About Niel
Highly experienced, results-focused technology, cybersecurity, and privacy leader that leverages strategic vision, strong people management, and excellent communication skills to influence C-level decision-making while driving innovative risk-based solutions that enhance business capabilities in complex, global organizations. 20 years of leadership experience with demonstrated capabilities in cybersecurity, privacy & data protection, digital transformation, IT governance, risk & compliance(GRC), and developing high-performance, diverse teams.
English
Native or bilingual
Remote only
Primarily works remotely
Experience
- Gibraltar International BankChief Information Security Officer (Interim)BANKING AND INSURANCEAugust 2024 - Today (1 year and 10 months)United Kingdom
- Gibraltar International Bank (GIB) is a community-focused, digital bank that delivers a diverse portfolio of services including Retail Banking, Lending & Mortgages, and Business & Treasury.
- Produced a multi-year security roadmap that synchronized cybersecurity with company growth, establishing a secure-by-design foundation for the Bank.
- Transformed risk oversight via a high-impact reporting agenda, accelerating executive decision-making and consensus oncritical security investments.
- Direct the escalation of systemic risks to the Audit Committee, enhancing operational resilience and alignment with international financial regulations.
- Orchestrate partnerships across Risk, Finance, and IT to eliminate silos and integrate cybersecurity into the bank’s fiduciary and risk frameworks.
- Serve as a strategic advisor to leadership, leveraging expert counsel and constructive debate to foster a securityculture that safeguards institutional reputation.
- Co-delivered the organization's PCI-DSS Attestation of Compliance (AoC) with zero non-conformities for three (3) years consecutively. The PCI-DSS AoC covers key digital products such as Internet banking, mobile banking, digital cards,and mobile wallets (including Apple Pay and Google Pay integration).
- HugoChief Trust Officer (Advisory)DIGITAL AND ITAugust 2022 - Today (3 years and 10 months)Chicago, United States
- Hugo is the fastest growing business process outsourcing (BPO) company in the world. With 4,000+ staff across Chicago,Springfield, Cape Town, Lagos, Nairobi, Dakar, and Praia, the organization provides customer support, digital operations, trust & safety, and data & AI services to customers such as Google, Meta, Samsung, ByteDance, and Upwork, among others.
- Manage and optimize the IT operations, cybersecurity, privacy, and compliance functions.• Ensure that key privacy and security controls are consistently embedded across Hugo's broad portfolio of digital products, including large-scale processing of image, text, and video data to train large language models (LLMs); AI-assisted content moderation for platform safety; digital identity verification and transaction monitoring; and e-commerce workflow automation.
- Expertly led global certifications, including ISO 27001/42001, SOC 2 Type II, HITRUST, and PCI-DSS, maintaining compliance across diverse jurisdictions and leading to the acquisition of key customers across the tech, hospitality, healthcare, and fintech industries (over $50M annually in increased revenue).
- Modernized project governance, risk management, and talent development, achieving high-impact change management that enhanced service delivery and succession planning.
- Family Guardian InsuranceChief Information Security Officer (Advisory)BANKING AND INSURANCEAugust 2021 - Today (4 years and 10 months)Nassau, The Bahamas
- FamGuard is a cornerstone of the Bahamian financial services sector that oversees several specialized subsidiaries, includingFamily Guardian Insurance Company, BahamaHealth, FG Insurance Agents & Brokers, FG Capital Markets, and FG Financial.
- Developed a multi-year security roadmap and enterprise risk framework that aligned critical IT systems and dataassets with stringent regulatory requirements, hardening the organization’s overall risk posture.
- Maintain the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of digital products such as PayGuard (online payments), BahamaHealth (health insurance portal), Client Portal (real-time policy and annuity tracking), and e-Quotes (instant digital insurance estimates).
- Institutionalized a high-impact reporting and engagement model, securing executive buy-in and bridging the gap between security vision and business pain points.
- Deployed an integrated suite of advanced controls - including a Next Generation Network (NGN) stack, Identity and Access Management (IAM), Security Awareness Training, and Vulnerability Management - mitigating critical vulnerabilities across the technology stack and HR lifecycle.
- Pioneered the organization’s first Acceptable Use of Generative AI Policy, establishing a secure framework for AI adoptionto drive process efficiency and business innovation.
- Engineered and operationalized a robust supplier risk management framework, mitigating third-party exposure through continuous assessment of key vendors and emerging threats.
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Education
- Master of Laws (LLM)University of StrathclydeMaster of Laws (LLM)
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)University of LeicesterMaster of Business Administration (MBA)
Certifications
- Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)ISACA2002
- Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC)ISACA2011