RED 5

Interim CISO

Exertis UK

•	Risk Management

•	Vulnerability Management

•	Stakeholder Engagement

•	Third-Party Risk Management:

Chief Information Security Officer

Travel Counsellors

Information and Cyber Security Manager

Greater Manchester Police

Information Security and Risk Manager

The University of Manchester

SENIOR CYBERSECURITY MANAGEMENT: Extended IT Leadership Team Member working for a large UK university institution (single site university campus with 100+ buildings) supporting 10,000 employees, 40,000+ students and day-to-day cybersecurity operations, Security Operations Centre (SOC), Identity & Access Management and 24/7 monitoring (outsourced partners). Developed multi-skilled team (15 people) with relevant training accreditations. 

CYBERSECURITY FRAMEWORK: Established high-performance functions and capability in a state-of-the art Security Operations Centre for cyber monitoring, performance reporting (analytics) and embedding best practice processes. High resilience security for all technology platforms, applications and databases, including major incidents, emerging threats, vulnerability management, escalation processes, damage limitation, remediation and root cause analysis. 

CYBERSECURITY CAPABILITY: Implemented Forensics Lab to track, monitor and root cause issues (i.e. Attacks, Threats, Malware, Compromises & Systems Hardware), SIEM software (automated real-time threat monitoring), threat intelligence, controls (vulnerabilities) and penetration testing (ethical hacking; Red Team Testing). Introduced KPIs / SLAs for monitoring companies and action plans (system upgrades and patches). Evaluated AZURE & AWS platforms and cloud solution cybersecurity roadmap.

ID & ACCESS MANAGEMENT:  Managing ID security systems, access permissions and clearances for all staff, buildings (automated barriers), IT systems (log-ons) and contractors with technical support, incidents, alerts and monitoring tools. Implemented IDAM Strategy Roadmap with new Microsoft ID Manager system (cloud integration).

CYBERSECURITY GOVERNANCE: Working closely with the Information Governance Team on data classification, policies and procedures, including GDPR, data management and PCI DSS security compliance. Created Cyber-Awareness Week with regular communications and relevant information.

Senior Cybersecurity Manager

IT INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT: Managed core infrastructure for Data Centres, Storage Systems, Databases (20 major databases), Web Infrastructure (600 websites), UNIX Operating Systems and back-end processes. Included critical systems and databases for HR, Finance, Student Systems, Back-Office Applications and Data Warehouse.

IT SECURITY & CORE INFRASTRUCTURE: Managed IT infrastructure security requirements, storage back-ups, resilience testing, disaster recovery planning and business continuity management. Included regular systems checks, security audits (checklists) and systems hardening (i.e. closing ports, password encryption and SSL certificates).  

IT GOVERNANCE & BEST PRACTICE: Embedded best practice, data governance and optimised processes for all in-house systems. Included core systems monitoring, uptime (availability), KPI / SLA performance and dashboard reporting (analytics). Reviewed systems performance, uptime and availability, incidents / critical issues (root cause analysis), upgrades (patches) and IT infrastructure investments. Added budget management responsibility.

EXTENDED IT LEADERSHIP TEAM MEMBER: Wider involvement on all aspects of strategy development, technology roadmap and capability building. Led transformation projects to embed new ways of working and technology solutions. Managed Virtualisation Project (migration to a new VPS platform and reduced overall IT footprint) and 
managed implementation phase for a £5M storage refresh project (introduced cloud capability with lower TCO). 

HIGH-PERFORMANCE TEAMS: Led multi-disciplinary team of Database Administrators and Systems Administrators (UNIX, Web Infrastructure and Storage Teams) to ensure resilient and secure day-to-day operations. Coached, trained and developed team members. Improved technical support functions and service delivery (KPIs & SLAs). Restructured teams and introduced a collaborative team-based culture (removed silos) with effective staff training (multi-skilling).

Infrastructure Team Lead (IT Infrastructure & Security) 

DATABASE MANAGEMENT: Managed University Oracle Enterprise Systems. Led team (8-10 people) on all day-to-day Oracle Administration tasks, including back-up, recovery, upgrades, patches and security requirements for critical databases supporting HR, Finance, Student Systems, Back-Office Applications and Data Warehouse.

DATABASES & SYSTEMS INFRASTRCUTURE: Performed major upgrades for core databases (20 major databases) and Oracle E-Business Suite (R11 & R12). Embedded best practice and managed RMAN (Oracle Recovery Manager), BAU tasks and standby databases.  Worked on various projects in close collaboration with Storage / UNIX Teams and contributed to hardware refreshes.

