Adam Pilton

Adam Pilton is a cyber security keynote speaker, advisor and former Detective Sergeant with 15 years of frontline law enforcement experience. Known as ‘The Cyber Detective’, Adam led cyber-crime and covert operations teams, investigated serious offences and helped bring cyber criminals to justice. His greatest achievement is turning that rare investigative experience into practical guidance that helps business leaders understand cyber risk, respond to incidents and make confident security decisions.

Adam began his career as a Police Constable with Hampshire Constabulary in 2007, where he developed strong skills in investigation, communication, evidence gathering and risk management. He later joined Dorset Police and progressed to become a Detective Sergeant, taking responsibility for specialist teams covering digital capabilities, covert authorities and communications data investigations. During his policing career, Adam investigated and supervised hundreds of cases, examined complex digital evidence, supported victims of cyber-crime and presented criminal cases in court. His professional development included specialist qualifications in serious and complex investigations, cyber-crime, cryptocurrency, communications data and digital media investigation. He also achieved a CMI Level 4 Certificate in Police First Line Management, reflecting his experience in leadership, decision making and operational management.

After leaving policing, Adam moved into commercial cyber security and built a career spanning consultancy, education, auditing and advisory work. He became a Cyber Security Consultant at Cyber Chain Alliance, before joining CyberSmart as a Senior Cyber Security Consultant. In 2025, he was appointed Cyber Security Advisor at Heimdal Security, where he supports organisations with cyber awareness, risk reduction and security decision making. Adam has also worked as an Industry Educator for CompTIA and an Industry Education Instructor for GTIA, helping professionals and business leaders better understand the changing cyber threat landscape. In 2026, he became Co-Founder of The Cyber Detective, providing keynote talks, executive awareness sessions and cyber security training. His qualifications include CompTIA Security+, Cyber Essentials Assessor, Cyber Essentials Plus Assessor, Vulnerability Assessment Plus and AWS Cloud Practitioner. Adam has spoken at prominent events including CYBERUK, ISE Europe, the National Cyber Security Show, the Managed Services Summit and CompTIA conferences. His expertise has also been featured by Forbes, Computer Weekly, TechRadar, Business Reporter, The Daily Mail, The Standard and The Sun.

Adam is hired by organisations that want cyber security to feel relevant, understandable and actionable. His talks replace technical jargon with real investigations, human stories and practical lessons that audiences can apply within their own businesses. Signature keynotes such as ‘Saved by Seconds’, ‘The IT Manager Who Hacked the Boss’ and ‘Inside Cyber Crime Gangs’ explore crisis decision making, insider threats, criminal behaviour, leadership responsibility and organisational resilience. Adam shows audiences what happens behind the scenes of genuine cyber-crime investigations, how criminals exploit weaknesses and what organisations can do to prepare. With credible experience, engaging storytelling and clear commercial insight, Adam equips leaders and teams to recognise threats earlier, respond more effectively and build stronger cyber security cultures.