About Marco Ryan
I’m Marco Ryan. I help Senior Execs and Non-Execs raise their Digital (dQ) and Cyber Quotients (cQ)
Marco is an experienced Non-Executive Director, Chief Digital Officer, digital mentor, advisor and conference speaker. He is also the Cyber Leader in Residence at Lancaster University Management School and part of the faculty on their Cyber Executive MBA.
With a career spanning roles in the Nordics, ASEAN, Northern Europe, USA and UK, Marco has worked across a range of B2C, B2B and B2G sectors. He was most recently the Chief Digital Officer for BP plc.
He is an active angel and startup investor and author on AI, cybersecurity and leadership. His latest book, Rewire or Retire, focuses on the impact of AI on leadership and has been highly acclaimed. He has authored a series of books on AI and Cyber specifically designed to simplify them and make them tangible for non-technical leaders.
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I’m passionate about helping individuals, teams and companies better understand digital and cyber so that they can further their individual professional development and unlock real growth and profitability in their companies.
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View My ServicesThe Impact of AI on Leadership
AI is not a technology decision; it is a leadership test. Drawing on my book Rewire or Retire, I explore Digital Intelligence (dQ) and what it takes to lead when your newest team members are not human.
Agentic AI and Synthetic Teams
I build and run synthetic teams daily, using tools such as Claude Cowork, agents, and custom skills. I show leaders what actually works, what breaks, and how to redesign the operating model around a blended human and AI workforce.
AI Strategy and Value Creation
Most AI strategies are technology shopping lists in disguise. I help boards and executive teams work backwards from value, deciding where AI genuinely moves the commercial needle and where it is simply expensive theatre.
Data, Analytics, and Decision Intelligence
AI is only as good as the decisions it informs. I connect data, analytics, and judgement, showing executives how to build organisations that decide faster and with more confidence than their competitors.
Digital Transformation, Rewired
I ran transformation at BP, Wärtsilä, and Thomas Cook, so I know why most programmes stall. The REWIRE methodology reframes transformation for the AI era: less programme management, more organisational rewiring.
Building with AI: Startups and New Ventures
As a fractional CTO and non-executive director, I help founders build AI-native businesses from the first line of code. I speak candidly about what it means to launch a company where AI does much of the building.
Cyber Resilience and Risk in the Age of AI
AI has changed both sides of the cyber equation. As Cyber Leader in Residence at Lancaster University Management School, I help boards treat cyber as a resilience and leadership issue, not a line item delegated to IT.
Adaptive Leadership
The half-life of a business decision is shrinking. I explore how leaders build teams, cultures, and governance that adapt at the speed AI now demands, without losing judgement or accountability along the way.
The AI Whisperer
Every organisation needs people who can translate between the technology and the business. I make the case for the AI Whisperer as a defined role, and show leaders how to find, develop, and deploy them.