The Consulting Report is pleased to announce The Top 50 Cybersecurity Consultants and Leaders of 2022. As software and digital networks continue to permeate the corporate world and business operations at large, the demand for cybersecurity advisory and solutions consistently expands. The cybersecurity consultants being recognized on this year’s list lead the industry with their expertise and active engagement with corporations and governments across the globe. They have worked tirelessly to provide their clients with cybersecurity solutions to prevent attacks and thereby avert potential financial and productivity losses, damaged reputations, legal liabilities, and other negative consequences.
Some of the distinguished honorees on this year’s list include Senior Managing Director and Global Financial Services Security Lead of Accenture Valerie Abend, who conceptualized and serves as the Chair of the Accenture Cybersecurity Forum Women’s Council, which helps women rise to the top in the cybersecurity field. Meanwhile, Principal and U.S. Cyber & Strategic Risk Leader for Deloitte Deborah Golden, during the pandemic, successfully concepted, negotiated, and closed six strategic acquisitions while concurrently driving record year-over-year growth and more than doubling the workforce. And Shyam Doddavula, Vice President of Infosys, is passionately co-creating Infosys Cyber Next, a state-of-the-art managed security services platform that realizes a vision of sentient security.
66% of businesses reported experiencing a cyberattack within the last 12 months, and there were 1,862 recorded data breaches in 2021, surpassing the 2017 record of 1,506 breaches. Without a doubt, cybersecurity is more important now than ever, and the leaders on this list have earned their spots by being the best at protecting their clients’ assets and information. Please join us in celebrating The Top 50 Cybersecurity Consultants and Leaders of 2022.
1. Valerie Abend
Company: Accenture
Title: Senior Managing Director – Accenture Security, Global Financial Services Security Lead
As Accenture's Global Financial Services Security Lead, Valerie Abend advises C-suite executives on how to manage cyber risk and build resilient business strategies. With more than 25 years of security experience in both the public and private sectors, she has played critical roles spearheading enterprise and sector-wide security and resilience strategies, public-private partnerships, and cybersecurity regulatory oversight strategies.
A recognized authority on cybersecurity, Abend has testified in front of Congress and is frequently quoted in the media on cybersecurity issues. She currently serves as a member of the Monetary Authority of Singapore's Cybersecurity Advisory Panel, as an advisor to the board for the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC), as an advisor to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s FinCyber Project, and as a member of the Executive Women's Forum. As a passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity, Abend conceptualized and serves as the Chair of the Accenture Cybersecurity Forum Women’s Council, helping women rise to the top in the cybersecurity field. She also held prior positions on the White House's Identity Theft Task Force, the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Homeland Security Committee, and on the Board of Directors for the Internet Security Alliance.
Prior to Accenture, Abend served as the Senior Critical Infrastructure Officer for the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. She was a Managing Director at Bank of New York Mellon and has served at the Federal Reserve Board and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Critical Infrastructure Protection at the Treasury Department. Earlier in her career, she was an Associate Director at KPMG and a writer for two congressional commissions studying internet policy issues. She holds a Master of Public Administration in science, technology, and competitiveness.
2. Harpreet Sidhu
Company: Accenture
Title: Senior Managing Director – Managed Security Services
Harpreet Sidhu leads Accenture's Managed Security Services globally as Senior Managing Director. He has more than 16 years of experience in driving complex global security programs. A successful and recognized information security technology leader, he has deep expertise in security architecture, infrastructure security, identity and access management, cybersecurity operations, incident response, and regulatory compliance.
Sidhu also plays the role of a Quality Assurance Director on some of the largest and most complex security transformation and operations engagements for Accenture Security. He is affiliated with ISACA—an independent, nonprofit, global association that engages in the development, adoption, and use of globally accepted, industry-leading knowledge and practices for information systems.
Sidhu is also an active voice for social causes and is deeply involved in volunteering and serving local communities. For instance, he is closely associated with Accenture's corporate citizenship initiative: the Skills to Succeed program. Prior to Accenture, he was the Infrastructure Lead for the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Sidhu earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
3. Jotham Nyamari
Company: Tata Consultancy Services
Title: Consulting Partner and Global Head of the Cybersecurity & Privacy Risk Practice
Jotham Nyamari is a Consulting Partner and Global Head of the Cybersecurity & Privacy Risk practice at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Nyamari drives the vision, strategy, solutions, revenue growth, and client engagement for the practice within the financial services industry. As a trusted advisor, Nyamari works and partners with senior executives to address regulatory and compliance risks, while advising on risk mitigation and remediation strategies to ultimately protect and safeguard client brand and reputation.
Prior to TCS, Nyamari spent a significant number of years at PwC, Deloitte, and EY as a risk management, audit, and information security professional. He has additionally served on various non-profit boards, including ISACA chapters, most recently the New York Metropolitan ISACA Chapter, and has previously contributed thought-leadership to several committees at ISACA International. He holds a Master’s in Accountancy in information systems audit and control, and a Masters of Public Administration in financial administration from Bowling Green State University.
4. Emily Mossburg
Company: Deloitte
Title: Global Cyber Leader
Emily Mossburg is the Global Cyber Leader for Deloitte. She leads Deloitte’s Global Cyber strategy, driving the continued evolution and expansion of the practice’s global reach, innovative cyber capabilities, and team of more than 20,000 cyber professionals worldwide. In addition, she has served as a trusted adviser to client leadership including CIOs, CTOs, and CISOs, which included navigating a myriad of enterprise security challenges and program improvements.
Mossburg is a recognized leader and authority on cybersecurity and was recently named one of the “100 Fascinating Females Fighting CyberCrime” by Cybersecurity Ventures. Her insights have also been published in Forbes on topics such as securing a remote workforce and in SC Magazine on diversity in the workplace. She has appeared in numerous news outlets, including CNBC and TechRepublic, on issues ranging from election security, to why companies ignore security in transformation, to the future of cybersecurity.
Prior to her current role, Mossburg spent nearly 16 years in various cyber roles for Deloitte, beginning as U.S. Cyber Manager in 2003 and working her way up to U.S. Cyber Advise & Implement Leader in 2017. In this role, she was responsible for the development and delivery of Deloitte’s cyber solutions designed to better align cyber risk strategy and investments with strategic business priorities, improve threat awareness and visibility, and strengthen their ability to thrive in the face of cyber incidents. Before Deloitte, Mossburg served as a Product Manager for VeriSign, Consulting Manager for Exault, and Consultant for Accenture. She earned a Bachelor of Science in environmental science from Northwestern University.
5. Deborah Golden
Company: Deloitte
Title: Principal, U.S. Cyber & Strategic Risk Leader
Deborah Golden joined Deloitte more than 26 years ago and currently serves as the U.S. Cyber & Strategic Risk leader for the Risk & Financial Advisory practice at Deloitte & Touche LLP, as well as a member of the U.S. Extended Leadership Team and previously of the U.S. Board Council. In her role, Golden leads one of Deloitte’s largest growth and business transformation Offering Portfolios in the company’s 177-year history with more than 8,000 professionals (across the U.S., India, and Israel) in an interdisciplinary Cyber, Extended Enterprise, Crisis & Resilience, and Strategy & Brand business. Over several months—during the pandemic-related marketplace disruption—she successfully concepted, negotiated, and closed six strategic acquisitions while concurrently driving record consecutive year-over-year growth, more than doubling the workforce, and investing heavily in bringing break-through cyber and strategic risk management solutions to clients.
