Stephen Ford

As of March 2024, Stephen Ford is Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer of Rockwell Automation, a role he began on March 12, 2024, when the company announced his appointment. In the position he reports to Chris Nardecchia, senior vice president and Chief Information Officer at Rockwell Automation.
He is responsible for developing and executing a cybersecurity strategy intended to keep Rockwell's infrastructure, products and customers secure and resilient.

Career path

Before joining Rockwell, Ford was Vice President, Global Security at McKesson Corporation, where he led teams covering cybersecurity operations, offensive security, incident response, security engineering architecture and access management.
His RSA Conference biography describes the same period of his career as Vice President, Information Security and Risk Management at McKesson. At McKesson he also chaired the national board of the company's African American/Black Employee Resource Group, supporting professional development opportunities for Black employees.
Earlier in his career, Ford held IT infrastructure, information security and compliance, and systems engineering leadership roles at HP, Baylor College of Medicine, and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

Education and remit

Ford holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and an MBA from Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas, along with a master's degree from Harvard University.
Rockwell's announcement describes him as bringing more than 30 years of experience in technology leadership, with a focus on identifying and managing risk, a description echoed in his RSA Conference biography.
Nardecchia said, "I'm excited about the energy and expertise Stephen brings to this role." Ford's hiring followed Rockwell's late-2023 announcement that it would acquire Verve Industrial Protection, a cybersecurity company specializing in industrial control systems and operational technology, placing his cybersecurity strategy within a company expanding its industrial-security footprint.