Cartwright Live: Five key takeaways from our Cybersecurity Month special

As Cybersecurity Month draws to a close, we take a look back at our recent Cartwright Live event in Nottingham where our expert panel discussed how to approach the technical and communications fallout around phishing attacks. 

Alongside contributions from the agency’s client care director and crisis comms expert Addie Kenogbon-Harley and Mason Infotech’s head of client services Harry Mason, Cartwright’s Alex Jones also shared a digital marketing update, as well as a keynote on the future of search. 

Here’s five key takeaways from the second Cartwright Live: 

1. It’s “when”, not “if” a cybersecurity incident occurs 
   “Stats show that 60% of SMEs had some form of cybersecurity incident in 2024, and I’d be willing to bet that number will be larger for 2025. Preparation and communication are absolutely vital to ensuring that any attack is identified and handled correctly, so this needs to be front of mind for all businesses looking to mitigate the risks” – Harry Mason
2. People are the weakest link 
   “You can have the best tech stack on the market but in the vast majority of cases, cybersecurity incidents stem from someone clicking a link in an email, so it’s vital that every member of your team – no matter how senior – is trained on security best practices. It’s not about apportioning blame - it's about upskilling and ensuring your team is up to date with the latest training.” – Harry Mason
3. Good crisis comms is about preparation, timeliness and facts 
   “Cyber-attacks can hit any business at any time, and when they do, it’s about ensuring you have a robust comms plan in place. However, knowing when, who and how to communicate the news to all relevant parties is crucial. If handled incorrectly a cyber-attack can erode trust with customers and stakeholders which can have a long-lasting impact on a brand, something that can be difficult to come back from. It's important to have an agreed process that includes internal comms as well as external comms, making sure you communicate the news to external parties as soon as you know the facts and the potential impact to them. Then, it’s about dealing in facts not fear, with clear, concise language that’s human, reassures and maintains trust.” - Addie Kenogbon-Harley
4. Make your content easy for machines (but unforgettable for humans) 
   “Search is no longer just about ranking - it’s about relevance in the age of AI. Visibility now means being cited, not just clicked, and the brands that succeed will be those who make it easy for machines to understand them, but impossible for humans to forget.” – Alex Jones
5. Think in questions, not queries 
   “The proliferation of AI and GPTs means that we’ve entered the era of Generative Engine Optimisation. Success means thinking in questions, not keywords; clarity, not clicks. When your brand earns trust and authority through strong PR, structured data, and authentic content, you’re not just found - you’re remembered.” – Alex Jones 

Cartwright Live host Tom Snee said: “These events are designed to create the conversations that matter to growing businesses, and the topics of cybersecurity and digital marketing are front and centre for many SMEs, challenger brands and startups. One theme that was central to both conversations was the idea of people being at the heart of the issue – be that as the first line of defence for phishing or as the one typing away into ChatGPT or CoPilot. From the conversations in the room, it was clear that whether you’re in B2B or B2C, it all boils down to person-to-person.” 

October’s Cartwright Live was sponsored by Mason Infotech, hosted by Hexa Consulting and supported by Huma Mian, Ioana Batcu and Akeela Zahair.