Recognized as a thought leader on numerous topics, Golden regularly appears in national news media, speaks at industry events, and has written for the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and other publications. She hosts the “Resilient” and “the best problem I ever had” podcast series, and appears in the “Ella the Engineer” comic book series, created to inspire the next generation of girls in STEM.
Golden serves on Virginia Tech’s Business Information Technology and Masters in Information Technology advisory boards within the Pamplin College of Business. Additionally, she trains service dogs on behalf of the Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs to aid the visually impaired, veterans, and first responders. She holds a Master’s in information technology from The George Washington University School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in finance and financial management services from Virginia Tech.
6. Jérôme Desbonnet
Company: Capgemini
Title: Vice President, Chief Cybersecurity Architect CIS, Cybersecurity CTIO CIS
Jérôme Desbonnet has a variety of titles. He is the Chief Cybersecurity Architect for CIS (cloud infrastructure and security) and I&D (insight and data), and Cybersecurity CTIO (Chief Technology and Innovation Officer) for CIS for Capgemini. He is also Associate Founder of bdc and dcr srl, which develop and resell a new patented data compression solution.
Prior to joining Capgemini in 2021, Desbonnet was Head of Security Solutions and Operations at Euroclear, where he led consulting, security engineering, architecture, network security operations, IDAM, and cyber defense from 2018 to 2021. But this is not his first stint with Capgemini. From 2015-2018, he served as Global Cyber Security CTO for Capgemini and Sogeti (part of the Capgemini Group) and drove cybersecurity strategy for the group. He has also served as Cyber Security CTO for Atos, and before that for Bull. During his eight years with Bull, Desbonnet learned to manage product lines (HSM, IAM, secure phones, etc.) and packaged offers (Managed SOC, DDoS as a service, etc.). Desbonnet is always looking for new trends and innovative solutions with an eye to the future, and is “always trying to think like an attacker.”
7. Shyam Doddavula
Company: Infosys
Title: Vice President
Shyam Doddavula is a seasoned executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience in business and technology innovation. He serves the digital consulting needs of global 2000 organizations as Vice President at Infosys, a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting with over $16 billion in revenue in FY22. Infosys is recognized as one of the top 3 IT brands in the world by Brand Finance in 2022. Doddavula’s primary areas of focus include innovation, consulting, intrapreneurship, and incubation of technology-led solutions for business transformation. He is a technologist with more than 10 granted patents, several publications, and deep expertise in AI, cybersecurity, and blockchain technologies.
Doddavula believes the digital enterprises of the future need a sentient cybersecurity solution that continuously observes, senses, responds, learns, and evolves to keep pace with ever-changing cyber threats. He is working with large enterprise clients to understand their security needs and is passionately co-creating Infosys Cyber Next, a state-of-the-art managed security services platform that realizes this vision of sentient security.
Doddavula earned his Master's in computer science from Texas Tech University and his Bachelors in electronics and communication engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India.
8. Ashish Chandra
Company: Wipro
Title: Senior Partner and Global Head of Digital Identity and CRS
Ashish Chandra is the General Manager and Global Head of Digital Identity and CRS for Wipro, India's fourth largest IT company. Included in this robust portfolio is Wipro's cybersecurity division, which provides services ranging from security and risk advisory to cloud and infrastructure security, among many other offerings.
Chandra has more than 24 years of industry experience, working with global brands across industry verticals in the U.S., U.K., Europe, Australia, and India. In his current position, the seasoned cybersecurity professional leads the Digital Identity practice globally responsible for IAM strategy, GTM, consulting, delivery, and P&L. Before Wipro, Chandra spent more than three years at IBM, most recently serving as Partner & Global Head of Digital Identity. Chandra, who holds a Master of Science in software systems from the Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani, has been made an Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).
9. Shanavas Chemmamkuzhi
Company: Wipro
Title: Senior Partner and Head of the Cyber Defense Center
Shanavas Chemmamkuzhi is a Senior Partner and Head of the Cyber Defense Center for Cybersecurity & Risk Services for Wipro, a leading technology services and consulting company focused on building innovative solutions that address clients’ most complex digital transformation needs. Wipro leverages its holistic portfolio of capabilities in consulting, design, engineering, and operations, helping clients realize their boldest ambitions and build future-ready, sustainable businesses. It has more than 240,000 employees and business partners across 66 countries delivering on the promise of helping its customers, colleagues, and communities to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Chemmamkuzhi is based in India and has worked with Wipro since February 2006. He earned a Master of Science in business information technology from the University of Wales, Cardiff.
10. Sabitri Chakraborty
Company: Wipro
Title: Senior Partner
Sabitri Chakraborty is a passionate cybersecurity leader currently working as a Senior Partner for Cybersecurity & Risk Services at Wipro Ltd. She has been a seasoned cybersecurity professional working with a broad spectrum of clients across the globe and helping them manage their cybersecurity risks. Chakraborty has a deep understanding of various industries and their business and risk landscapes. She has led multiple board discussions to help make risk-aware decisions and drive risk awareness for clients. Currently, she leads delivery for a large group of clients in the Americas, and she is well known as a great coach and mentor as well as an evangelist for her clients.
Chakraborty prides herself on her ability to develop relationships with clients and colleagues. She believes in driving innovation as well as the co-creation of values, and in continuous learning and sharing through articles and discussions through various channels. Chakraborty earned a bachelor of engineering in computer science and engineering from Tripura University.
11. Tony Buffomante
Company: Wipro
Title: Senior Vice President and Global Head of Cybersecurity & Risk Services
Tony Buffomante is the Global Head of the Cybersecurity & Risk Services (CRS) business at Wipro Limited, a leading technology services and consulting company with more than 240,000 employees and business partners across 66 countries focused on building innovative solutions that address clients’ most complex digital transformation needs.
Over his career, Buffomante has managed and executed cyber security risk assessments, strategies, assessments, and implementations for some of the largest global organizations. He is a recognized industry leader in cybersecurity and a featured author and speaker internationally. Buffomante is responsible for the complete strategy, operations, and financial management for Wipro's Global Cyber business, including mergers and acquisitions, ecosystems, and venture partnerships, cyber-fusion centers, and delivery of professional services from Wipro's more than 8000 Cybersecurists. He is also a featured author and speaker for Forbes, Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, CIO.com, Dark Reading, RetailDive, Information Security Forum (ISF), ISACA, and ISSA, among others. Buffomante earned a BBA in management and computer science from the University of Notre Dame.
