Nishant Sonar

Control Systems, Safety Systems, and Automation Engineer with 15+ years of experience in Oil & Gas, Refining, Petrochemical, and Energy sectors, specializing in DCS, SIS, ICS, and Process Control Systems across engineering, FAT, SAT, pre-commissioning, commissioning, start-up, shutdown, turnaround, and maintenance phases. Hands-on expertise in Honeywell Experion PKS, Yokogawa CENTUM VP, ProSafe-RS, PLC/SCADA, alarm management, plant information systems, control strategy modifications, functional testing, and process automation. Proven success delivering brownfield and greenfield projects, control system migrations, HAZOP participation, operational troubleshooting, backup and disaster recovery management, hot spare validation, and technical training while ensuring reliable, safe, and optimized operation of Integrated Control Systems (ICS) and Process Safety Systems (PSS) in critical offshore and onshore Oil & Gas facilities.

Proven success supporting global enterprises including Marathon Petroleum Corporation, PTTGC, SABIC, BP, INEOS, SAMREF, ADNOC, Honeywell, Yokogawa, Reliance Industries, Qatar Energy and multi-site international industrial environments across Europe, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and India.

Principal Implementation Consultant – OT Cybersecurity & Automation Integrity - OCTAVE, INDIA

(2024-10)

• Lead enterprise OT cybersecurity and Plant State Integrity initiatives for global industrial clients across Europe, Middle East, and Asia.
• Govern lifecycle integrity and validation of 100,000+ OT assets, improving CMDB accuracy, operational visibility, and cybersecurity posture.
• Drive vulnerability management, audit-readiness programs, remote access governance, backup validation, and operational resilience initiatives.
• Support executive reporting, risk assessment activities, automation integrity monitoring, and secure asset governance aligned with IEC 62443 practices (Fundamental/basics).
• Collaborate with global engineering, cybersecurity, and operational stakeholders to deliver scalable enterprise OT security programs.

Senior Implementation Consultant – OT/ICS Security & Alarm Management - HEXAGON CAPABILITY CENTRE INDIA

(2021-02 - 2024-10)

• Delivered OT cybersecurity, Alarm Management, and automation integrity solutions for SABIC, BP, SAMREF, and INEOS industrial environments.
• Executed enterprise OT asset inventory validation, SQL-driven reconciliation, and vulnerability remediation initiatives across multi-site deployments.
• Implemented PAS / Cyber Integrity solutions supporting cybersecurity governance, operational visibility, and configuration compliance.
• Supported audit evidence generation, secure configuration monitoring, and asset lifecycle governance for mission-critical OT environments.
• Reduced manual validation efforts through automation-focused inventory and reporting optimization activities.

Assistant Manager – Automation & Control Systems - YOKOGAWA INDIA LIMITED

(2019-11 - 2021-02)

• Executed Pre-Commissioning, Commissioning, Start-Up and SAT activities for Yokogawa CENTUM VP DCS and ProSafe-RS Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS).
• Supported control system engineering, logic testing, cause and effect validation, loop checking, I/O verification and functional testing for greenfield and brownfield Oil & Gas and Petrochemical projects.
• Participated in FAT, SAT, HAZOP reviews and operational readiness activities ensuring safe and reliable plant startup.
• Successfully executed critical industrial projects for Reliance Industries (Oxygen Enrichment – PTA, Hydrocracker Revamp/Upgrade), Birla Copper (Smelter Unit Revamp/Upgradation), Nyara Energy (Greenfield) during operationally constrained COVID periods.
• Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to enhance process reliability, operational continuity, and control system performance.

Field Service Engineer – OT Systems & Security - HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.

(2017-04 - 2019-10)

• Maintained and secured Honeywell Experion PKS, TDC3000, Series-C I/O, Modbus Firewall, McAfee Endpoint Security, and industrial automation systems.
• Performed preventive maintenance, system hardening, troubleshooting, and incident response support for refinery and petrochemical environments.
• Enhanced plant operational reliability through secure DCS (Preventive & Corrective) maintenance, operational risk reduction, and technical troubleshooting activities.
• Supported critical operational infrastructure requiring high system availability and cybersecurity-focused maintenance practices.

Various Positions - Reliance Industries Limited | Honeywell Automation India | Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC)

(2011 - 2017)

• Handled instrumentation, DCS/PLC systems, shutdown activities, Turn Around, commissioning, and maintenance operations across refinery and petrochemical environments.
• Conducted loop checking, functional testing, logic validation and control system troubleshooting.
• Executed FAT/SAT, field instrumentation validation, terminal automation, and operational support activities for industrial process systems by executing Erection & Commissioning, (Capex)
• Supported captive power plant and refinery modernization projects involving Honeywell and industrial automation technologies.

B.E. - Instrumentation & Control Engineering - SCET College of Engineering, Surat