Victoria Baines

Victoria Baines is one of the UK's most respected voices in online trust, safety and cybersecurity, known for translating complex digital threats into clear, practical insight. A former Professor of IT at Gresham College and previously Facebook's Trust & Safety Manager for EMEA and strategy lead at Europol's European Cybercrime Centre, she has shaped how governments and global organisations respond to cybercrime. Her current research explores cybercrime futures, geopolitics and the relationships between cybersecurity and national security, with new publications planned through 2027. Victoria empowers audiences to navigate digital risks with confidence, equipping leaders and teams with the foresight and understanding needed to protect their organisations in an evolving threat landscape.

When Victoria Baines stepped into Facebook's Trust & Safety team as Manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, she took on one of the most complex challenges in digital safety: protecting billions of users across diverse regions from criminal activity online. That role, combined with her leadership of the Strategy team at Europol's European Cybercrime Centre, positioned her at the forefront of global efforts to understand and combat evolving cyber threats. Her work designing Europe's flagship cybercrime threat assessment and authoring Projects 2020 and 2030, which explored future security scenarios and inspired award-winning films, established her as a strategic thinker whose insights shape how governments and organisations anticipate digital risk.

Victoria's expertise is grounded in years of operational experience analysing serious organised crime, beginning with her career in law enforcement in 2005. Recognised globally in 2008 with an award for outstanding achievement in intelligence analysis, she has since advised international bodies including Interpol, UNICEF, the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and the European Commission. As former Professor of IT at Gresham College, she delivered public lectures that made complex topics such as internet governance, fake news, and digital inclusion accessible to everyday audiences. Her research now focuses on cybercrime futures, geopolitics, and the relationships between cybersecurity and national security, with new publications planned through 2027. She is also the author of Rhetoric of Insecurity, a book that blends classical insight with modern analysis to explore why security narratives feel urgent and divisive. A regular contributor to BBC Newsnight, Radio 4, Sky News, and CNN, and a familiar voice on the BBC's Infinite Monkey Cage podcast, Victoria has been named one of the top 25 women in cybersecurity and holds fellowships from Oxford, Cambridge, and Stanford.

Victoria equips audiences with the foresight and practical understanding needed to navigate an evolving threat landscape. Whether speaking to business leaders, policymakers, or the general public, she translates emerging risks into clear, actionable strategies that protect organisations and empower confident decision-making. Her ability to demystify digital ethics, cybercrime, and technologies such as artificial intelligence and extended reality ensures that audiences leave with more than awareness: they gain the tools to respond effectively to real-world challenges. Through her speaking, research, and media work, Victoria creates lasting impact by helping people and organisations not only understand the digital world but also shape a safer, more inclusive future within it.