12. Kris McConkey
Company: PwC UK
Title: Global Lead for Threat Intelligence and Incident Response
Kris McConkey is PwC UK’s Global Lead for the Threat Intelligence and Incident Response, a team which is composed of highly specialized cyber security professionals. PwC is a global professional services firm specializing in accounting, auditing, assurance, and consulting.
McConkey's obsession with computers stretches back to his days at primary school. Raised in a rural part of Northern Ireland, he bought his first computer at age 13 and had founded his own software company by the time he left school. Nearly 18 years ago he joined PwC, becoming the first forensic technology employee at the consulting company's Belfast outpost. Today, he heads up the London-headquartered cyber response team. His areas of expertise include malware reverse engineering, secure systems, and network architecture design. In the past he's led global investigations, both civil and criminal, that require advanced digital forensics and data mining. McConkey holds a Bachelor of Science 1st Class in Computer Science from the University of Warwick.
13. Maninder Singh
Company: HCL Technologies
Title: Corporate Vice President and Global Head of Cybersecurity & GRC
Maninder Singh is currently the Global Head of Cybersecurity & Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) at HCL Technologies. He joined HCL in 1995 and has played various leadership roles ever since, including setting up HCL’s end-user computing practice, shared services, and European GDC footprints. He also led service delivery for EMEA and APAC.
Singh has been a key player in growing and leading HCL’s early forays into communications, networking, and security. He was the founding member of HCL’s Infrastructure Services Business, and his role and functional responsibilities span business development, sales, product management, service delivery, and program management.
Singh is also a part of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on cybersecurity and has been shouldering an active role with the Center for CyberSecurity and Cybersecurity Leadership Community since 2017. Prior to joining HCL, he worked with two leading IT companies. He started his career with DCM Data Products in 1990 and then worked with Fujitsu ICIM, providing mid-range server computing solutions. Singh is a graduate in physics from Delhi University and has a postgraduate diploma in marketing management from The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).
14. Sanjeev Mehrotra
Company: HCL Technologies
Title: Senior Vice President and Global Delivery Head
Sanjeev Mehrotra is Senior Vice President and Global Delivery Head for Cybersecurity and GRC Services for HCL Technologies. HCL is a next-generation global technology company that helps enterprises reimagine their businesses for the digital age. Its technology products, services, and engineering are built on four decades of innovation, with a world-renowned management philosophy, a strong culture of invention and risk-taking, and a relentless focus on customer relationships.
Mehrotra is an IT professional with more than 28 years of experience and has been with HCL for more than 20 years. He has strong expertise in IT management and IT security management, and in his current role at HCL, he is responsible for driving overall delivery for Cybersecurity and GRC services for HCL’s customers. Mehrotra frequently works with C-suite executives on strategic initiatives for enhancing and managing their cybersecurity postures. He earned a Master of Computer Applications from the Institute of Management Studies of Devi Ahilya University in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India.
15. Manuel Villar
Company: Raytheon Technologies
Title: Director of Cyber Security
Manuel Villar is the Director of Cyber Security for Raytheon Technologies. Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, Raytheon is one of the largest defense manufacturers in the world. The company recently announced a collaborative partnership with Northrop Grumman, which resulted in a hypersonic missile contract worth nearly $1 billion.
Villar has an extensive background in the cybersecurity field, having served as Raytheon's Director of Cyber Security for nearly seven years. He previously worked as Vice President and Cyber Solutions Division Manager for Information Innovators, Director of Cyber Security at Creative Computing Solutions, and Director of Cyber Operations at Avaya Government Solutions, among others. Villar, whose certifications included CISSP and PMP, began his career at BAE Systems. In addition to Raytheon, he serves as a board member for the International Critical Infrastructure Security Institute (ICISI) and the Cybersecurity Advisory Board for Northern Virginia Community College. Villar holds a Master of Engineering in Cybersecurity Policy and Compliance from The George Washington University and a Bachelor’s in Communication Security from Charter Oak State College.
16. John DeSimone
Company: Raytheon Technologies
Title: President of Cybersecurity, Intelligence & Services
Seasoned veteran John DeSimone is the President of Cybersecurity, Intelligence & Services for Raytheon Technologies, one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the world. The giant tech company consists of four highly specialized businesses – and DeSimone's division specializes in developing advanced sensors, training, cyber, and software solutions for its clients. DeSimone has been with Raytheon since 2017, and previously led the Cybersecurity and Special Missions mission area for Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information, and Services business.
For more than three decades, DeSimone has served in some of the highest levels of leadership at companies like IBM, Motorola, and Northrop Grumman Corporation, among others. In 2020, he was named WashingtonExec’s Cybersecurity Industry Executive of the Year at its annual Pinnacle Awards. In January 2022, the Discovery Channel and Science Channel featured his cybersecurity business, illustrating its cyber innovations on an episode of “Tomorrow’s World Today.” DeSimone, who is one of the most sought-after thought leaders in the cybersecurity industry, holds a Bachelor of Arts in computer science from Columbia University and has attended Motorola’s Chairman’s Leadership Institute at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
17. Alexander Höhfeld
Company: CGI
Title: Vice President and Head of Cybersecurity & Intelligence
Alexander Höhfeld is Vice President and Head of Cybersecurity & Intelligence in the Cologne Office of CGI. With more than 78,000 employees worldwide, CGI is one of the largest independent providers of IT and business process services. In Germany, more than 4,500 highly motivated IT and industry experts support the digital transformation of its customers, especially with IT consulting, systems integration, and outsourcing services.
In addition to his duties with CGI, Höhfeld is also a University Lecturer for IT Consulting & Project Management at the Fachhochschule der Wirtschaft (FHDW). Prior to joining CGI, he was a Senior Consultant and Project Manager for defense solutions for Logica (now part of CGI). Before that, he was a research assistant at the University of Trier and a team leader and chief developer for the German Air Force. He earned a PhD in computer science from the University of Trier and a graduate degree in computer science and operations research from Bundeswehr University Munich.
18. Rob Yellen
Company: WTW
Title: Executive Vice President
Rob Yellen is Executive Vice President of WTW, which provides data-driven, insight-led solutions in the areas of people, risk, and capital by leveraging the global view and local expertise of its colleagues serving 140 countries and markets. Yellen is a respected client advisor and recognized authority in Financial Lines, Cyber Security, and Privacy Insurance, and helps clients optimize risk transfer and manage retained risk while reducing their total cost of risk.
Within the insurance community, Yellen is known for his creative solutions, fresh insights, unparalleled product expertise, and exceptional results. He has earned a reputation for technical excellence by delivering risk solutions to seemingly impossible challenges and for delivering innovations that set new market standards.
Among Yellen’s many accomplishments, he co-authored the Cyber Insurance chapter of Practicing Law Institute’s “Cybersecurity–a Practical Guide to the Law of Cyber Risk,” served as Co-Chair of WTW’s Strategic Solutions Group and helped companies in crisis, chaired the FINEX Advisory Committee, founded the Global FINEX Advisory Council, and is responsible for the development of over 55 insurance products globally. He earned a JD from the Boston University School of Law and a BS in business, management, marketing, and related support services from the Cornell Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management.
