Jan 2022 – Present · 4 yrs 2 mos · Maryland, United States · Remote

• Ackatec provides security & information technology services for clients ranging from small, medium, large, public, non-profit, government to commercial business sectors. Our team of expert technology professionals provides business centric support in an agile and scalable way to help modernize, optimize & standardize technology solutions that drive your business goals.

Jul 2021 – Mar 2026 · 4 yrs 8 mos · Atlanta, Georgia, United States

• Entrusted with global executive leadership, I spearhead the development and execution of a comprehensive security strategy aligned with industry best practices and stringent regulations, including ISO27001, NIST frameworks, HIPAA, SOC2, PCI-DSS, GDPR, PIPEDA, POPI, and CCPA.
• My focus has been on delivering a holistic, risk-managed perspective of the enterprise's security posture, continually adapting our roadmap to mitigate IT-related risks to acceptable levels for all stakeholders.
• Through strategic oversight, I ensure compliance, audit readiness, and robust security functions, safeguarding our business and reinforcing trust with partners and customers.

Aug 2019 – Jul 2021 · 1 yr 11 mos · Atlanta Metropolitan Area

• Enterprise SaaS payments platform processing $5B+ annually. CEO and Board reporting. Led security through PE acquisition cycle ($500M exit to Zelis).
• Served as technical-to-executive bridge translating security risks into business language for C-suite and Board; architected Value at Risk reporting for quarterly Board briefings.
• Led security due diligence and integration for $500M acquisition by Zelis: established exit-ready compliance posture with zero security incidents during transition.
• Achieved 100% pass rate across PCI DSS, SOC 2, EHNAC, and HITRUST audits; transformed multi-framework compliance into competitive advantage for enterprise customer acquisition.
• Drove $2M+ EBITDA improvement in 18 months through security stack rationalization: consolidated contracts, eliminated redundant tools, enhanced detection capabilities.
• Advanced DevSecOps maturity: SAST, DAST, SCA, container scanning, secrets management: reduced AppSec risk 60% while increasing deployment velocity 40%.
• Built and mentored 15+ security professionals across SIEM, incident response, threat intelligence, compliance, and security engineering.
• Orchestrated Board-level ransomware simulation exercises (Tabletop) involving Legal, Communications, and C-Suite; validated crisis playbooks and reduced executive decision-latency by 60%.

Jul 2018 – Aug 2019 · 1 yr 1 mo · Greater Atlanta Area

• PE-backed global holding company ($350M portfolio). Recruited for 12-month security transformation mandate. CTO direct report.
• Transformation Leadership: Managed federated security organization of 50+ staff and $12M+ consolidated budget across 60+ global offices; consolidated fragmented IT/Security units into unified Shared Services model.
• Strategic Consolidation: Established Security Center of Excellence (CoE) standardizing operations for 14,000+ users; delivered $2.5M+ EBITDA improvement via vendor rationalization and operational efficiency gains.
• Compliance & Architecture: Built enterprise ISMS on ISO 27001; delivered BC/DR, GDPR roadmap, NYDFS readiness, SOC 1 certification; designed security architecture (SIEM, IAM, PAM, WAF, DLP) aligned to NIST CSF.

Jan 2013 – Present · 13 yrs 2 mos · Atlanta, GA, United States

• Provided Information Technology and Information Security management, consultancy and audit services to businesses.
• Frequently played a role as fractional CISO and Security Consultant for developing new businesses and start-ups.
• Aligned business needs with IT/IS strategy and projects within budget, time and scope
• Provided helpdesk and end-user support and training for IT Systems
• Managed outsourced vendors for secure application development and served as business analyst to communicate requirements

Jan 2013 – Jul 2018 · 5 yrs 6 mos

• Financial services and asset management; 3,000+ users; $15M security portfolio. Board direct report. Recruited as consultant, converted to CISO within 60 days.
• Program Build: Built information security program from ground up; created governance foundation aligned to COBIT 5, NIST 800-series, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS.
• Cost Optimization: Delivered $500K+ annual savings by internalizing four outsourced managed security services while improving detection and response outcomes.
• Security Architecture: Designed end-to-end security architecture: AppSec, IAM, DLP, encryption, endpoint/network security, SIEM, and incident response across PaaS, SaaS, IaaS hybrid/cloud environments with AWS, Azure, Rackspace, and Office 365.

Jan 2011 – Jan 2013 · 2 yrs

• Took a lead role in meeting deadlines for development, documentation, security and maintenance of critical business applications and reports to minimize cost, motivate team productivity and reduce risk.
• Effectively gathered requirements from team members and executives to plan and execute policies and projects to achieve business goals utilizing cutting-edge tools and technology
• Effectively conducted periodic audits and quality assurance sanity checks to provide assurance of processes
• Conducted penetration tests leveraging industry standard tools and techniques

Jan 2009 – Jan 2011 · 2 yrs

• Responsible for vendor management, procurement, and asset inventory for a $25M IT budget
• Effectively managed all aspects of Information Technology including security, networking, installation and upgrades of hardware and software systems
• Executed monthly PCI-DSS checklists and audits for compliance and assurance
• Developed ad-hoc software applications for process optimization and reporting
• Implemented change management system for critical business applications
• Designed the architecture for 20 on-premises application servers to the cloud (Amazon Web services)
• Provided IT troubleshooting, end-user training, and help-desk support for more than 100 internal employees and hotel guests in more than 300 hotel rooms
• Generated more than $200K profit annually from new tiered Internet service options to guests
• Designed resilient Infrastructure for business continuity and disaster- recovery

Jan 2008 – Jan 2009 · 1 yr

• Designed, implemented and supported information systems architecture across distributed colocations
• Adopted the cloud architecture and was an earlier adopter of XaaS cloud resources providing cutting edge innovation to meet business needs
• Improved end-user satisfaction by more than 50% with new Fiber Optic, WAN, and VOIP solutions replacing legacy Infrastructure
• Defined business IT Policies, procedures and guidelines per stakeholder and compliance needs
• Effectively managed and supported all IT hardware and software information systems in a multi-site LAN/WAN topology.
• Responsible for vendor management, procurement, development, risk/compliance, audit and security management for all technology resources

Jan 2005 – Jan 2008 · 3 yrs

• Managed all on-premises server and SAN backups for all distributed colocations
• Refactored legacy in-house software applications from ColdFusion to VB .Net
• Boosted sales revenue by developing automated, customized and integrated reporting for management
• Supported all IT Systems and projects as well as help-desk, documentation, and maintenance of hardware and software systems with more than 50 on-premises servers, 10 locations and 100 end-users

Jan 2004 – Jan 2004 · 0 mo

• Implemented VOIP telephony system for office location. Also provided MS Exchange server and end-user support. Provided physical security training to staff for fire and disaster recovery.

Jan 2002 – Jan 2002 · 0 mo

• Explored LAN/WAN topology and communication within a NOC environment for a Major ISP. Explored the Linux operating system and tools. Received first-hand experience with PERL (text-processing programming language), MYSQL databases, PHP, CGI, and SSL. Final project was to create a secure web-interface for users to have the ability change their password upon identity verification.