence team, has been appointed as a director of the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC).

Ms Irvine is a regulatory lawyer with experience of all aspects of the criminal justice system and a Masters degree in human rights law.

The SBRC receives contributions and secondments from police, government, banks, and investors, and aims to create a secure environment for businesses to trade and prosper, encompassing everything from premises and employee safety to cyber security.

Ms Irvine’s role on the SBRC board will mean she is involved in decision-making as well as supporting and promoting its business streams.

These include cyber-crime, specifically targeting SMEs and developing connections with industry, promoting the Scottish government’s Cyber Resilience Strategy; Best Bar None, a campaign to make the night time economy a safer place; and the Anti-Illicit Trade Group, which tackles counterfeit and illicit trade by highlighting its dangers and impact.

Paul Motion, partner and civil solicitor advocate and head of BTO’s data protection defence team, said: “Laura’s involvement at senior level with a respected cyber security organisation such as SBRC is fantastic news for our team. Data protection and cyber security are arguably just two sides of the same card.

“We are currently the only advocacy team in the UK which has successfully appealed a data protection fine. That appeal showed what a potent yet cost effective combination a civil and criminal Solicitor Advocate pairing could be in this area of law.

“Laura’s appointment to SBRC’s board should be just what BTO’s clients want to hear at a time when information security is rarely out of the news.”

Ms Irvine added: “I was very honoured to be asked by the CEO Mandy Haeburn-Little to join her prestigious team and I am very enthusiastic about being part of, and promoting, the great work that the centre does in Scotland.”