Database Services Team Lead (Oracle Enterprise Systems) 

City College Manchester

Senior Database Team Leader 

VIA Networks

Database & Infrastructure Team Leader

Co-operative Group Ltd, Manchester

Senior Database Administrator

Torex Retail

ORACLE Consultant 

Accrington & Rossendale College

Junior Database Administrator (SQL Analyst) 

I’m Sajid, a leader within the IT and Cybersecurity space with over 25 years of experience across corporate, academia and the public sector.

Leadership, for me, extends beyond mere oversight. It’s about leading from the front.  I've had the privilege of leading large teams and multi-million-pound projects that have delivered impact at scale. 

My focus is always on creating an environment where each member feels valued and empowered. The result is a cohesive unit that tackles challenges and can withstand even the most high-pressure environments. 

 I view my role in cybersecurity as an enabler of business objectives. Security should not be a barrier but a facilitator, that helps the organisation to achieve its goals. 

Asa CISO, influence for me is about more than just having a seat at the table; it's about contributing meaningfully to the conversation. Whether it's a board meeting or a technical review, my approach is to build consensus through clear communication and a deep understanding of the security issues at hand and develop strategies that grow the business, not just defend it. 

Here is a snapshot of my achievements to date:
•	Reduced the number of security vulnerabilities in an organisation by 60% within one year.
•	Matured the Security capability at the University of Manchester and implemented a 24/7 Security Operations Centre.
•	Initiated and embedded a comprehensive security awareness training programme that achieved a 90% completion rate across 1,200 members of staff. 

I have achieved CISSP, CISM, C-CISO.
Experience of NIST, ISO27001, Cyber Essentials

I’m currently open to new opportunities and would welcome the chance to network with industry professionals as well as recruiters seeking a leader who combines strategic vision with a proven ability to deliver results. 

Let’s connect and have a chat!

“Inch deep, mile wide.” 

If you’ve ever studied for the CISSP, you know exactly what that feels like. 

For anyone who hasn’t taken the plunge: 
CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) is one of the most respected cybersecurity certifications in the world, designed to test your breadth across eight massive security domains. 

It’s less “exam” and more “endurance event.” 

When I first opened the CBK, I realised I wasn’t preparing for a test, I was preparing for a mindset shift. 

A CISSP isn’t a deep specialist. 

A CISSP is a connector, someone who sees across domains, bridges gaps, and understands how the entire security ecosystem fits together. 

But here’s the challenge: Going “mile wide” can make you feel like you’re never truly an expert in any one area. 

It’s easy to slip into imposter mode. 

What I’ve learned is this: 

Being inch deep and mile wide isn’t a weakness, it’s the superpower of a security leader. 

You don’t need to memorise every RFC or encrypt your dreams with AES-256.

You just need enough breadth to make smart decisions, challenge assumptions, and guide specialists. 

That’s the real value of the CISSP. 

If you’re on the journey, keep going. 

You’re not becoming a walking textbook. 

You’re becoming a strategist. 

What part of CISSP felt the “widest” for you?

Sajid Iqbal

Cyber Security Leader Focused on Enabling and Protecting Business Growth (CCISO, CISSP, CISM)

Are you an Information Security Analyst looking for the next step in your career journey ?

This role is office based from either our Redditch office or Upminster office, please only apply if this is possible for you.

No agencies at this time.

Redditch, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)

One of my previous employers had a growth strategy of acquiring businesses.

Due diligence from an information security perspective, wasn't a consideration.

I tried telling them, you’re not just buying a company… you’re buying its vulnerabilities. 

Then, one day one ... Shadow IT, legacy systems, unpatched servers, weak IAM — all become your problem. 

What can you do abou it - 

* Conduct cybersecurity due diligence before valuation is final 
* Assess breach history, maturity, and resilience 
* Quantify cyber risk in financial terms 
* Build a post-acquisition security integration plan 
* Prioritise fixing vulnerabilities that pose immediate business risk 

What have been your experiences with Mergers and Acqisitions ?

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together" African Proverb 

As a CISO, this quote is so true. 

Cybersecurity isn’t a solo sport. It’s not won by the loudest voice, the best tool, or the biggest budget. It’s won through collaboration across teams, departments, and leadership levels. 