19. Ida Kristensen
Company: McKinsey & Company
Title: Senior Partner
Ida Kristensen is a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company and Global Co-leader of the firm’s Risk & Resilience Practice and Global Leader of its Cyber Practice. She advises clients on a range of risk- and regulatory-related issues, from cybersecurity, operational risk, and compliance to capital management, broader enterprise risk-management strategy, and regulatory transformation efforts. Not only does she lead the firm’s global cybersecurity work, but she is also the people leader for the consulting community.
Kristensen has more than fifteen years of consulting experience advising McKinsey’s clients on risk. In that time, she has helped clients design and implement enterprise risk-management functions, led the firm’s work supporting a multiyear comprehensive capital-analysis and review program at a top U.S. bank, and worked with clients to redesign operational risk and compliance functions to meet heightened regulatory expectations.
Before joining McKinsey, Kristensen was Director of Risk Consulting for SunGard ERisk (now part of FIS), where she worked on a variety of projects, including scoring models, economic-capital modeling, collection optimization, and limit setting. She holds a PhD in political science and statistics from Columbia University and an MA in political science from Aarhus University in Denmark.
20. Michael LaRouche
Company: SAIC
Title: President, National Security and Space Sector
Michael LaRouche has served as President of SAIC’s National Security and Space (NSS) division since October 2020. Under his leadership, SAIC has secured several multimillion-dollar government contracts, including a recent $319 million contract from the U.S. Air Force. With a vision to advance SAIC’s IT modernization efforts across the federal sector, LaRouche is in charge of an elite NSS team that includes thousands of employees. Prior to his role as President, he was executive vice president and general manager of SAIC's national security group.
Before SAIC, LaRouche spent more than a decade as a vice president at Raytheon. His lengthy industry career also includes leadership roles at Lockheed Martin and Hughes Network Systems. He is currently a member of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance’s (INSA) board of directors and chairs the Audit and Compensation Committee. The recipient of a master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Colorado, LaRouche is a strong advocate for STEM education and volunteers as a tutor in calculus and physics.
21. Brad Medairy
Company: Booz Allen Hamilton
Title: Executive Vice President
Brad Medairy is a technology executive and leads Booz Allen’s National Cyber Platform account, focusing on the cyber missions of national-level clients including the intelligence community, U.S. Cyber Command, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Department of Defense (DoD). In this role, Medairy is responsible for addressing some of the nation’s top cybersecurity challenges, including protecting critical infrastructure, securing the supply chain, protecting emerging platforms (5G, medical devices, weapons, and space systems), and defending the extended Federal enterprise against cyberattacks.
Medairy is passionate about advancing the nation’s capabilities in cyberspace by integrating emerging technologies with intelligence tradecraft to deliver next generation, full spectrum cyber solutions. He leads a multidisciplinary team of cyber operators, AI/machine learning engineers, software developers, and cloud engineers to develop and deliver these solutions across the federal and commercial markets.
Medairy was named a 2021 Federal 100 Award Winner, Top 50 Cyber Leader for 2021, 2020 Cyber Executive of the Year by the Northern Virginia Technology Council, and a Finalist for Washington Exec’s 2020 Cybersecurity Industry Executive of the Year. In his community, he is a high school Science Olympiad coach focused on increasing youth interest in STEM, and a coach for elementary and middle school youth soccer and basketball programs. In addition, he serves as an advisory board member for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the George Mason University Volgenau School of Engineering. Medairy earned his BS from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and an MS from Johns Hopkins University.
22. Kelly Rozumalski
Company: Booz Allen Hamilton
Title: Senior Vice President
Kelly Rozumalski is a Senior Vice President leading Booz Allen’s National Cyber Defense business. She develops solutions that address some of the nation’s top cybersecurity challenges, including protecting critical infrastructure, safeguarding connected devices, improving the defense and resilience of government networks, securing the supply chain, deepening cross-sector collaboration, and defending the federal enterprise against cyber threats.
Rozumalski has over a decade of experience driving differentiated solutions to help clients identify and understand cyber risks, automate compliance for real-time insights into security weaknesses, and mitigate vulnerabilities to reduce cyber threats. She supports the core missions of national-level clients across the Federal Civilian, Department of Defense, and intelligence community. Prior to her existing role, Rozumalski led Booz Allen’s Secure Connected Health initiatives – advancing the healthcare industry’s cybersecurity capabilities. She and her team collaborated with federal and commercial clients to drive next-generation service offerings that combated vulnerable channels to biological data. Supporting the development of an increasingly connected, resilient healthcare system, she took a patient-focused approach to risk, remediation, and secure product development frameworks.
Consulting Magazine named Rozumalski a 2021 Woman Leader in Technology, honored for Excellence in Innovation. In addition, she leads cyber talent programs to help Booz Allen attract and retain the industry’s top talent. She earned a Bachelor of Science in business from the University of Maryland.
23. Greg Boison
Company: Boston Consulting Group
Title: Managing Director and Partner
Greg Boison is a Managing Director and Partner with the Boston Consulting Group, one of the largest management consulting firms in the world. For almost 50 years, BCG has been a pioneer and leader in business strategy, including innovating the growth-share matrix portfolio management framework.
Boison serves BCG as the North American leader of Cyber and Federal Technology and BCG’s Center for Digital Government and is also a key leader in BCG’s Federal Corporation. He has spent more than two decades working with international corporations and governments on their most pressing digital topics. Between periods of his career with BCG, Boison worked with Lockheed Martin in a number of executive positions including Director of Homeland & Cyber Security, Director of Energy Programs, and Director of FBI and Justice Programs. He holds an MA in philosophy and social policy from George Washington University and a BA in government and philosophy from Dartmouth College.
24. Jannik Leiendecker
Company: Boston Consulting Group
Title: Partner and Associate Director, ESG, Compliance & Non-Financial Risk
Jannik Leiendecker is a Partner and Associate Director in Boston Consulting Group’s ESG, Compliance & Non-Financial Risk practice. He is a core member of the firm’s Financial Institutions practice area and the firm’s Global Risk Team. He advises clients on compliance- and cybersecurity-related topics and is one of the lead contacts for BCG’s strategic partnership with technology company QuoScient. Leiendecker has also advised numerous clients, especially within the Financial Services industry, on the set-up and optimisation of their respective operating models and has co-authored various corresponding publications.
Based in Munich, Germany, Leiendecker joined BCG in 2010 as an Associate and worked his way up from there, rising to Consultant, then Project Leader, Principal, and Associate Director of Risk & Regulatory Compliance before assuming his current position in January of this year. He earned a Master of Science in economic history from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and a Bachelor of Science in Betriebswirtschaftslehre (business administration) from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU). He also earned a certificate in sustainable finance from the University of Cambridge.
25. Stefan Deutscher
Company: Boston Consulting Group
Title: Partner and Associate Director, Cyber Security & IT Infrastructure
Stefan Deutscher is a Partner and Associate Director in Boston Consulting Group’s Cyber Security & IT Infrastructure practice. He is a core member of BCG’s Technology Advantage and Technology, Media & Telecommunications practices. He is also BCG's global topic leader for cybersecurity and IT risk management, as well as BCG's global topic leader for IT infrastructure and data center operations, and he often supports his clients at the crossroads of these two topics.
