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charan kumar, cyber security lead

charan kumar

cyber security lead·hala payments

Saudi Arabia

Bachelor's degree, Civil Engineering

Work experience

Total years of experience: 9 years, 3 months

cyber security lead

September 2024 - Present

hala payments

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

September 2024 - Present

Lead implementation of SAMA CSF and NCA frameworks in the organisation.
Managed team of 5 members to manage GRC functions
Assisted management to implement regulatory requirements in accordance with SAMA, NCA and PDPL.
Responsible for drafting and maintaining up to date
cybersecurity governance documentation as per regulatory requirements such as SAMA, NCA and PDPL
Worked to achieve SAMA CSF maturity level 3 by implementing cybersecurity controls.
Worked to achieve compliance with NCA guidelines.
Coordinated with vendors to perform independent compliance gap assessments.
Established and managed comprehensive Vulnerability
Assessment (VA) and Penetration Testing (PT) processes, ensuring alignment with organizational and regulatory requirements.
Designed and implemented cybersecurity processes to mitigate vulnerabilities while ensuring regulatory compliance and operational efficiency.
Built and maintained an accurate Asset Inventory, enabling effective vulnerability management and compliance audits.
Defined and monitored Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track the effectiveness of security measures and improve overall risk posture.
Selected, deployed, and maintained operationally effective security tools with periodic reviews to ensure their performance.
Developed and enforced application security policies and
procedures, aligning with OWASP Top 10, SAMA, and ISO 27001 standards, ensuring regulatory compliance and reduced vulnerabilities.
Led change management initiatives for clients across various industries, focusing on cybersecurity and risk assessment.
Integrated application security protocols into the CI/CD pipeline, enhancing the secure development lifecycle and reducing security risks in production environments.

Company industry:
Financial Services
Job role:
Banking

Cybersecurity Lead

September 2024 - Present

Hala Payments

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

September 2024 - Present


Company industry:
Financial Services
Job role:
Information Technology

Senior Cybersecurity Consultant

September 2023 - September 2024

Reputed Bank,

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

September 2023 - September 2024

• Conducted a cyber resilience assessment of existing security
solutions to identify control gaps.
• Performed a cloud security gap assessment and developed
policies, procedures, and standards for cloud adoption.
• Ensured compliance with PCI DSS, SAMA CSF through control
mapping, documentation, and maturity assessments.
• Developed risk assessment reports with impact analysis and
remediation recommendations, presented to senior
stakeholders.
• Collaborated with IT, Risk, and Compliance teams to prioritize
risks and align remediation with business objectives.

Company industry:
Banking
Job role:
Information Technology

Senior Information Security Consultant

September 2022 - September 2024

Confidential, KSA

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

September 2022 - September 2024

RESPONSIBILITIES
• Conduct comprehensive penetration testing on networks, systems, and applications to identify security weaknesses and vulnerabilities, ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks such as SAMA CSF, NCA CSCC, and ECC.
• Develop detailed reports outlining findings, risk assessments, and recommendations for remediation.
• Conducted Red teaming activity for one of the client.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to prioritize and implement security measures based on risk analysis and business impact.
• Utilized various security testing methodologies, frameworks, and tools such as Nessus, Metasploit, BurpSuite, and Kali Linux to conduct thorough security assessments.
• Provide guidance and recommendations on security best practices and compliance standards such as PCI DSS, SAMA CSF, NCA CSCC, and ECC.
• Developed and executed practical solutions to align product teams goals with security requirements, effectively managing security risks without compromising business objectives.
• Led change management initiatives for clients across various industries, focusing on cybersecurity and risk assessment.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to integrate cybersecurity measures into existing business processes and systems, ensuring minimal disruption to operations.
• Demonstrated strong analytical and problem-solving skills, thinking critically about complex security issues, and considering their impact on organizational risk and business objectives.

Company industry:
Banking
Job role:
Banking

- Senior Information Security Consultant

September 2022 - September 2024

Secureyes

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

September 2022 - September 2024

Company industry:
IT Services
Job role:
Information Technology

Cybersecurity Consultant

September 2022 - September 2023

Fintech Subsidiary of a Major Bank,

Hyderabad, India

September 2022 - September 2023

• Led compliance assessments focusing on SAMA CSF, PCI DSS, and
SWIFT security controls.
• Assisted in drafting and refining cybersecurity policies,
baselines, and procedures to align with regulatory standards.
• Supported compliance tracking and evidence preparation for
audits and regulatory inspections.
• Facilitated risk workshops with product and engineering teams to
identify, classify, and mitigate risks.
• Contributed to building an incident response and governance
framework to strengthen resilience against emerging threats.