Some of the most successful security outcomes I’ve seen weren’t the result of technical brilliance alone… 

They came from: 

🔹 IT and Security solving problems together rather than debating ownership. 
🔹 Legal, HR, and Finance helping shape realistic, risk-aligned decisions. 
🔹 Engineering and Product teams partnering early instead of involving security at the end. 
🔹 Executives and the Board sharing a unified view of risk, not a fragmented one. 

Team work makes the Dream Work
 ✔️ Response times get faster. 
✔️ Decisions get clearer. 
✔️ Risk becomes visible. 
✔️ Security becomes everyone’s responsibility — not just the CISO’s.

In 2026, the strongest CISOs won’t be the most technical. 

They’ll be the ones who can bring people together, build trust, and create a culture where security is woven into the way the organisation thinks and operates. 

Because going fast might get you through a project. 
But going together? 

That’s how you protect an entire organisation. 

#CyberSecurity #CISO #Leadership #Collaboration #Teamwork

Day 2 of the ISACA Advanced in AI Security Management (AAISM) 

This is a great course for AI Security Leaders AI is transforming business faster than most security teams can keep up. 

That’s why ISACA has launched AAISM, Advanced in AI Security Management, the first credential built specifically for managing AI risk. 

If you already hold a CISM or CISSP, AAISM adds the piece we’ve all been missing: 
🔹 AI governance 
🔹 AI risk management 
🔹 Model security & lifecycle controls 
🔹 Bias, transparency & trust considerations 
🔹 Technical and organisational safeguards tailored for AI 

In short, it bridges the gap between cybersecurity and real-world AI risk. 

As organisations rush to adopt AI, AAISM helps leaders ensure these systems are deployed responsibly, securely, and with the right guardrails in place. 

If managing AI risks and securing AI is part of your roadmap then you should look at AAISM

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” — Stephen R. Covey 

As leaders, we’re often expected to have the answer, set the direction, and close the conversation. 

But some of the strongest leadership moments come from doing the opposite: 
Listening. 
Pausing. 
Not needing the final word. 

Over the years, I’ve learned that real influence isn’t about dominating the room, it’s about creating space for others to step into it. 

Some examples that have stuck with me: 

🔹 Letting a junior team member present their idea fully, without jumping in to “improve it.” Often, their solution is more creative than the one I had in mind. 
🔹 Ending a meeting on someone else’s point, not mine. It signals that their perspective mattered and it shapes a culture where people speak up. 
🔹 Asking: “What do you think?” before giving my view. It encourages ownership and develops future leaders far more than giving them the answer ever could. 
🔹 Holding silence for a few seconds after someone finishes speaking. Amazing how often the real insight comes in that extra moment. 

Leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice.
It’s about empowering the right voices. 

When we listen to understand rather than respond, teams feel valued, solutions get better, and trust grows. 

Sometimes the most powerful thing a leader can say is… nothing at all. 

#Leadership #Listening #Empathy #TeamCulture #GrowthMindset

Thank you for sharing Martin Astley, as busy professionals this is something we need to be constantly reminded of.

CISO | Public Speaker | NED | Champion for Mental Health in Cyber | Straight-Talking Northerner 🫶🏼🏅

Top 5 Red Flags For Mental Health In Cyber Security 🚩🏴‍☠️

Cyber security can be brutal at times, and too many people in our industry are burning out quietly. Here are five big red flags I think we should all keep an eye on:

🚩You’re constantly on call - even when you’re not 📱⏰
If you’re checking alerts at dinner, in bed, or on holiday, that’s not “dedication” - that’s burnout warming up.

🚩You’ve normalised chaos 🔥💥
When major incidents start feeling “standard”, your stress baseline has shifted further than you realise.

🚩You can’t remember the last time you fully relaxed 🏖️🧘🏼
If downtime feels uncomfortable or you feel guilty resting, your brain’s running in permanent high alert.

🚩You’ve stopped talking about how you feel 🤐😔
We can analyse risks all day long, but if you’re avoiding conversations about your own stress or pressure, that’s a serious red flag.

🚩You’ve lost your passion for the job 🥺😬
When problem-solving stops being exciting and everything feels like a chore, your mental health might be calling out for help.

Here’s the truth - you can’t secure an organisation if you don’t secure your own wellbeing. Cyber needs strong minds, not exhausted ones.