Deutscher has worked on these topics across industries since joining BCG in 2001 and serves clients on all continents and in industries including insurance, banking, aerospace, media, industrial goods, mining, chemical industries, IT, telecommunications, and the public sector. Since 2016, Deutscher has also served as a project advisor to the World Economic Forum on the topic of "Advancing Cyber Resilience." Initially, this work focused on empowering boards and executive teams with tools and practices to identify and manage business risks emanating from cyberthreats. It has moved on to enable public-private collaboration around cyber resilience.
Before joining BCG, Deutscher spent nearly ten years building, operating, and advising academic computing centers, while also teaching and conducting research in computational atomic and surface physics, quantum chemistry, and high-performance computing at several international research centers in the U.S., France, Spain, and Austria. He earned a PhD in atomic physics from the Free University of Berlin.
26. Michael Coden
Company: Boston Consulting Group
Title: Senior Advisor
Michael Coden advises boards, CEOs, C-Suites, and CISOs on IT and OT cybersecurity strategy, implementation, and resilience, both as Senior Advisor at BCG and Managing Partner at Magjic LLC Cybersecurity Consulting. Previously, Coden was Managing Director and Global Leader of BCG’s Cybersecurity Practice. Additionally, Coden is Associate Director of MIT Sloan’s cybersecurity research consortium, Expert Advisor to the Election Cybersecurity Initiative at USC, and on the advisory boards of The Decision Lab, SAFE Security Inc., and HMG Strategy. Coden is also a member of the joint MIT-Stanford-CMU-UW-Google-VMWare DBOS-Project developing a revolutionary cyber-resilient operating system that self-detects cyberattacks with 99.96% accuracy in milliseconds, and self-restores itself to the pre-attack state in ~5 minutes for business continuity.
Previously, Coden assisted in developing the NIST Cybersecurity Framework–receiving a letter from the White House thanking him for his leadership–and was editor of the ISO/IEC-62443 OT cybersecurity standard. Coden has published more than 140 articles, a book with 100,000 copies in circulation, spoken at RSA and many other conferences, appeared on Bloomberg Radio and PBS television, and authored 17 patents on cybersecurity hardware and software. Coden has a BSEE from MIT, an MSBA from Columbia University, and an MS from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at NYU.
27. Meredith Schnur
Company: Marsh
Title: Managing Director, U.S. and Canada Cyber Brokerage Leader
Meredith Schnur is Managing Director and U.S. and Canada Cyber Brokerage Leader for Marsh, the world’s leading insurance broker and risk advisor, which currently has more than 45,000 colleagues operating in 130 countries serving commercial and individual clients with data-driven risk solutions and advisory services. Schnur is a recognized risk management and cyber insurance industry leader with success building, managing, and leading specialty insurance teams and forming strategic relationships with external partners. She is a hands-on leader who is known as a motivating manager who is skilled at coaching and building top performers focused on achieving financial goals and technical expertise.
Prior to joining Marsh in April 2019, Schnur served as the Senior Vice President of the Professional Risk Practice of USI Insurance Services. She also held the same position with Wells Fargo for nearly 15 years. She is a Certified Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), and before joining Wells Fargo, she was an underwriter for both Chubb Insurance and AIG. Schnur holds a Bachelor’s degree in business and economics from The State University of New York (SUNY) College at Oneonta.
28. Syed Ali
Company: Bain & Company
Title: Expert Partner, Global Cybersecurity Advisory Services Leader
Syed Ali is an Expert Partner in Bain & Company’s Enterprise Technology, Private Equity (PE), and Telecommunications, Media, and Technology (TMT) practices. He is also the co-head of Bain’s global cybersecurity advisory services. He has more than 23 years of experience in management and technology consulting, including nearly 11 years with Bain. Prior to joining Bain, he was a Principal for Booz & Company.
Ali has expertise in commercial diligences on cybersecurity companies for PE investors and strategic buyers, corporate cybersecurity maturity assessments and strategic planning for large enterprises, and cybersecurity products and services strategies for large TMT companies. Additionally, he has experience in Agile transformation (particularly DevOps and DevSecOps), digital strategy, cloud migration and on-premise infrastructure optimization, enterprise architecture, and application development. Over the course of his career, Ali has advised senior business and technology leaders at leading companies in the technology, telecom, insurance, healthcare, retail, and banking industries. He holds a Master of Science in information technology from Northwestern University and a BSE in biomedical engineering from Tulane University.
29. Sam Olyaei
Company: Gartner
Title: Vice President, TM - Research & Advisory
Sam Olyaei is a Vice President at Gartner, leading an advisory team that is focused on servicing cybersecurity and risk executives. His thought leadership and research have been highly influential in evolving the role of the CISO, culminating in an exclusive CISO Effectiveness model – the first of its kind in the industry. Additionally, he has led Gartner’s Top Predicts – a collection of efforts to establish forward looking trends in the cybersecurity industry. His domain expertise and advisory extends to third party/product security, governance, cyber risk quantification, program management, and executive/board communication.
Olyaei is a regular keynote speaker at industry events worldwide, including Gartner’s Global Security and Risk Management summits, and has contributed to various industry regulations, government, and mission critical organizations such as FS-ISAC, NYCRR500, NIST NICE, TRA, among others. Overall, Olyaei has published more than 70 industry whitepapers and delivered more than 100 pitches on various matters related to cybersecurity and risk management. He holds a Bachelor's degree in economics from Fairfield University and a Masters degree in business administration from Quinnipiac University.
30. Stu Bradley
Company: SAS Software
Title: Senior Vice President, Fraud & Security Intelligence
Stu Bradley is the Senior Vice President of Fraud & Security Intelligence for SAS, the largest privately held software business in the world. In 2019, the company reported revenue that exceeded $3 billion, and is recognized for creating software that is used by most of the Fortune 500.
Bradley has more than 20 years of experience dealing with anti-fraud technology. Since joining SAS in 2009, he has served in leadership roles advancing the Fraud & Security Intelligence portfolio across three main pillars: Industry Fraud, AML Compliance, and Security. In his current role, he leads a diverse team of nearly 400 technology and domain experts in more than two dozen countries around the globe. Among his responsibilities, he oversees sales, product management, and product marketing for SAS’s fraud and cyberanalytics business. Bradley, who is known for his keen focus, defines his mission as such: "To help commercial and public organizations implement a modern approach to stopping crime before it happens."
31. Krissy Safi
Company: Protiviti
Title: Managing Director, Global Practice Lead for Attack & Penetration Testing
Krissy Safi is Managing Director and Global Practice Lead for Attack & Penetration Testing at Protiviti, a worldwide consulting firm that provides leaders with solutions in finance, technology, operations, data analytics, and risk. The company, which brings in more than $1 billion in annual revenue, recently announced a new service line, "Protiviti Digital," which serves as a digital marketing agency.
