Milwaukee-based
Rockwell Automation, a manufacturer of industrial automation and digital transformation products, announced today the appointment of
Stephen Ford to the role of vice president and chief information security officer.
Ford is tasked with developing a holistic cybersecurity strategy to ensure that Rockwell and the company's Connected Enterprise ecosystem are safe and secure.
The Connected Enterprise is Rockwell’s term for the combination of traditional automation equipment and software with connected devices and the ability to analyze data to improve business operations.
Ford reports to
Chris Nardecchia, senior vice president and chief information officer at Rockwell.
"I’m excited about the energy and expertise Stephen brings to this role,” said Nardecchia. “With more than 30 years of experience in technology leadership, particularly identifying and managing risks, Stephen’s expertise will help us to ensure cyber resilience for our employees, enterprise, customers, and partners. He will be a valuable asset to our team.”
Ford most recently worked at Irving, Texas-based McKesson Corp., a pharmaceutical and medical supplies distribution company. He served as the company's vice president of global security. In this role, he led teams overseeing cybersecurity operations, offensive security, incident response, security engineering architecture, and access management.
Prior to McKesson, 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.
Ford holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and an MBA from Prairieview A&M University in Prairie View, Texas. He also holds a master’s degree from Harvard University.
