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AI Security & Governance
Risk frameworks, reference architectures and pre-deployment security reviews for enterprise AI, LLMs and agentic integrations.
AI · Data · Governance · Leadership
Building trust in AI and data, from engineering to the boardroom.
Group Head, AI & Data Security Governance
Network International
25+ years in security & risk
Dubai · UAE & GCC
25+
years from network engineer to AI governance
7
regulated markets where my frameworks are mandatory standards
1→30+
engineers: a Cloud Centre of Excellence built from scratch
130+
cloud accounts secured under a Zero Trust model
About
A practitioner who builds what he governs.
I started my career as a network security engineer and spent the next two decades moving up the stack — through firewalls and managed security, cloud architecture, platform engineering, and now enterprise AI governance.
Along the way I've worked across banking and payments in the UAE, GCC, UK, US and South Asia, founded and ran a security consultancy that delivered 100+ projects, and built cloud and AI platforms in some of the region's most regulated environments.
Today I lead AI and data security governance at Network International, reporting to the Group CISO. My work shapes how AI is assessed, approved and governed before it reaches production — and I still review the architecture myself.
“Frameworks built by people who have never implemented what they govern remain theoretical.” — How I approach governance
Focus areas
Where I spend my thinking.
Architecture, risk and governance as one discipline — built into every platform decision rather than bolted on afterwards.
02
Data Security Governance
Classification enforcement, data retention for AI systems, cross-border data governance and DSPM programmes.
03
Cloud Platform Engineering
Multi-cloud platforms on AWS, Azure and OCI — from landing zones to MLOps, feature stores and model registries.
04
Security Architecture & Zero Trust
Design authority, security patterns and guardrails — CSPM, container security and DevSecOps across hundreds of pipelines.
05
Regulated Fintech
Turning regulatory obligations into engineering reality for banks and payment platforms across the GCC and Africa.
06
M&A & Third-Party Risk
Security due diligence for acquisitions, integration roadmaps, and standing up security functions in new regions.
Journey
From packets to boardrooms.
2021 — Present
Network International
Group Head, AI & Data Security Governance · previously VP, Cloud Platform Engineering and Group Head of Cloud Security
- Lead group-wide AI and data security governance reporting to the Group CISO, with security architecture review authority for AI solutions.
- Architected the Enterprise AI Platform on Azure and authored five AI and security governance frameworks, including a 7-layer Enterprise AI Reference Architecture.
- Grew the Cloud Centre of Excellence from one person to 30+ engineers; migrated 600+ servers to cloud-native and delivered a 42% FinOps cost reduction.
- Rolled out Zero Trust across 130+ cloud accounts, 120+ Kubernetes clusters and 100+ CI/CD pipelines.
- Led security due diligence for two regional acquisitions and chaired the Architecture Review Board.
2019 — 2021
Al-Futtaim · Mashreq Bank
Senior Security Architect · Cloud & Digital Security
Designed enterprise cloud security reference architectures, standards for containers and DevSecOps, and hybrid cloud security blueprints on Azure — serving as Infosec approval authority in the Cloud CoE.
2018 — 2019
PwC India
Manager, Cyber Security & Privacy
Led cloud security strategy and governance engagements, including the Government of India's MeghRaj cloud initiative and cloud adoption advisory for a major card issuer's CISO.
2011 — 2018
NetworkLabsIndia · Secloud Guru
Founder & Principal Security Consultant
Built and ran a security consultancy that delivered 100+ projects across the US, UK, South Asia and Australia — from firewalls and VPNs to WAF, anti-DDoS and AWS security architecture.
2004 — 2011
Cable & Wireless Worldwide
Security Specialist · earlier, Network Security Engineer
Where it started: managed security across Cisco, Check Point, Juniper and F5, anti-DDoS provisioning, and risk management for managed security services.
Credentials
Certified, and still learning.
Certifications
- Microsoft Certified: AI Transformation LeaderMicrosoft
- Certified Information Systems Security ProfessionalCISSP
- Certified Cloud Security ProfessionalCCSP
- Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect ExpertMicrosoft
- AWS Certified Cloud PractitionerAWS
- Foundations of Operationalizing MITRE ATT&CKMITRE
- Advanced in AI Security ManagementAAISM · in progress
Education & writing
- MBA, Information Technology — UCAM Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia2021
- AI Strategy & Governance — WhartonExecutive
- Navigating Multi-Cloud GovernancePublication
Frameworks & regulations I work with
NIST AI RMFISO/IEC 42001ISO 27001PCI DSSCBUAESAMAMITRE ATT&CK
Connect
Have a question? Let's talk.
I'm happy to share what I've learned with people working through similar problems. This isn't a paid service — just a conversation between practitioners.
- AI governance & securityGetting started with AI risk frameworks, reviews and guardrails.
- Cloud security architectureA second opinion on a design, control set or CSPM approach.
- Regulated environmentsHow to make compliance and engineering pull in the same direction.
- Career guidanceFor engineers moving into cloud security, architecture or governance.
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