Portsmouth: The UK’s underrated technical talent hub?
Seb Pana, Insignis Talent’s Lead Recruitment Consultant for all things cyber, looks at the future of the industry as it pertains to his hometown of Portsmouth. More traditionally known for its rich maritime history, Seb sees a not-too-distant future for the city as a renowned hub of technical talent, innovative cyber start-ups and digital consultancies.
Is Portsmouth a naval town? Or somewhere people commute from?
I’d argue both views are now outdated. If you spend any time in the local cyber, defence, gaming, data or engineering ecosystem, you’ll quickly realise the real issue isn’t capability. It’s visibility.
And that matters. The UK is at a point where sovereign capability, growth and technical resilience are no longer abstract policy goals. They are economic and national security priorities.
Not all roads lead to London
Something I’ve believed for a while is that the UK cannot build a resilient, high-growth, tech-enabled economy if everything continues to funnel into London.
At Insignis, I work with cyber companies in Portsmouth, alongside digital transformation specialists and defence-focused technology consultancies. I see first-hand the depth of talent and delivery capability that exists here.
Portsmouth is uniquely placed, both geographically and strategically:
- Close enough to London to access capital and customers
- Low enough cost base to build sustainable businesses
- Deep links into defence, maritime, energy and critical infrastructure
- A growing community of technically grounded talent, founders and operators
Hybrid working has only accelerated this shift. Talent is no longer tied to a single city. Portsmouth has been building a regional ecosystem under the radar. It’s time to start talking about it.
A practical, delivery-focused talent pipeline
One of Portsmouth’s biggest strengths is its grounding in real-world systems.
The University of Portsmouth continues to produce strong graduates across cyber, computing, engineering and data. Alongside this, the region benefits from apprenticeships, defence transition talent, and professionals experienced in regulated and high-stakes environments.
I reached Penny Mordaunt, former MP for Portsmouth North, for her view. She said: “Portsmouth is a great place to base a business. The addition of the University Technical College I worked to set up is one of a number of initiatives seeking to meet the future demand for technical skills. We have worked hard at this, but there is always more to do.”
Mordaunt held several senior ministerial roles, including Secretary of State for Defence and Leader of the House of Commons. She was widely regarded as a respected Conservative MP and a serious leadership contender. Her focus on skills, industry and regional growth reflected a broader recognition that technical ecosystems outside London matter.
Portsmouth’s tech momentum is real
Cyber security, OT and critical infrastructure talent here is growing quickly. Gaming and immersive tech are feeding into simulation and defence. Applied data and AI work is grounded in operational environments. Advanced engineering and maritime expertise provide depth that complements the UK’s wider industrial strategy.
If you’re a founder, come and see what’s happening here before defaulting to London.
If you’re an investor, remember that the best talent isn’t always where the loudest noise is.
If you’re in government, regional tech hubs aren’t a talking point. They’re part of national security and economic growth.
And if you’re technical talent in Portsmouth, stay ambitious. You don’t need to leave to build something meaningful. The capability is already here. The momentum just needs fuel.