Look after yourself. Speak up. Step back when you need to. You matter far more than any dashboard ever will 💚

#CyberSecurity #MentalHealthMatters #CISO #CyberCommunity #Leadership #BurnoutPrevention #WellbeingInTech #MentalHealthInCyber #CyberResilience

🔐 Daniela Waugh, MSc, CISSP, CEH, ISO LI

Look what arrived in the post today Gary Hibberd FCIIS, Lee Scorey

Afraid of saying the wrong thing ?

I’ve worked with brilliant people who stay quiet in meetings, stick to old processes, or avoid trying something new — not because they lack skill, but because they’re scared of stepping outside their comfort zone.

I get it. 
I’ve been there too.

* During a meeting I have worried my idea might sound “wrong” or not fully thought through.
* Challenging a senior leader’s decision, fearing it could harm my reputation or career progression.
* Giving feedback to a colleague, especially if it’s constructive criticism.
*Admitting a mistake, fearing blame or judgement. (This is a big one)

Some of my best decisions came after mistakes that forced me to learn, adapt, and rethink how I led my teams.

So here’s my reminder — for you and for myself:

➡️ Speak up, even if your idea isn’t perfect.
➡️ Try the new approach, even if it might break something.
➡️ Step into the discomfort, because that’s where growth actually happens.

Perfection isn’t the goal.
Progress is.

**“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”** 

Peter Drucker Drucker said it, but I think most of us have *felt* it. 

Over the years, I’ve seen brilliant strategies fall flat, not because the plan was bad, but because the culture around it wasn’t ready to support it. 

What’s really stayed with me is this: 
**Culture is how people actually behave when the meeting ends.** 

It’s whether they feel safe to speak up, whether they trust each other, and whether they feel valued enough to give their best.

I’ve worked in teams where the culture lifted everyone… and teams where it quietly drained the life out of great ideas. 

The difference was night and day. 

Get the culture right, and the strategy finally has a fighting chance. 

What’s the best culture shift you’ve ever seen in a team?

ISACA Advanced in AI Security Management (AAISM) done.
Just need to sit the exam now  !

ISACA Advanced in AI Security Management (AAISM) 

Final AI evaluation tool, which we covered in the ISACA AAISM course is -
NIST ARIA

Most AI testing focuses on accuracy.

But accuracy in a lab isn’t the same as safety, fairness, and reliability in the real world.

That’s where NIST ARIA (Assessing Risks and Impacts of AI) steps in.

ARIA evaluates AI systems across three layers:

1️⃣ Model testing - technical performance
2️⃣ Red-teaming - stress-tests and adversarial probing
3️⃣ Field testing - how an AI system behaves in context, with people, processes, and real world variables

💡 It’s one of the first frameworks that treats AI as a sociotechnical system, not just code.

🔥 When should organisations use ARIA?
✅ Before deploying high-impact AI (e.g., hiring, healthcare, financial decisioning)
✅ When you need confidence that a model is safe, fair, and robust
️️️️️️️️️️ 🔥 For risk assessments aligned with emerging AI regulations
🎯 To identify harms that accuracy tests alone can’t catch

ARIA helps organisations move from “Does it work?” to “Is it safe, trustworthy, and beneficial?”

If you’re building or buying AI systems in 2025 and beyond, ARIA should be part of your toolkit.

Do we really need this ? 

How many times have we been asked this question as security professionals?
 
The reason for the question, (mostly) security investment is intangible and it's benefits unseen. 

Basically where is the ROI ? 

Especially if/when compared with IT initiatives which are usually tangible and visible 

The solution - 

Show how a security investment can potentially prevent an incident which could cost many thousands of pounds more than the security investment 

Link security to real business metrics - 

* Faster onboarding for clients
 * Lower cyber insurance premiums
 * Reduced incident response time 
* Higher customer trust scores 

Connecting cyber to revenue - 
* We won deals because of our controls. 
* We met SLAs because of our resilience.
 * We moved into new markets because we had the right certifications. 

Showing that Security isn't just protecting the business, it was enabling growth 

To be honest, I am still learning this side of things and trying to implement it. 

Any thoughts or guidance ?

Google What-If Tool 

The What-If Tool: Transparency Without the Code 

Explainability shouldn’t require a PhD in data science. 

The What-If Tool, from Google PAIR, gives teams a no-code, visual way to explore a machine-learning model’s behaviour: 

🔹 Inspect individual data points 
🔹 Run “what-if” scenarios by tweaking feature values 
🔹 Compare model performance on different groups 
🔹 Identify fairness gaps 
🔹 Visualise predictions, thresholds, partial dependence and more 

It’s ideal for cross-functional teams, data scientists, analysts, domain experts, product owners. 

