Professor Robert Black

Professor Rob Black is a respected cyber security leader with a strong track record across the public, private, and academic sectors. With two decades of experience at the heart of transnational security challenges— including intelligence, military, and cyber operations— Rob brings both strategic vision and operational insight to some of the most complex problems in the field.

A skilled communicator and facilitator, Rob has chaired and hosted major international conferences on behalf of the UK government.

Rob is an Honorary Professor of Systems and Software Security at the University of Manchester. In 2024, he was named UK Cyber Citizen of the Year, recognised for his passion, leadership, and dedication to mentoring the next generation of cyber professionals.

He served over a decade in UK government, supporting cyber and military capability development. Notably, he created the UK’s first operational Human Sciences capability for cyber operations, embedded at GCHQ for the Ministry of Defence, and collaborated across the 5EYES community on joint operational initiatives.

From 2014 to 2024, Rob lectured in Information Activities at Cranfield University, part of the UK Defence Academy where he delivered classified modules for the MoD’s Cyberspace Operations MSc and advised on cyber education strategy for senior leaders.

Rob continues to drive meaningful change by building communities, influencing policy, and championing future leaders in cyber security through a variety of different roles:

• Director of the UK Cyber Leaders Challenge (2020–2024), developing emerging cyber talent.
• Senior Advisor to KPMG’s i-4, the world’s longest-running cyber security think tank for CISOs and security leaders.
• Associate Programme Director at Wilton Park (FCDO), facilitating policy dialogue on cyber, security, and intelligence.
• Director of the Global Institute of Cyber Deception, fostering international collaboration on deception-based cyber defence.
• Cybersecurity Events Host for RANT, where he leads trusted, vendor-to-CISO engagement.
• Podcast Host for UK HMG for a series for national security policy makers.