Ben joined Sage Group as Global CISO in 2018, after 16 years in the UK public sector. Sage is the UK’s largest technology company and the world’s leading provider of integrated accounting, payroll and payments systems to entrepreneurs and small and medium businesses. As the functional leader for Sage’s global information and cyber security organisation, Ben is accountable for the design and execution of the Group’s cyber security strategy. He has overall responsibility for the security of Sage’s global technology estate and customer-facing products and services for over 2 million customers in 23 countries. This includes market-leading cloud products for Europe, the Americas and AMEA, built on the AWS, Azure and Salesforce platforms.

Following a career in national security, Ben left public service as Deputy Government Chief Security Officer, based in the Cabinet Office. Ben was responsible for all aspects of protective security policy and coordination across 48 government departments and over 400,000 civil servants. Ben’s remit included cyber security, personnel security, counterterrorism, counter espionage and investigation of major breaches, including contravention of the Official Secrets Act. While in government Ben worked within UK’s crisis response apparatus (COBR) and was involved in numerous national incidents, including the 2017 WannaCry outbreak.

As a sought-after speaker and security thought leader, I am respected for pioneering the creation and implementation of global information security strategies, best-in-class frameworks, and risk and compliance infrastructures for high-profile, multibillion-dollar companies across the US, UK, and EU. Known throughout the intelligence community as an SME, I am able to steer large-scale security transformations, craft innovative security operations, forensics, and threat intelligence strategies, and provide vision to ensure the safety and security of data, information, and assets for high-value entities. My history of generating millions of dollars for my employers while garnering repeat speaking engagements demonstrates my value to any organization.

I am recognized and respected as a leader in Security Operations on both sides of the Atlantic, having designed and implemented security operational and threat response capabilities since before the advent of SIEM technologies, for some of the largest government and multi-national organizations in the world.

Professional and motivated leader who has worked primarily in the Defence sector across air, land and sea environments. Skillset includes:

• Experience in managing large budgets and meeting spending constraints within Defence estates.
• Well versed in managing large scale projects and bridging gaps between the Defence sector and civilian counterparts.
• Extremely capable of working remotely either individually or as part of a large team.
• Capable of working under intense pressure and still delivering results