About me

Thank you for visiting my website. I’m often asked how I started in the field and what I’m up to now. I wrote a short blog outlining my career progression.

I developed an interest in cyber security during my undergraduate degree, where I researched the application of neural networks to cryptography as part of my final year project. I continued my education at University College London, earning a Master’s degree in Information Security where I was a part of the winning team in the codebreaking UK Cybersecurity Challenge.

I later focused on the human aspects of cyber security and published The Psychology of Information Security book that was widely cited in international research papers. Due to popular demand, it was turned into an audiobook and translated into Persian. It was also featured in the Cybersecurity Canon – Hall of Fame for Cybersecurity Books. I was named the author of the month by my publisher and appeared in their podcast and blog.

I am also a contributor to the Cyber Security: Law and Guidance book where I share my insight on the application of behavioural science to cybersecurity.

I applied my skills and knowledge in practice working in a number of cyber security roles and projects in Europe, the Middle East and the US across multiple industry sectors. I have over a decade of experience working for the largest clients all over the world solving their cyber security, data protection and architectural challenges. 

I was part of the KPMG’s Cyber Security Consulting team helping them achieve significant revenue and market share growth for cyber security services globally. I managed the development and roll-out of the Industrial Internet of Things Cyber Security, Privacy and Cyber Incident Response services to 19 countries. KPMG was named a leader in information security consulting services in 2016-2018 according to Forrester Research.

I currently work as the Head of Information Security for a tech startup, balancing a limited budget against severe threat exposure to manage risks, adjusting to the needs of a dynamic and growing business and enabling it to achieve its strategic objectives.

I used insights from my research to improve communication and security culture in the organisation while implementing innovative solutions. I contributed to the secure development of applications and processes in the agile environment and collaborated with various teams to improve transparency and resilience of the digital business.

I have completed HutZero, an early stage cyber security accelerator programme run in partnership with the UK Government and serve as an advisor to tech startups (e.g. PigeonLine) helping them grow and innovate while managing cyber security risks.

I have also delivered guest lectures and participated in research workshops for various universities around the world, including California State University Long Beach, Kingston Business School, Royal Holloway University of London and University College London.

I am a contributor to a number of online cyber security publications, including: Infosecurity Magazine, Risk and Threat Forum, CyberTalks, The Analogies Project, ISACA, Defence Online, Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) Journal, Cloud Security Alliance, ISACA Young Professionals Network and State of Security.

I am a regular conference speaker, delivering talks on cyber security around the world, including at ISACA London Chapter, Security Transparent conference in Germany, IT & Security Forum in Russia, SANS European Security Awareness Summit, Cyber Security Expo, BSides London and others. In 2017 I was recognised with the Best Cyber Security Speaker Award and shortlisted for the Security Serious Unsung Hero award.