Mark Ward
Senior Research Analyst
Mark Ward is a Senior Research Analyst at the ISF who has been lead author on the last two editions of the flagship Threat Horizon report.
Mark has also provided guidance on the emergence of next-generation CISOs and is currently investigating how to make information security governance more engaged and effective.
Before joining the ISF, Mark worked as a journalist for a variety of mainstream publications including the Daily Telegraph and New Scientist. He spent 20 years at the BBC covering technology news for the corporation’s website. During that stint in the newsroom, he cultivated a strong interest in all aspects of cyber security – its history, practice and its increasingly criminal focus. That knowledge has been augmented with an understanding of how information security is practiced and the gumption and grit required to help organisations prosper spite of the cyber threats ranged against them.
One key realisation during his time at the ISF has been understanding how information security is as much about people as it is about policies, processes or technology. He finds real satisfaction in finding practitioners who are doing great work within their organisation, are pioneering new approaches or leading from the front. It’s a privilege to help them win recognition, share their insights across the industry and advance the state of the art in security.