Use Cases for the What-If Tool :
✅ Debugging trained ML models 
➡️ Spotting errors, anomalies, and unexpected behaviour 

✅ Fairness analysis 
➡️ Exploring subgroup disparities without complex coding 

✅ Explaining models to stakeholders 
➡️ Great for risk, legal, product, compliance, and exec teams 

✅ Counterfactual analysis 
➡️ “If this feature changed, would the outcome change?” (critical for explainability) 

If you want practical, hands-on visibility into your model’s decision patterns, the What-If Tool is one of the most accessible ways to get there.

This is a great initiative and opportunity for the youth to get involved and learn from an early stage.

Thanks for sharing Zeshan Sattar

Delighted to Share an Opportunity to Inspire Future Cyber Talent.
The #CyberFirst Girls Competition, led by Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and National Cyber Security Centre, is designed to spark interest in cyber security among young girls - a sector where diversity is vital for innovation.
Who? Teams of girls in Year 8 (England & Wales), S2 (Scotland), Year 9 (NI).
What? Fun challenges in cryptography, AI, and networking.
Why? Women make up just 17% of the UK cyber workforce - let’s work together change that!
Registration is open now, and the competition runs 1–10 December 2025.
Learn more and register here: https://lnkd.in/edWDuNgb
If you know a school or teacher who can get involved, please share this opportunity. Together, we can build a more inclusive cyber future.

Adil Khan, Daljinder Mattu, Zara Clarke, Nik K., Ben McIvor, Sarah Zaman, Sally Wilkinson BEng QTS, CyberFirst Wales

Transparency helps others, so kudos to Asahi

BBC News Cyber Correspondent and author of Ctrl+Alt+Chaos

Asahi says 1.5 million customers' data potentially leaked in cyber-attack. Hat tip to Asahi for its continued transparency about the ransomware attack. Other firms hit this year who tried to minimise, deny and cover up attacks could learn from Asahi's honesty to customers, suppliers and victims. https://lnkd.in/eSErcq6G

The persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own efforts or skills.

That is the definition of imposter syndrome.

Imposter syndrome is something many of us experience, but few of us ever talk about.

It’s that quiet voice that whispers, “You don’t belong here… someone’s going to find out.”

I do wonder how many people successful leaders still get imposter syndrome ?

AI Fairness 360 (AIF360) 

One of the takeaways from the ISACA AAISM course is AI Fairness 360: Detect, Measure & Mitigate Bias, Bias doesn’t disappear by accident, you have to look for it. 

AI Fairness 360, developed originally by IBM and now open-sourced under LF AI & Data, gives teams the most comprehensive set of fairness metrics and bias-mitigation algorithms available today. 

It works across the full lifecycle: 
✔️ Pre-processing (fix the data) 
✔️ In-processing (adjust the model) 
✔️ Post-processing (correct the outputs) AIF360 helps organisations turn “ethical AI” from a slogan into a measurable, repeatable process. 

🔥 Use Cases for AI Fairness 360 :
✅ Auditing datasets for bias before training 
➡️ Identify skew, imbalance, and group disparities 
✅ Comparing fairness metrics 
➡️ Equal opportunity, demographic parity, disparate impact, and more 
✅ Applying mitigation algorithms 
➡️ Reweighing, adversarial debiasing, reject-option classification 
✅ Producing fairness reports for governance & compliance
 ➡️ Useful for upcoming AI regulations, impact assessments, and procurement reviews 

If fairness is a priority - or part of your regulatory obligations - AI Fairness 360 should be on your radar.

Digital Trust is the Foundation of Modern Business In a world driven by digital interactions, trust isn’t optional, it’s essential. 

Digital Trust is built on five pillars: 
✅ Security - Protect systems and data from threats 
✅ Privacy - Respect and safeguard personal information 
✅ Reliability -  Deliver consistent and dependable performance 
✅ Integrity - Ensure accuracy and prevent tampering 
✅ Transparency - Communicate openly and honestly 

Organizations that strengthen these pillars don’t just reduce risk, they earn confidence, enable innovation, and drive growth. 

How is your organization building Digital Trust? 

 #DigitalTrust #CyberSecurity #Privacy #RiskManagement #Innovation #DataProtection #Leadership

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