We are pleased to confirm the appointment of Simon Church as Chairperson at ISMS.online (IO).
Simon joins the business as IO continues to build on more than a decade of supporting organisations facing rising expectations around security, risk, and regulatory accountability. IO is a modern compliance platform designed to help organisations simplify, strengthen, and scale their information security, privacy, AI, and risk management, supporting over 100 global standards, including ISO 27001, ISO 27701, ISO 42001, GDPR, and NIS 2.
Experience shaped by execution
Simon brings more than 25 years of experience specialising in cyber security products, services, and solutions. His career has been spent building, operating, and scaling technology-led businesses internationally, often in environments where security, resilience, and trust are fundamental to commercial success.
He has held senior executive leadership roles across global cyber security, telecoms, and enterprise technology organisations, including businesses such as Vodafone, NTT Security and Optiv, working closely with boards and executive teams as businesses have expanded, entered new markets, and navigated acquisition and investment activity. This experience brings a strong understanding of how companies grow sustainably, without losing focus or operational discipline.
Board perspective across cyber, services, and growth
Alongside his executive background, Simon has extensive experience at the board and advisory level across cyber security, managed services, and enterprise software businesses.
He has worked with organisations at different stages of maturity, helping to guide decisions around market expansion, go-to-market strategy, partnerships, and investment. This perspective is particularly relevant as IO continues to expand and support a broader range of organisations operating in increasingly complex regulatory environments.
Reflecting on his appointment, Simon said: “Regulatory expectations are increasing, and the overhead of managing them is growing too. IO’s platform and expert support help organisations manage that complexity in a practical, repeatable way, and scale from one framework to the next with far less duplicated effort. I’m delighted to be joining the team at an exciting stage in the company’s growth.”
Supporting the next phase of growth
IO is entering its next phase of growth following sustained momentum across its customer base, platform capabilities, and market presence over the past decade.
The business has grown rapidly by helping organisations navigate increasingly complex regulatory and assurance requirements through a single, structured platform. Today, IO supports over 1,000 organisations globally, with more than 65,000 users across sectors including technology, security, finance, healthcare, legal, utilities, and transport. Built on a strong foundation of people, process, and platform, IO delivers a 100% success rate for customers using the IO Assured Results Method and continues to scale in response to rising demand for integrated governance, risk, and compliance solutions. Recent investment and leadership appointments reflect the company’s ambition to accelerate growth while maintaining the quality and trust customers rely on.
Simon’s appointment as Chairperson further strengthens IO’s board at a pivotal moment, bringing additional experience and perspective to support the company’s long-term strategy as it continues to scale in the UK and internationally.
As CEO Chris Newton-Smith explains, “IO has reached an exciting stage in its growth, with increasing demand from organisations that need a more joined-up approach to security, risk, and compliance. Simon’s experience scaling international technology businesses makes him a valuable addition to the board as we look ahead to our next phase”.
That trajectory is one ECI believes positions IO well for its next phase, as Daniel Bailey, Partner at ECI, shares, “IO has built an impressive platform and strong reputation in a rapidly evolving market. Simon’s appointment reflects the business’s ambition as it scales its offering and helps more businesses become compliance confident.”
Looking ahead
We look forward to working with Simon as the business continues to support organisations navigating increasingly complex security, risk, and compliance requirements, and as IO builds on its strong foundation to deliver continued growth and long-term value.