Company industry:
Banking
Job role:
Information Technology

Senior Cyber Security Analyst

May 2021 - July 2022

Wipro Ltd

Hyderabad, India

May 2021 - July 2022

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Conducted Security assessments and Configuration review using BurpSuite and Nessus.
• Monitored and modified roles and groups in AWS Identity & Access.
• Management module when necessary. Verified inbound and outbound traffic rules in AWS EC2 Security Groups.
• Packaged, tested, and deployed applications of varying complexity ensuring highest quality. Developed scripts and strategies to enhance the overall process.
• Took responsibility of post package release issues and conducted remediation activities.
• Deployed packaged applications and patches using SCCM.
• Delivered >90% First Call resolution for technical issues in Windows.
• and Mac systems and applications, Network, VPN etc.

Company industry:
IT Services
Job role:
Banking

Senior Cyber Security Analyst

May 2021 - June 2022

Wipro Limited

Hyderabad, India

May 2021 - June 2022

• Assisted in conducting risk assessments and documenting
identified gaps against frameworks like ISO 27001 and NCA ECC.
• Conducted PT on web applications, Mobile and API by using
different tools.
• Supported the creation and maintenance of security policies,
procedures, and compliance documentation.
• Participated in internal audits and gathered evidence for
regulatory compliance (e.g., SAMA, NCA, MSB).
• Prepared documentation for Minimum Security Baseline (MSB)
reviews and compliance verification.

Company industry:
IT Services
Job role:
Information Technology

Penetration Tester

July 2018 - May 2021

TechMahindra

Hyderabad, India

July 2018 - May 2021

Managing complete security for the organization; performing Web application, IOS
Applications and Configuration audits periodically.
• Perform manual Application Vulnerability assessment and Penetration testing.
• Successfully worked on Web Applications as per OWASP standard based on various
platforms like java, aspx, php, jsp.
• Identifying vulnerabilities in the application and providing recommendations on how the
security posture of web applications can be improved and submitting as documented
report.

Company industry:
Telecommunications
Job role:
Banking

Penetration Tester

July 2018 - March 2021

Tech Mahindra

Hyderabad, India

July 2018 - March 2021

• Managing complete security for the organization; performing
Web application, IOS Applications and Configuration audits
periodically.
• Perform manual Application Vulnerability assessment and
Penetration testing.
• Successfully worked on Web Applications as per OWASP standard
based on various platforms like java, aspx, php, jsp.
• Identifying vulnerabilities in the application and providing
recommendations on how the security posture of web
applications can be improved and submitting as documented
reports.

Company industry:
IT Services
Job role:
Information Technology

Software Developer

June 2017 - July 2018

RMSI Pvt. Ltd.

Hyderabad, India

June 2017 - July 2018

RESPONSIBILITIES
• Design, develop, and deploy Appian applications to meet business requirements, ensuring high performance, scalability, and reliability.
• Customize Appian objects including process models, SAIL interfaces, expressions, rules, and integrations to create efficient and user-friendly applications.
• Implement best practices for Appian development, including design patterns, code reusability, and optimization techniques to enhance overall system performance.

Company industry:
Software Development
Job role:
Finance and Investment

Software Developer

March 2017 - June 2018

RMSI Pvt.Ltd

Hyderabad, India

March 2017 - June 2018

• Worked as Software Developer before transitioning into
Cybersecurity.
• Gained strong secure
SDLC.
• Developed foundational knowledge of architecture
and design.

Company industry:
IT Services
Job role:
Information Technology

Education

jntu Anantapur

June 2024

June 2024

Bachelor's degree, Civil Engineering

India

Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University

May 2015

May 2015

Bachelor's degree, Bachelor of Technology |

India

KSRM College Of Engineering

May 2015

May 2015

Bachelor's degree, science

India

Skills

Risk Management

Expert

Cyber Security

Expert

VAPT

Expert

Penetration Testing

Expert

Information Security

Expert

Web Application Security

Expert

Risk Management

Intermediate

Vulnerability Assessment

Intermediate

Vulnerability Management

Expert

LINUX

Intermediate

Penetration Testing

Expert

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Expert

mobile pentesting

Expert

CERTIFIED IN RISK AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS CONTROL

Intermediate

AUDITING

Intermediate

CERTIFIED INFORMATION SECURITY MANAGER

Intermediate

CONDITION MONITORING

Intermediate

CYBER SECURITY

Intermediate

EC COUNCIL CERTIFIED SECURE PROGRAMMER

Intermediate

ETHICAL HACKING

Intermediate

IT INFRASTRUCTURE

Intermediate

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Intermediate

Languages

English

Expert

Hindi

Expert

Telugu

Expert

Training and Certifications

Certifications
Council Certified Ethical Hacker v10 (CEH v10)
CISM
Mar 2025
CRISC
Nov 2024
iso 27001:2023 LA