SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Tes has appointed Ali Nazarboland as Vice President of Engineering as it expands its Tes360 platform for schools and trusts.

Nazarboland joins the education technology group with more than 20 years of engineering leadership experience across financial technology, payments, insurance, the public sector and other regulated industries. He will lead Tes’s engineering function as the company develops its wider technology platform.

His appointment strengthens the senior leadership team as Tes places greater emphasis on Tes360, a connected platform designed to bring together information used by schools and multi-academy trusts. The product is intended to address problems caused by disconnected systems and help staff turn data into action.

Before joining Tes, Nazarboland oversaw global engineering teams of more than 350 engineers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the US and Asia-Pacific. His background includes scaling engineering organisations and modernising legacy technology systems.

Tes360 focus

Tes has been broadening its technology offering across the education sector, with software and services covering timetabling, special educational needs and disabilities provision, behaviour management, staff wellbeing, parents’ evenings, recruitment and professional development. Tes360 sits at the centre of that strategy, linking information across those functions.

The company, which has operated in education for more than a century, has sought to combine software products with editorial and sector insight through Tes Magazine. The latest leadership appointment suggests engineering remains central to that plan as schools and trusts seek clearer oversight across multiple systems.

Rod Williams, Chief Executive Officer at Tes, said: “Ali brings a combination of technical expertise and leadership experience to Tes. As we continue to scale Tes360, it’s vital that we have strong engineering leadership that can combine strategic thinking with deep technical understanding. What stood out about Ali is his passion for education and the opportunity to contribute to work that has a genuine societal impact.”

Sector background

Nazarboland’s career has spanned sectors where large engineering estates and regulation often shape product and infrastructure decisions. That experience is relevant to education technology, where suppliers are under pressure to integrate systems more effectively while giving school leaders access to information spread across administrative, pastoral and teaching functions.

For Tes, the appointment also reflects the operational demands of expanding a platform used by institutions managing large volumes of pupil, staff and school performance data. In that context, engineering leadership can influence how quickly products are updated, how legacy systems are connected and how consistently services run across different markets.

Williams said the appointment formed part of a broader technology investment, with Tes continuing to expand Tes360 and its wider education ecosystem as it seeks to deepen its software relationships with schools and trusts.

Nazarboland said the company’s stage of development and its education focus were key factors in his decision to join. “Tes is entering an important phase in its journey, and the opportunity to be part of that is a major draw for me. Throughout my career I’ve worked across a variety of sectors, but being able to apply technology in a way that has a meaningful impact on education and young people is particularly rewarding. I’m looking forward to working with the team to continue building scalable, high-performing engineering capabilities that support Tes’ ambitions.”

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

The UK Government has set out plans for a Cyber Security and Resilience Bill and new voluntary digital identity initiatives, following King Charles’s outline of forthcoming digital legislation in his parliamentary address.

The legislation is expected to be a central part of the Government’s cyber strategy. The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will sit alongside a push to increase business take-up of a new Cyber Resilience Pledge and continued work on digital identity services such as GOV.UK One Login.

Legal and industry figures said the package underlined a sustained focus on cyber risk across critical infrastructure, public services and private enterprise. They also warned that businesses should prepare for tighter expectations around governance, reporting and cryptography.

Mark Bailey, Partner at International Law Firm Charles Russell Speechlys, said pressing ahead with the Bill aligned with long-standing policy priorities.

“This inclusion is important but perhaps unsurprising, given that the Government has consistently treated the Bill as a key part of its wider cyber policy agenda. It shows that ministers remain focused on strengthening the UK’s cyber resilience, particularly around critical infrastructure, supply chains and the cyber integrity of individual businesses. Businesses should expect more detailed guidance as the Bill progresses, along with greater scrutiny of incident reporting, governance and supply chain security.”

Mike Baxter, President and Chief Technology and Product Officer at digital security firm Entrust, said the reference to digital identity in the King’s address signalled a further phase in the rollout of online identification systems for citizens.

“We can expect to see the development and deployment of new voluntary digital identity initiatives following the King’s comments today. To succeed, these systems must build trust and, crucially, be designed to work for everyone. GOV.UK One Login provides a strong foundation, but the next step is to ensure any scheme is genuinely voluntary, privacy-first and transparently governed. Only by getting these fundamentals right will digital ID make people’s lives meaningfully easier and more secure.”

“It is encouraging to hear the King restate the Government’s commitment to improving the UK’s defences against cybersecurity threats. However, the upcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill must go beyond traditional measures to create stronger incentives for post-quantum readiness, including publishing clear cryptographic standards and timelines for compliance.”

Alongside the Bill, the Government is urging organisations to sign a voluntary Cyber Resilience Pledge. The scheme calls for board-level oversight of cyber risk, wider adoption of the Cyber Governance Code of Practise, use of the National Cyber Security Centre’s Cyber Governance Training for directors, registration for the NCSC Early Warning service, and Cyber Essentials certification across supply chains.

Signatories must also encourage similar steps among their suppliers and publish a signed declaration on their websites. Officials see the measure as a way to set clear minimum expectations for organisational resilience and create a more consistent security standard across sectors.

Katharina Sommer, Director of Government Affairs and Analyst Relations at NCC Group, said the pledge was already gaining traction across industries.

“The Cyber Resilience Pledge is one of several strands the UK Government is pursuing to increase business engagement, particularly at senior management level, with cyber resilience. While voluntary, it appears to be attracting cross-sector interest. Organisations are engaging with the pledge to ensure they can meaningfully meet commitments that largely continue the UK Government’s recent guidance on what good looks like: the Cyber Governance Code of Practise to strengthen organisational resilience, uptake of Cyber Essentials across supply chains, and sign-up to the NCSC’s Early Warning Service to improve economy-wide awareness and preparedness as the threat landscape evolves.”

“Becoming a named signatory could become a visible sign that organisations take cyber resilience seriously and, over time, a competitive differentiator as awareness of cyber risk grows. There will always be debate over whether initiatives like this are too prescriptive or too high-level, but if a majority of organisations implement the pledge’s elements, we are likely to make progress in raising the cyber resilience baseline as they mature and develop the capability to take more tailored approaches. What the pledge demonstrates, in any case, is that the UK Government is now setting out very clear expectations for how it wants organisations to approach cyber resilience.”

Aardman animations is coming to Westgate shopping centre this month on Tuesday, May 26 and Wednesday, May 27.

Westgate Oxford’s PLUS+ members will be the first to access tickets for the shops.

The Bristol-based animation studio is known for Shaun the Sheep, Chicken Run, Wallace and Gromit, and Flushed Away.

Visitors to the shopping centre can enjoy the official clay-modelling workshops during the half-term weekend.

READ MORE: Oxfordshire group to protest in London this weekend

The trail combines interactive Augmented Reality (AR), and on-site ‘hide and sheep’ elements. (Image: Aardman Animations LTD)

The company is also running an augmented reality free Shaun the Sheep trail all month.

Guest are invited to hunt down nine places throughout the Westgate, each unlocking an interactive scene.

Families on the free adventure with ‘Shaun the Sheep: Fun with the Flock’, can see many characters of the show in 3D.

To participate in the Shaun the Sheep A.R. trail, guests will need to download the ‘Fun with the Flock’ app and enter the location code 2410, either in advance or on site.

They can then pick up the free trail map and headband from the information desk next to JD Sports.

Those who complete the trail will get a sticker prize, while adults also have the chance to win a £100 John Lewis gift card when signing up to PLUS+; Westgate Oxford’s free reward programme.

Families can also pick up free Shaun the Sheep colouring sheets from Guest Services every weekend.