- Istari Digital has named former AWS chief architect Mark Ryland as vice president of AI
- The veteran cloud and cybersecurity leader will help advance trusted AI infrastructure initiatives
- The appointment supports the company’s growing focus on defense and aerospace AI applications
Istari Digital has appointed Mark Ryland, a former chief architect for Amazon Web Services’ worldwide public sector business, as vice president of artificial intelligence to help lead the company’s agentic AI initiatives for defense, aerospace and other mission-critical industries.
The company said Ryland brings nearly three decades of experience spanning cloud security, public sector technology and enterprise software development.
Artificial intelligence will be among the key topics explored at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Air and Space Summit on July 30. Register now to hear government and industry leaders discuss defense modernization, emerging technologies and mission-critical innovation.
What Experience Does Mark Ryland Bring to Istari?
Ryland joins Istari after nearly 15 years at AWS, where he spent six years as chief architect for worldwide public sector before helping establish AWS Security’s Office of the CISO, where he served as director.
Prior to AWS, he held multiple leadership positions at Microsoft, including global head of standards and U.S. national standards officer.
Will Roper, CEO of Istari Digital, said organizations in the defense and aerospace sectors are increasingly adopting AI but continue to face challenges related to security, trust and data sharing.
“That’s the infrastructure problem Istari was built to solve, and Mark has spent his career building exactly this kind of trustworthy public sector infrastructure at AWS and Microsoft,” the three-time Wash100 Award recipient continued.
What Will Ryland Focus on at Istari?
According to the company, Ryland will help advance the development of infrastructure designed to support agentic AI systems for no-fail industries.
Ryland said “agentic shift creates enormous opportunity, but only if organizations can preserve trust, control, and accountability as AI begins to operate across real mission environments.”
How Is Istari Expanding Its Defense AI Portfolio?
The appointment comes as Istari continues to expand its work supporting digital engineering and AI-enabled defense initiatives.
In May, the company announced Industry Øne, a Department of the Air Force-backed effort intended to connect engineering data across organizations within the defense industrial base without centralizing information. The initiative includes participation from defense contractors, federally funded research and development centers, and academic organizations.
Earlier this year, the Department of War awarded Istari a prototype other transaction agreement to develop the Mission Engineering Automation Testbed, a program designed to accelerate mission engineering through integrated modeling, simulation and analytics capabilities.
Founded by Roper, Istari develops infrastructure intended to connect engineering data, digital models and AI-enabled workflows across aerospace and defense organizations while allowing participants to maintain control of their systems and intellectual property.
