Speaker – Mr Rod Latham

Mr Rod Latham

Director for Cyber Security and Digital Identity
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)
United Kingdom

Biography

Rod Latham took up post as the Director for Cyber Security and Digital Identity in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) on 1 July 2024. In that role, he is responsible for driving improvements in the UK’s cyber security, resilience and skills base and supporting the creation of a safe and thriving digital identity market, delivered through a combination of policy, legislation and a series of programmes.

Prior to joining DSIT, Rod was a Director in the Cabinet Office (2022-23) before going on an academic year out at the Royal College of Defence Studies and King’s College London (2023-24). At the Home Office (2019-22), Rod set up the Directorate for State Threats and Cyber, serving as its inaugural Director, after having worked as a Deputy Director in the Homeland Security Group. During this period, he also went on a short secondment to the Department for Health and Social Care, overseeing the operational rollout of mass covid-19 testing at the start of the pandemic. Most of Rod’s career before then was spent at the Ministry of Defence, where he undertook roles in operational policy, programme management, and private office.

Rod joined the Civil Service in 2006, after completing degrees in history at Cambridge in the UK and in international relations at Johns Hopkins in the United States.

Outside work, Rod is married with one child and lives in Hertfordshire. His interests include early medieval history and football.