Mark Cross

Mark Cross is a cybersecurity and business transformation consultant who specialises in embedding security into change delivery and championing neurodiversity in the workplace. Named 2025 BA of the Year and founding chair of the IIBA Cyber Special Interest Group, he has spent 25 years helping organisations across the UK, Europe, and Asia-Pacific reduce risk and eliminate rework through his practical Three Steps Left framework. His sessions equip business leaders and change professionals with the tools to make security thinking part of everyday delivery, whilst his advocacy for neurodivergent talent challenges stereotypes and unlocks creative problem-solving that drives innovation and builds future-ready systems.

When Mark Cross was named the 2025 BA of the Year, it recognised not just a career spent at the intersection of cybersecurity and transformation, but a 25-year mission to change how organisations think about security during delivery. Throughout his work across the UK, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, he has consistently challenged the notion that security must slow down progress, proving instead that embedding secure-by-design thinking into technology-driven change reduces risk, eliminates costly rework, and accelerates confident decision-making. His approach has reshaped how business leaders, change professionals, and project teams integrate security into the heart of transformation, rather than treating it as an afterthought.

As founding chair of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) Cyber Special Interest Group, Mark has built a platform that translates complex cybersecurity concepts into practical insights for non-technical audiences. His Three Steps Left framework offers organisations a structured, repeatable method for making security thinking part of everyday delivery, ensuring that teams can act with clarity rather than confusion. He collaborates with influential bodies including the British Computer Society (BCS), the Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec), and the UK Cyber Security Body of Knowledge (CyBOK), shaping strategies that align secure delivery with business goals. His sessions, from "A Tale of Fire and AIs" to "The Secrets of Cybersynergy," are known for making emerging risks understandable, actionable, and engaging, equipping audiences with the tools they need to navigate an evolving threat landscape.

Beyond technical expertise, Mark is a passionate advocate for neurodiversity in the workplace, drawing on his own experience as an autistic professional to challenge outdated stereotypes and highlight the creative strengths of different thinkers. Through his signature theme, "Superconnections," he explores how neurodivergent approaches to pattern recognition and problem-solving drive innovation and reshape how organisations learn and adapt. His mission is rooted in curiosity and integrity: to help people and organisations stay ahead of emerging risks whilst building secure, ethical, and future-ready systems where technology and humanity thrive together. Audiences leave his sessions not only better informed but inspired to rethink how they approach security, change, and the untapped potential within their own teams.