Fergus Hay

Founder, Chief Executive Officer The Hacking Games

Fergus Hay is a leading global voice on cybersecurity, digital psychology and Gen Z culture. As founder and CEO of The Hacking Games—launched in 2023—he is reshaping the future of cyber talent by redirecting teens from cybercrime to careers in ethical hacking. By 2025, the platform had reached over 20,000 young people and formed partnerships with education networks across 38 Co-op Academy schools in the UK. Through gamified simulation, AI-based aptitude mapping (HAPTAI), and entertainment-led outreach, Fergus tackles one of the defining challenges of the digital age: cybercrime projected to exceed $10.5 trillion annually, while millions of cybersecurity roles remain unfilled. His work reframes security not as a technical issue, but as a cultural and generational opportunity. Fergus brings senior leadership experience from his tenure as Worldwide Managing Director at Ogilvy & Mather (2014–2017) and CEO of Leagas Delaney (2017–2020), where he led global brand strategy for multinationals including Unilever, Coca-Cola, Diageo, Uber, and Barclays. As co-founder of Elysian Fields, he advises high-growth technology companies on marketing, cyber risk culture and organisational resilience. A trusted media voice, Fergus regularly appears on BBC World News, Sky News, NBC, and is featured in The Financial Times, The Times and The Sunday Times. In 2025, he spoke at the 5th Annual Advances in Cyber Security Education Conference at Warwick University and was profiled by Website Planet for his pioneering work in building a Gen Z cyber workforce. Fergus is a dynamic and insightful keynote speaker who equips business leaders, educators and policymakers with the tools to build cyber-savvy cultures—and to identify and harness unconventional talent for the future of security.