Mark Weatherford

Mark Weatherford is the Head of Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy at NVIDIA where he leads NVIDIA’s cybersecurity engagement strategy at the intersection of public policy, government regulation, and technology adoption. He serves as a key advisor and strategist, helping the company navigate the evolving cybersecurity landscape while positioning NVIDIA’s technologies as critical enablers of secure, mission-driven outcomes for federal agencies and national security partners.

Mark has held a variety of executive level cybersecurity roles including VP of AI Policy and Standards at Gretel, Chief Strategy Officer at the National Cybersecurity Center, VP & Global Information Security Strategist at Booking Holdings, Principal at The Chertoff Group, VP & Chief Security Officer at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, and Chief Information Security Officer for the state of Colorado.

Mark was also appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2008 to serve as California’s first Chief Information Security Officer and in 2011 he was appointed in the Obama Administration as the nation’s first Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Mark is a former U.S. Naval Officer where he served as the Director of Navy Computer Network Defense Operations, Director of the Navy Computer Incident Response Team, and established the U.S. Navy’s first operational red team.

Mark is a Board Director and on the Advisory Board of several technology companies where he has a successful track record in helping startups from founding to acquisition.

Among his many professional awards, he is an inductee into the 2023 Global Cyber Security Hall of Fame, the 2021 International CSO Hall of Fame, the 2018 Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) Hall of Fame, and was SC Magazine’s CSO of the Year in 2010.