Mark Smith
Director of Information Security & IT @Thesis Sm
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WORK HISTORY
Director of Information Security & IT @Thesis Sm
Accountable for enterprise information security, technology risk, and IT across a PE-backed SaaS platform. Operating effectively as a CISO in practice, with responsibility for cyber risk posture, regulatory compliance, incident response, and board-level risk reporting, alongside ownership of cloud infrastructure and IT operations where this supports commercial outcomes.Work closely with executive leadership, product, engineering, and enterprise customers to ensure services are secure, resilient, and aligned with business risk appetite and growth objectives. Advise SLT and Board on risk acceptance, security investment, and regulatory exposure.Selected outcomes:• Led cloud transformation from legacy platforms to Azure PaaS, improving scalability and operational resilience while materially reducing infrastructure cost and risk.• Defined and embedded an ISO 27001-aligned information security and risk management framework, strengthening governance, audit readiness, and customer confidence.• Integrated security and risk controls into engineering workflows, enabling secure CI/CD without constraining delivery velocity.• Established security awareness and phishing simulation programmes, delivering measurable reductions in user-driven risk.• Modernised endpoint security and data protection using Microsoft 365 E5, improving detection and incident response capability.• Owned vendor selection and renewal strategy with a focus on cost control, resilience, and third-party risk management.• Designed and implemented improved backup, recovery, and resilience controls, increasing confidence in business continuity outcomes.• Primary point of contact for customer security assurance, supporting due diligence, audits, and enterprise customer reviews.
EDUCATION
Sheffield Hallam University
Foundation degree, IT Networking
ABOUT MARK SMITH
IT & Information Security Leadership | SaaS & Cloud Risk | Security, Compliance & AssuranceI own technology and information security risk for SaaS and cloud-first organisations, helping leadership teams make informed decisions on security, resilience, and compliance as the business scales. With over 20 years’ experience across regulated enterprise environments and high-growth platforms, my focus is building trust, reducing material risk, and ensuring security enables growth rather than constrains it.I operate at executive and Board level, providing clear, pragmatic insight into risk posture, control maturity, and investment priorities, and advising on risk acceptance, incident response, and security trade-offs. I remain close to delivery, bridging strategy and execution across IT operations, cloud platforms, and engineering teams.My background includes leading and developing IT and security functions, designing resilient cloud and Microsoft 365 environments, delivering ISO 27001 and SOC 2 programmes, managing GDPR and third-party risk, and embedding security into modern engineering and CI/CD practices without slowing delivery.CISM certified, with a practical, outcomes-focused approach to information security, risk management, and technology leadership.
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