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Mark Adjei
Cyber Risk Leader | CISO | Mentor
Head Of Cyber Risk
Hi, I'm Mark Adjei
— proudly known as Gã Mantse
Born in the UK to Ghanaian parents, I was raised with values that shaped both my character and my career. Perseverance, empathy, integrity, and disciplined responsibility have guided me throughout my 25-year journey in Cyber and Technology Leadership.
I serve as a Chief Information Security Officer and Cyber Risk & Governance leader within Banking and Financial Services, guiding security strategies that protect some of the world’s most complex financial systems. My experience spans banking, energy, finance, and consulting — helping organisations interpret risk clearly, make sound decisions, and build lasting resilience.
Across my career, I have led investigations aligned with Federal Reserve and HKMA expectations, overseen intelligence-led defence and red-team initiatives across continents, and ensured that cyber risk oversight is strong, transparent, and aligned with strategic objectives.
My approach is simple:Think clearly, act deliberately, and ensure that risk oversight is strong, transparent, and aligned with strategic objectives.
Cyber Security is often framed as a technical discipline; in truth, it is a leadership discipline rooted in judgement, communication, and long-term stewardship.
Beyond my work in industry, I also coach American football in the UK, specialising in offensive line fundamentals. Coaching reinforces the same principles I rely on in cyber: clarity, discipline, alignment, and the ability to stay composed when pressure rises. The lessons transfer cleanly between the field and the boardroom. Over time, that overlap became too consistent to ignore. The same pressures kept surfacing: how teams respond under strain, how leaders create clarity, and what helps people reset when the stakes are high. That thinking became The Hacker in the Huddle — a digital-first leadership playbook for high-pressure environments.
Alongside operational leadership, I contribute to wider industry dialogue as a CIONET Signatory Panel Member and international speaker. My aim is to simplify Cyber Security for decision-makers, regulators, and the communities who rely on the systems we protect. Complex ideas do not need complex language — they need clarity.
This website reflects my work and ethos.
It is an invitation to connect, collaborate, and help shape a more secure digital future — one grounded in disciplined leadership, steady judgement, and values that endure.
The principles that guide my leadership are not borrowed.
They are inherited.
You may have already noticed a symbol on this page. That is not by accident. Each section of this website carries an Adinkra symbol — a quiet marker of the values that sit behind the work. This page carries two. They are the ones that speak most directly to how I lead.
My leadership draws from Adinkra — a wisdom tradition rooted in Ghanaian heritage that speaks to values I have carried throughout my life: humility, resilience, and the discipline to lead with purpose.
These are not borrowed frameworks or learned behaviours. They were passed down. They shaped how I was raised, how I think, and how I show up — in every room, at every level.
GYE NYAME
Gye Nyame reflects the understanding that not everything sits within our control.
It speaks to humility, perspective, and the discipline to lead without ego, especially in moments of complexity and uncertainty.
It is a reminder that sound judgement requires reflection, care, and an awareness that the full picture is not always visible.
In practice
I resist the urge to overstate certainty when advising on Cyber Security risk. I present what is known, what is unknown, and what requires judgement — not false confidence. That humility is not weakness. It is the acknowledgement that wisdom begins where ego ends.
NKYINKYIM
Not everything unfolds in a straight line.
Nkyinkyim reflects the reality of change — the need to adapt, remain resilient, and respond without losing clarity or direction.
It speaks to a kind of leadership that can adjust without becoming unstable, and move forward without becoming reactive.
In practice
When a security strategy needs to shift — due to a threat, a regulatory change, or a business pivot — I adapt the approach without losing the objective. Stability is not rigidity. It is the ability to move without losing direction.
