Britain’s software companies run the accounting, data, and operational systems that millions of businesses and public services rely on every day, so a breach at one of them can spread far beyond its own walls. The four CISOs below protect some of the country’s most important software makers, and their careers span continents and sectors. One helped lead IT for the Pan American Games in Rio before building a global security career in London. Another maintained security for a NATO headquarters in Kandahar during his years with Tier 1 British military units. A third served as the Bank of England’s industry chair of its Cyber Coordination Group, and a fourth has held five consecutive CISO roles at identity, mobility, and enterprise software companies.
Gustavo Zeidan – EVP & Global CISO, Sage
Gustavo Zeidan began as a security consultant at Unisys and Modulo Security Solutions, whose work was recognised by Microsoft as the world’s best risk management solution, then led the information security and IT governance consulting practice at Atos Origin, which IDG named best security consulting company. Along the way he led newly created management positions on complex IT projects, including the XV Pan American Games in Rio in 2007, and was a finalist for personality of the year in Brazilian technology magazine Info Exame. After moving to London, he worked in information security at Visa Europe and EY, led security at Sage Pay, and served as CTO of Vijilan Security in Miami. Zeidan returned to Sage in 2016 as global director of information security, became vice president in 2019, and has served as EVP and Global CISO since November 2022. He spoke at the OECD’s 2025 webinar on SME digital security in the age of AI and holds CISSP, CISA, and PMP certifications.
Graeme Cantu-Park – CIO & CISO, Matillion
Graeme Cantu-Park built his career in IT and security operations with Tier 1 British military units. He led a 30-person team delivering satellite communications into countries at 24 hours’ notice, maintained physical and information security for a NATO headquarters in Kandahar, and served as deputy head of IT for a 140-person department supporting one of the Army’s foremost regiments. He went on to lead deployable IT for NATO in Belgium and serve as principal cyber advisor to a Ministry of Defence cyber research unit. In the commercial sector, he led information security at Santander-backed fintech Asto and built The Hut Group’s global security operations function from scratch, growing it from 2 to 14 people in six months. He also founded CyberCircle, linking security experts with charities and schools for free advice. Cantu-Park joined data software company Matillion as CISO in 2020 and became CIO and CISO in February 2026, leading a 30-person data, IT, and security team across five regions. He is a keynote speaker on AI adoption, data security, and mental resilience.
Simon Riggs – CISO, OneAdvanced
Simon Riggs began as a senior business analyst at PepsiCo before spending 13 years at Thomson Reuters, moving from principal technology auditor in London and New York to global head of IT governance, risk and compliance and then global head of IT security. As managing director and regional CISO for EMEA at Bank of America for nine years, he served as the industry chair of the Bank of England’s Cyber Coordination Group and chair of CPNI’s Financial Services Information Exchange. He then took on a series of interim leadership roles, leading Avon’s enterprise-wide cyber transformation after a material security event, managing the cyber elements of McKesson UK’s carve-out, and serving as interim chief security officer for John Lewis and Waitrose. Riggs joined OneAdvanced as CISO in 2023, securing software behind 1.5 million NHS 111 calls a month, more than 2 million further education learners, and over 10 million wills. He was named to the CISO Power 100 Class of 2025.
Miles Hutchinson – CISO, IFS
Miles Hutchinson spent his early career as an information security consultant and risk management consultant for ABN AMRO, Fidelity International, IBM, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and QinetiQ, then served as a global cybersecurity advisor at HSBC. He led information security at Hitachi Capital for nearly five years before moving into a run of CISO roles at GBG, identity verification company Jumio, EasyPark Group, and Arrive. Hutchinson became CISO of IFS in March 2026. He believes security works best when it is invisible to the end user, and sits on the Innovation Advisory Council of Vation Ventures.
Securing the Software Britain Runs On
These four CISOs bring distinct strengths to software security. Zeidan and Riggs carry deep experience from global payments, banking, and media, while Cantu-Park brings the discipline of military and NATO operations to a fast-growing data company. Hutchinson has built a career leading security at identity and mobility platforms. Together they protect the software that keeps British businesses and public services running.
Discover more CISOs securing their organizations:
-
- Code You Can Trust: The EU’s Software CISOs to Watch
- Privilege and Protection: The UK’s Legal Sector Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch
- From Paddock to Pour: Australia and New Zealand’s Food and Beverage Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch
- Securing the Frontier: The EU’s AI Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch
- From Field to Fork: The EU’s Food and Beverage CISOs to Watch
John Kevin Hao is a news and feature writer covering cybersecurity, technology, and business targeted for professional audiences.