He spent his early years living around the West Riding of Yorkshire, where his father, Sir Lawrence Byford, served as a policeman.
In 1997–98, he drew up the BBC's response to devolution and helped to devise and implement the policy to increase the level of network programming production outside London.
During this period, Byford had a lead role in producing Building Public Value, the BBC's Charter renewal manifesto.
The Trust said the BBC was "falling short of its own high standards" and, in part, failing to meet its core purpose of helping inform democracy.
In November 2008, he led the investigation into the Brand/Ross affair and produced the special report that was published subsequently by the BBC Trust.
On 12 October 2010 it was announced Byford was leaving the corporation after thirty-two years and the Deputy Director-General post closed as part of the BBC's cutbacks in senior management costs.
[5] On his retirement The Guardian commented: "If he has a public profile at all it is because Byford came to symbolise the apparent excesses of top executive pay at the corporation.
It was very easy to put the question, as even many lower ranking BBC staff did – who else would pay Mark Byford £500,000 and for what?
However, the remainder of that article, written by media commentator Steve Hewlett, suggested that his presence might be missed greatly at the BBC.
"He made things happen and by common consent brought a firm moral sense to everything he did, rising above his own particular interests."
That opinion appeared highly prophetic in the light of the two major Newsnight scandals – concerning Jimmy Savile and Lord McAlpine respectively – which engulfed the BBC within 18 months of Byford's departure.
[6] The subsequent Pollard Review highlighted that several witnesses had said "they believe the Savile affair and, in particular, the BBC's poor handling of it after the investigation was halted, would not have happened if the role of Deputy Director-General occupied by Mark Byford had still been in existence."
Jan C. Scruggs, the President and Founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, described it as "an amazing journey that unfolded as a mission.
Julian Pettifer wrote "This tale should be compulsory reading for MPs and military leaders and anyone else who might lead us into armed conflict.
He is married to Hilary Bleiker, whom he met whilst at Leeds University where she studied English, and they have five adult children, two sons and three daughters.