A UK cyber security company that works with critical national infrastructure. Its Bridewell Academy is an 18-month entry-level programme for people starting a cyber career.
Bridewell is a UK cyber security company that helps organisations defend themselves against hackers. It offers consultancy, managed security (watching a customer's systems around the clock), data privacy, penetration testing (ethical hacking, where experts try to break in so weaknesses can be fixed) and round-the-clock incident response. Its clients include organisations that run critical national infrastructure, the services a country relies on.
Anthony Young founded Bridewell in 2013, and Scott Nicholson joined as co-chief executive in 2015. A company release marking its 10-year anniversary in February 2023 gave its headquarters as Reading, and said it had opened a US office in Houston, Texas, in 2022. It also reported a team of over 200 security experts and said it became the first carbon-negative cyber security firm in the UK in 2022. Its current board, as listed on its website, includes chief executive Anthony Young, chief technology officer Martin Riley, chief commercial officer Ben Vaughan, chief financial officer Ruth Billen and chief operating officer Sam Thornton.
Bridewell states its mission as "to transform and protect critical business functions by delivering modern cyber security services", and its vision as "to create a safe, inclusive digital world where people and organisations can thrive". It has three values: Do the Right Thing (authentic, professional, accountable), One Team (energetic, empathetic, an extension of clients' teams) and Above & Beyond (exceptional, adaptable, expert service).
Its work is organised into consulting (cloud security, governance, risk and data privacy), managed security (24/7 monitoring from its Security Operations Centre, digital forensics and incident response) and offensive security (penetration testing). It says it holds ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and ISO 9001 certifications (international quality and security standards) and operates to ISO 22301 standards.
For young people, the Bridewell Academy is one of the clearest UK entry routes into cyber. It is an 18-month fixed-term programme: about three months of training and induction, then about 15 months of delivery work, and graduates usually move into permanent roles. There are nine pathways across consulting, managed security and offensive security, including penetration testing, security operations, digital forensics and governance, risk and compliance. Candidates need a cyber security degree or equivalent, or a cyber-focused training course or bootcamp. Because of the clearance needed, they must be a UK national or have lived in the UK for at least five years. Two cohorts run each year; the cohort we saw opened applications on 1 July 2026. Academy roles have been listed in London, though Bridewell's own pages do not give a full list of offices.
Website: www.bridewell.com
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