Jon Darbyshire

Jon Darbyshire is the CEO and Founder of SmartSuite, an AI-powered Work Operating System that helps organizations connect data, teams, workflows, and governance across GRC, resilience, IT service delivery, operations, and other critical business functions. Since launching in 2021, SmartSuite has been adopted by more than 2,000 businesses worldwide and is helping teams move beyond fragmented tools and manual processes toward more connected, intelligent, and governed ways of working.

Jon has spent more than two decades helping organizations modernize governance, risk, compliance, audit, and operational processes. His experience in the GRC market began with founding Archer Technologies, one of the early enterprise GRC platforms, where he helped establish the importance of configurable, business-led technology for managing risk, compliance, controls, and audit programs at scale. That foundation continues to inform his work today as he helps organizations rethink how modern GRC should operate in an environment defined by increasing complexity, regulatory change, AI, cyber risk, third-party risk, and operational resilience.

Prior to founding Archer, Jon was a partner responsible for the global Cyber Risk practice at EY, where he helped organizations address complex cybersecurity, enterprise risk, compliance, and process automation challenges. That experience shaped his belief that effective governance requires more than policies and controls; it requires connected data, clear ownership, adaptable workflows, and real-time visibility across the business. Today, through SmartSuite, Jon continues to help organizations operate with greater visibility, agility, and control.