After cutting her teeth as a penetration tester, Safi leveraged her unique skill set into a career spanning more than two decades in the information security space. This includes a wide range of experiences, such as advising on and managing enterprise-wide security and risk management programs for Fortune 100 companies and government agencies, to bringing new products and services to market in IAM, security intelligence, and application security. Before Protiviti, Safi spent nearly six years at IBM, including a stint as the senior global security services offering manager for IBM's X-Force Red Offensive Security Services. She is passionate about women in security initiatives and mentoring the next generation of security innovators, especially as part of her local P-TECH program. Safi graduated with an MBA from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Science in Italian from the University of Colorado Boulder.
32. Tracy Wilkison
Company: FTI Consulting
Title: Senior Managing Director
Tracy Wilkison is a Senior Managing Director in FTI Consulting’s Cybersecurity practice. She was brought on by the firm this year to further enhance FTI’s presence on the West Coast. Prior to joining FTI, Wilkison spent more than 20 years with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. She was appointed to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California in November 2021 after serving as Acting U.S. Attorney since January 2020.
Throughout her time at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Wilkison prosecuted numerous cyber and intellectual property cases arising from computer hacking, internet fraud, identity theft, cyber stalking, internet piracy, trade-secret theft, and the sale of counterfeited trademarked or copyrighted goods. She also led the team that investigated the Sony Pictures Entertainment cyber attack in 2014. Wilkison will leverage her extensive cybersecurity investigative background to help clients address complex investigations and corresponding litigation, improve cyber readiness, and bolster incident preparedness and response. Her legal experience will also be an asset to organizations facing compliance, financial crime, money laundering, and regulation challenges. Wilkison earned a JD from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in American History from the University of Maryland.
33. Mark James
Company: Oliver Wyman
Title: Partner and Head of Cybersecurity, EMEA
Mark James is a Partner in the Singapore location of Oliver Wyman, which is part of the Oliver Wyman Group, a business unit of Marsh McLennan. He also serves as the Head of the Strategic IT and Operations Practice for the Asia-Pacific region. His work primarily involves helping clients tackle financial services issues relating to technology, data, and operations.
James, who holds an MBA from Wharton and a bachelor's degree from Yale, has more than 25 years of experience serving in senior leadership roles. He is an expert in the financial services industry across Asia, Europe, and North America. He was a Principal in the Financial Services Group of Booz Allen & Hamilton in London where he specialized in bank-wide transformation and operational improvement. Before moving to London in 2014, he led Oliver Wyman’s technology and operations practice in Asia-Pacific and was head of Re-engineering at Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore.
34. Jay Vijayakrishnan
Company: Alvarez & Marsal
Title: Senior Director
As a Senior Director with Alvarez & Marsal’s Private Equity Performance Improvement Group in New York, Jay Vijayakrishnan leads teams in conducting cybersecurity due diligences of M&A targets and advises clients on implementing cybersecurity programs. He leverages his 15+ years of professional and consulting experience working with C-suite leaders on cybersecurity and technology risk topics while reviewing the cybersecurity posture of organizations across financial services, technology, manufacturing and distribution, healthcare, and consumer products. He has worked across multiple cybersecurity disciplines and has led consulting teams on cybersecurity risk assessments and capability maturity evaluations based on several industry standards (NIST CSF, FFIEC CAT, CIS CSC20).
Prior to joining Alvarez & Marsal, Vijayakrishnan served as a Managing Principal at Capco, a management consulting firm, providing cybersecurity risk advisory and IT consulting services for Fortune 500 financial institutions. There, he was instrumental in developing the cybersecurity consulting practice and led several assignments conducting cybersecurity risk assessments and managing cybersecurity programs for clients. Previously, he worked at Kurt Salmon Associates, UMT (acquired by EY), and Cognizant Technologies. Vijayakrishnan holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore and earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Visveswaraiah Technological University.
35. Vishal Pandey
Company: Alvarez & Marsal
Title: Senior Director – Global Cyber Risk & Incident Response Services
Vishal Pandey is the Senior Director of Global Cyber Risk & Incident Response Services for Alvarez & Marsal, a leading global professional services firm that provides advisory, business performance improvement, and turnaround management services. The firm’s leadership is about a bias towards action and the willingness to tell clients what they think is needed.
Pandey has more than 20 years of experience as a recognized leader in the cybersecurity and incident response space and more than 15 years of cybersecurity consulting experience with top Fortune 50 companies and several other clients. Pandey was a leader within the Cybersecurity practice at Stroz Friedberg (Aon Cyber Solutions), where he successfully led, managed, and executed information security engagements and efforts. The scope of the engagements ranged from comprehensive strategic assessments and very detailed, technical penetration tests and red-teaming efforts to critical incident response and forensics work.
Pandey has managed, led, and executed successful engagements at several of the largest financial firms, banks, and insurance companies in the New York Metro region and throughout the United States. Prior to Alvarez & Marsal, he provided consulting services and leadership as a Director at Protiviti and was a Senior Software Engineer for the Vulnerability Management team at VeriSign (formerly Guardent). Pandey earned an MS in computer science from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a BE in electrical engineering from North Gujarat University.
36. Dave Burg
Company: Ernst & Young
Title: EY Americas Cybersecurity Leader
Dave Burg serves as the EY Americas Cybersecurity Leader. In this role, he assists Ernst & Young’s clients in reactive and proactive consulting capacities involving the deployment of information technology solutions and their use. He has lectured at NYU’s Stern School of Business, Georgetown University, and Penn State University and regularly contributes to, and has been quoted in, a variety of business and industry journals. Burg is passionate about presenting on a wide range of topics at global corporations, law firms, industry events, and government agencies.
Burg works with his team to help clients “create enterprises and products which protect the confidentiality and integrity of the business process and the underlying information.” He is also constantly working to share views and perspectives in order to leverage the exposure his team has to solutions and their effectiveness. Prior to EY, Burg served for nearly 12 years as Global Cybersecurity Leader for PwC, where he assisted clients globally in reactive and proactive consulting capacities involving the deployment of information technology solutions and their use. He holds an MBA from the College of William and Mary and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania.
37. Steve Bergman
Company: Kroll
Title: Managing Director, Cyber Risk
Steve Bergman is a Managing Director with Kroll's Cyber Risk practice, based in the Washington, D.C. office. He leverages more than 20 years of experience leading and securing digital transformation initiatives through executive, C-Suite, and Board engagement. He creates mature cybersecurity programs that align with his customer’s business strategies, ensuring appropriate levels of compliance and risk mitigation while supporting business growth. He has served as the CIO and CISO for two large U.S.-based retail and health services organizations as well as the CEO of a leading consumer data privacy company.
Previously, Bergman served as the General Manager of the Risk and Cybersecurity practice at RSA, leading the firm’s Global Services Advisory business. In this role, he guided teams as they supported clients in investment and M&A activities, conducting cyber diligence for emerging companies and new product lines. He developed and brought RSA’s risk frameworks to market, analytical models that measured cyber maturity through proprietary business risk quantification methods.
