United Kingdom
Professor Benham is one of the pioneers of the study of Cyber Security Management having founded The National MBA in Cyber Security in 2014 and launched at The House of Commons with cross party support including the Prime Minister. The MBA is the first ever degree to receive this honour. He was the World's first formal Professor of Cyber Security Management. The Cyber Ripple Theory published by Professor Benham in 2013 is widely recognised as the worlds first theory of Cyber Security Management and highlights the human aspect of an attack. With the emergence of AI and the metaverse this theory helps to define what is human and at what point “cyber” occurs. As well as being an author of both academic papers, text books and several fictional spy novels he is recognised as a leading authority in the areas of Cyber Warfare, Cyber Crime and Banking having worked for numerous Financial Institutions and Law Enforcement bodies. In 2017 he was also named in the DL100 and nominated for the UK Digital Leader of the Year 2017. Professor Benham was chosen from across academia to write the Inaugural Institute of Directors Cyber White Paper titled" Cyber Security - underpinning the Digital Economy" that was published in March 2016. This received global media acclaim. He lectures internationally with IMD, one of the worlds top business schools and has appeared as a panelist on both Educational Question Time and the BBCs Infinite Monkey Cage. In 2015 he founded The Cyber Trust, a charity to help educate disadvantaged groups on cyber and digital safety and in 2019 established The National Cyber Awards designed to bring all areas of the sector together. Since 2016 he has been a council member of the Winston Churchill Trust annually helping to interview and select Churchill Fellowships. In 2022 and 2024 The House of Lords Appointments Commission undertook vetting and an interview with Richard Benham to be chosen as one of their final nominations to become an Independent Life Peer. He is currently Professor of Digital Studies and Cyber Warfare at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and a visiting Professor of Cyber Innovation, Trust and Ethics at Abertay University and Cyber Security Management at Coventry University. Also Chair of Future Tech Events which manages The National Cyber Awards, The National AI Awards and the Turing Summit and the first Patron of The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. In 2026 he was awarded the freedom of the City of London for services to Cyber in Policing. www.thenationalcyberawards.org www.thenationalaiaw
Professor of Digital Studies and Cyber Warfare. Independent Technology Adviser to the Sandhurst Institute.
Green Cyber has been established following the UK Government’s acceptance of the recommendations within The McPartland Review. As well as providing a charter for global organisations, GreenCyber Research will provide accreditation for organisations to demonstrate their ESG credentials and help facilitate research and shared learning.
Visiting Professor specialising in Cyber Innovation, Trust and Ethics.
The Independent Advisory and Scrutiny Group (IASG) is made up of a diverse group of people independent of the police service from differing communities. They monitor, observe and advise on aspects of policing that affect the broader community.
Honoured to become the first ever Patron of the Museum based at the iconic and historic Bletchley Park