38. Pierson Clair
Company: Kroll
Title: Managing Director, Kroll Cyber Risk, Managed Security Services
Seasoned incident response leader Pierson Clair is Managing Director in Kroll’s Managed Cyber Security Services. Clair is a highly respected leader in the world of cyber security, having led more than 500 network intrusion incident response investigations into a vast array of digital criminal activities—including ransomware, financial fraud, nation state, and insider threats. In his current role in Kroll’s Responder Managed Security Services, he leverages nearly 25 years of information technology and information security experience and a wide range of threat intelligence, attacker tactics, and security capabilities to advise organizations on modern approaches to cyber security.
Prior to joining the private sector, Clair worked with the U.S. Intelligence Community. In addition to his frequent industry presentations on attacker tactics, since 2012 Clair has been a faculty member at the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering, teaching courses in cyber security along with macOS and mobile device forensics and security. He earned an interdisciplinary degree in International Security and Technology from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Science in Digital Forensic Science from Champlain College.
39. Keith Novak
Company: Kroll
Title: Managing Director, Cyber Risk North America
As a Managing Director of Kroll’s North American Governance and Cyber Risk practice in New York, Keith Novak leads multi-disciplinary teams providing cyber risk, compliance, privacy, and advisory services to clients globally. His 25 years of experience in information technology, cyber security, offensive security, and investigations have enabled him to advise clients on effectively navigating the complex and evolving cyber threat and regulatory landscapes.
Prior positions held by Novak include Chief Technology Officer and Information Security Officer in the highly regulated healthcare sector, and more than a decade in various engineering and technology roles. He has special expertise in healthcare information technology, is highly proficient in the technical and regulatory requirements relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and Center for Internet Security frameworks and is a frequent speaker and author on cybersecurity topics.
40. Jason Smolanoff
Company: Kroll
Title: President, Cyber Risk
Jason Smolanoff is the President of Cyber Risk for Kroll, the leading independent provider of risk and financial advisory solutions. Kroll leverages its unique insights, data, and technology to help clients stay ahead of complex demands. The firm’s team of more than 6,500 professionals worldwide continues its nearly 100-year history of trusted expertise spanning risk, governance, transactions, and valuation. Its advanced solutions and intelligence provide clients with the foresight they need to create an enduring competitive advantage.
Prior to joining Kroll in January 2017, Smolanoff was the Chief Executive Officer of CISO Advisory & Investigations LLC and Managing Director of Stroz Friedberg, LLC. Before that, he served for more than 12 years as a Supervisory Special Agent for the FBI and was also a Field Process Engineer for Tokyo Electron. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service. Smolanoff earned a Master of Science in Chemistry from Stony Brook University and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from SUNY New Paltz.
41. Bhavesh Vadhani
Company: CohnReznick
Title: Principal and Global leader, Cybersecurity, Technology Risk, and Privacy
Bhavesh Vadhani is Principal and Global Leader of CohnReznick’s Cybersecurity, Technology Risk, and Privacy practice. In this role, he helps organizations adopt industry best practices and frameworks to improve their cybersecurity postures, reduce risk, and become more resilient. This ultimately helps organizations increase efficiencies in day-to-day processes and reduce the cost of compliance. He has more than 20 years of experience in the field of information risk management, security consulting, and privacy advisory services.
Vadhani has experience in many different industries including consumer products and retail, financial services, healthcare, government contracting, manufacturing and distribution, and technology. He is often called upon to share insights on the evolving cybersecurity landscape, threat actors, threat vectors, and emerging technological advances with the goal of helping organizations identify, detect, prevent, and recover adequately from cybersecurity incidents. Vadhani has and currently acts as a virtual CISO for many organizations where he assists executives with their cybersecurity strategies, program designs, and board level reporting.
42. Mari DeGrazia
Company: Kroll
Title: Associate Managing Director
As an Associate Managing Director at Kroll Cyber Security, Mari DeGrazia leads complex investigations in the field of Digital Forensics and Incident Response, including in PFI cases, IP theft, network intrusion, and data breach cases for external clients. She is active in the forensic community and writes a blog to share forensic research and writes tools in Python to assist in investigations.
DeGrazia has written several magazine articles related to the technology industry and has been a technical editor on two forensic books. She enjoys presenting and teaching at industry conferences and strives to do so several times a year. In 2017, she was a keynote speaker at the Women in Cyber conference in Tucson, Arizona. In her spare time, she organizes and runs a smARTMAKER lab for teens, which focuses on bridging technology with hands-on building and programming. Prior to Kroll, DeGrazia was a Senior Security Consultant for Verizon and a Computer Forensic Associate for Deloitte. For the past 3+ years, she has also been a SANS Instructor for the SANS Institute. She holds a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Hawaii Pacific University.
43. Lance Mathews
Company: Charles River Associates
Title: Principal of Forensic Services
Lance Mathews is Principal with the Forensics Services Practice of Charles River Associates (CRA). He specializes in cybersecurity incident response, digital forensics, and legal and compliance investigations. CRA is a leading global consulting firm known for their proven skills in complex cases and exceptional strength in analytics, driven by fact-based advice for their high-profile, high-stakes matters. As one of the original members of the Forensics Services Practice at CRA, Mathews has been instrumental in developing CRA’s analytic and automation capabilities to conduct digital forensic investigations. He leverages these capabilities to lead responses to client cybersecurity incidents including business email compromises, ransomware response and recovery, network or application vulnerability exploitations, and allegations of the misappropriation of trade secrets.
Before joining CRA, Mathews established himself supporting legal and compliance investigations using data analytic techniques to solve complex client challenges. In his free time, he enjoys exploring the outdoors, skiing, and hiking. He holds a Master of Science in Information Systems and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Indiana University.
44. Adam Hart
Company: Charles River Associates
Title: Principal
Adam Hart is a consultant with Charles River Associates specializing in digital forensics and incident response investigations. He has over fifteen years of specialized training and experience with investigations involving the analysis of computers, servers, email systems, network devices, mobile devices, GPS devices, vehicle infotainment systems, cloud storage, social media accounts, and malware. As a former detective with the Montgomery County Police in Maryland and member of the United States Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force (ECTF), he has managed numerous complex criminal investigations involving digital evidence and cybercrime. He has extensive experience testifying as both a fact witness and an expert witness in the area of digital forensics in state and federal court. He has also conducted numerous training classes in digital forensics, incident response, and social media investigations for law enforcement, attorneys, insurance investigators, and corporate clients.
Hart earned an MFS in digital forensics from the George Washington University and a BA in political science from the College of the Holy Cross. He also holds a number of certifications. He is a Certified Forensic Computer Examiner (CFCE) and a Certified Digital Forensic Examiner (CDFE) by the Department of Defense Cyber Investigation Training Academy (DCITA) and is a member of the International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists (IACIS). He is certified in GIAC Reverse Engineering Malware (GREM) and GIAC Cyber Threat Intelligence (GCTI) by the SANS Institute, and is a Cellebrite Certified Mobile Examiner (CCME), a Magnet Certified Forensic Examiner (MCFE), and a Blacklight Certified Examiner.
45. Aniket Bhardwaj
Company: Charles River Associates
Title: Vice President, Global Cybersecurity & Privacy Services
As the Vice President of Charles River Associates’ Global Cybersecurity and Incident Response Investigations, Forensics services practice in Toronto, Aniket Bhardwaj provides cyber intrusion investigation services to clients globally. His 20 years of experience in crisis response, threat intelligence, attack surface identification, and other cybersecurity advisory services such as security hygiene, compromise discovery and red team, combined with his well-established understanding of challenges within the nation’s critical infrastructure, have made him one of the top cybersecurity leaders globally. Bhardwaj’s experience also includes tracking nation-state adversaries, threat actors involved with cyber espionage, and financially motivated crime groups, including insider threats. Bhardwaj has also served as Virtual Chief Information Security Officer at various organizations and has executed security transformation journeys by establishing functions such as risk & compliance, incident and threat management, overall IT operations and security, and mature clients’ ability to respond to incidents. Recognizing his services to clients globally, Bhardwaj has been featured in Who’s Who Legal as a Global Leader in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Over the years, Bhardwaj has assisted clients globally in conducting incident readiness engagements and working with clients to create and implement a security transformation strategy. He frequently moderates tabletop simulations for organizations, helps build the muscle memory for detection and response programs, and works with the board to raise cybersecurity awareness by disseminating various forms of strategic threat intelligence.
Before joining Charles River Associates, Bhardwaj worked with PwC’s Global Cyber Threat Operations team across the Americas and the EU, leading numerous incident response and cybersecurity transformation engagements. As well as being a GCIA, GREM, GCFA, and GNFA, Bhardwaj earned a Master’s degree in Security & Cryptography from the Johns Hopkins University and is currently pursuing his MA in International Affairs from King’s College – London with a specialization in Espionage & Surveillance.
46. Cuyler Robinson
Company: Charles River Associates
Title: Vice President, Forensic Services Practice
Cuyler Robinson is Vice President within Charles River Associates’ Forensic Services Practice. He has expertise in digital forensics, information security, and incident response and leads complex investigations of cybersecurity attacks, trade secret theft, white collar crimes, data privacy incidents, and other disruptions that threaten a company’s integrity or value.
Robinson frequently reports investigation findings to counsel on behalf of company management and boards and has testified as an expert witness in U.S. state and district courts numerous times. He has also served as a neutral forensic expert, appointed by courts and parties, to supervise and conduct digital forensic analysis of evidence.
Robinson is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT), and has received extensive training in information security, incident response, data privacy, and digital forensics. He is a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals and former Co-Chair of its Chicago KnowledgeNet Chapter and frequently speaks at industry conferences on forensics and security. He has also written for publications such as Technology for the Litigator, an American Bar Association publication. Robinson earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration and computer information systems from Colorado State University.
47. Mark Lucas
Company: Coalfire
Title: Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer
Mark Lucas is Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Coalfire Systems, the world’s largest firm dedicated to cybersecurity. Launched more than 20 years ago, Coalfire's client list boasts many of the top tech companies around the globe, including the top-five cloud service providers and eight of the top 10 SaaS businesses in the world.
Lucas, who joined Coalfire in 2003, has dedicated much of his professional career to developing risk management tools that help organizations with IT safety. During his tenure at Coalfire, he has contributed to the development of many of the company's security practices, including its SaaS product line and ScanDesk. In May 2016, after years of working his way up the corporate ladder, he assumed his current CISO role. Prior to Coalfire, Lucas served in multiple advisory roles for some of the largest retailers, financial institutions, governments, and university systems in the U.S. He did his graduate studies in communicology at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale and is the recipient of a Bachelor of Science in communications and philosophy from Illinois State University.
48. Danny Collins
Company: RSM
Title: Partner and Enterprise Account Leader
In his role as an Enterprise Account Leader with RSM, Danny Collins helps executives achieve their objectives, co-develop solutions to their most pressing challenges, and execute on their organizational strategy. He is personally responsible for ensuring that RSM is providing an exceptional client experience to the most important accounts and delivering our brand promise of the power of being understood.
Collins is also a leader in RSM’s risk consulting practice and specializes in addressing business and technology risks, cybersecurity, third party risk management and assurance, and business process optimization. His thorough knowledge of organizational risks and internal controls, combined with a wide range of experiences, serves to help companies identify and address their risks. He has been recognized throughout his career for excellent client service both within RSM and amongst the client base.
Collins is also a proud alumni of the University of Missouri and was previously recognized with Mizzou’s Graduate of the Last Decade award for his leadership in the alumni association. He is a founding member of Mile High United Way’s Catalyst Society that is focused on driving positive impact in the Metro Denver community. He holds a Master’s in Accountancy from the University of Missouri Trulaske College of Business.
49. Anthony Catalano
Company: RSM
Title: National Cyber Lead – Private Equity
Anthony Catalano leads the cybersecurity practice for private equity at RSM. He has more than 17 years of experience advising multibillion-dollar healthcare and technology organizations on matters relating to information security. Having served as virtual chief information security officer (vCISO) for a variety of organizations, Catalano has experience building entire security programs and developing security management strategies that align with an organization’s business goals. He focuses on helping private equity and healthcare clients solve regulatory challenges and mitigate operational and financial risk.
Catalano has assisted domestic and international Fortune 500 clients with alignment to vertical-specific standards and frameworks, including National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), HITRUST, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), European Union Safe Harbor, North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP), HIPAA, Payment Card Industry (PCI) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Catalano is a published author, a frequent speaker at cybersecurity events, and is a certified information systems auditor and certified information systems security professional. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Kent State University.
50. Ben Tan
Company: BT Cyber
Title: Founder and Managing Director
Ben Tan is the Founder and Managing Director of BT Cyber. Launched in November 2016, the company specializes in providing cyber security solutions to enterprises throughout New Zealand and Australia. Its team of experts – there is a mandatory 10 years of cybersecurity experience for all engineers and consultants – work closely with CIOs, IT Directors, IT Managers, Security Architects, and System Engineers to provide solutions for the highest level of protection to organizations of 500+ users without a robust internal security governance strategy.
Tan, who received a Bachelor of Arts in history and information systems from the University of Auckland, has more than 20 years of experience in IT security infrastructure, the majority of which was gained internationally. Over the years, he has worked across multiple large organizations, including at UBS as an Associate Director, at Juniper Networks as an Advanced Services Consultant supporting enterprises in designing network security infrastructures, and at Symantec as Technical Lead. Before he launched BT Cyber, Tan founded BT Consulting in New Zealand and remains its Managing Director. He is also a member of Australia’s Cyber Security Centre and was named one of “The 10 Most Iconic Leaders in Enterprise Security 2022” by CIOLook.
____________________
Copyright: The Top 50 Cybersecurity Consultants and Leaders of 2022 publication is copyrighted material, produced and published by The Consulting Report. For information pertaining to content permissions, please refer to The Consulting Report’s award usage regulations.
