Sanjeev Chakrapani

High-calibre Senior Information Security Professional with over two decades of extensive experience in governance, risk management, and compliance, safeguarding digital assets and fortifying organizational security infrastructures. Experienced in leading and conducting vendor risk management assessments to produce actionable risk reports highlighting vendor dependencies, emerging threats, and mitigation strategies to align with the business risk appetite. Designing and executing third-party cyber risk frameworks aligned with NIST, ISO 27001, and regulatory standards.

Conducting vendor due diligence, risk assessments, and contract reviews to enforce cybersecurity clauses (SLAs, incident response, data protection). Leading continuous monitoring programs for vendor compliance and real-time risk mitigation. Collaborating with Procurement, Legal, and Incident Response teams to embed security into vendor lifecycle management.

Proficient in developing and implementing comprehensive enterprise-wide security governance framework, leading cross-functional teams, and supporting business objectives with best-in-class security strategies. Adept at interpreting and addressing complex security initiatives, driving security training, and ensuring compliance with international standards such as ISO 27001 (Information Security Management System) and PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard). Capability to conduct systematic reviews of systems, networks, and applications to identify and classify vulnerabilities, enabling proactive remediation to enhance security posture.

Well-versed in designing, implementing, and managing security measures to protect the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of network infrastructure and data transmissions. Capable of developing and maintaining plans and procedures to ensure the continuity of critical business operations and the timely recovery of IT systems and data in the event of a disaster or disruption.

GRC Specialist at Smartech247 (2025-07 – 2026-07)

• Conduct risk assessments to identify threats in processes, systems, and operations.
• Develop mitigation strategies for identified risks.
• Monitor compliance with regulations like GDPR, SOX, ISO 27001, NIST, and PCI DSS.
• Prepare audit reports, documentation, and support internal/external audits.
• Drove business optimisation initiatives by streamlining governance, risk, and compliance processes, improving operational efficiency and reducing control management overhead.
• Supported operational resilience assessments by identifying critical business services, key dependencies, and recovery requirements to strengthen organizational preparedness.
• Develop, implement, and maintain security policies, procedures, and internal controls.
• Ensure alignment with business objectives and adapt to regulatory changes.
• Train teams on compliance, promote ethical conduct, and collaborate with IT, legal, and finance departments.
• Provide management insights via dashboards, continuous monitoring, and incident response coordination.
• Developed management reporting and resilience metrics that provided leadership with actionable insights into risk exposure, control effectiveness, and business continuity readiness.
• Track controls and recommend improvements based on audit findings.

Vice President - Information Security at VikingCloud (Sysnet Global Solutions) (2012-09 – 2024-05)

• Lead a team of security professionals overseeing the company's information security governance, risk management, and compliance functions, ensuring robust protection of critical assets.
• Led enterprise-wide business optimisation initiatives across security, risk, and compliance functions, improving process efficiency while maintaining regulatory and customer requirements.
• Established and matured the organisation's operational resilience programme, integrating business continuity, disaster recovery, crisis management, and third-party risk management practices.
• Conducted business impact analyses and resilience testing exercises to identify critical business services, validate recovery capabilities, and enhance organisational resilience against operational disruptions.
• Collaborated with business units to facilitate meticulous IT risk assessments and risk management processes, actively engaging stakeholders to identify, mitigate, or transfer risks, fostering a culture of proactive risk management.
• Developed, implemented, and monitored a strategic, comprehensive enterprise-wide information security and IT risk management program, achieving a 30% reduction in security incidents within the first year of program implementation.
• Developed risk scoring models to prioritize vendor engagements based on data sensitivity and threat exposure.
• Evaluated vendor security controls, compliance postures, and contractual risks, ensuring alignment with organizational risk appetite.
• Integrated cybersecurity clauses into contracts (e.g., breach notification, incident response).
• Drove security training and specialized skill development across all areas of the business, cultivating a security-conscious culture and enhancing overall security awareness and capabilities within the organization.
• Managed external certification audits for ISO 27001 and PCI DSS, ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements, and fostering trust and confidence among clients and partners, achieving 100% compliance.
• Liaised with the IT architecture team to ensure alignment between security and enterprise architectures, coordinating strategic planning implicit in these architectures.

Senior Security Consultant at Sysnet Global Solutions (2005-09 – 2012-08)

• Performed assessments against the PCI DSS standard and performed meticulous gap analyses against PCI DSS, ISO 27001, and industry best practices, providing actionable recommendations to enhance security posture.
• Crafted and reviewed information security policies tailored to specific requirements and business objectives, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements and industry standards.
• Prepared comprehensive reports and delivered presentations to senior management on security requirements and recommendations.
• Executed penetration tests and vulnerability assessments, identifying, and addressing security vulnerabilities to mitigate risks and enhance overall security resilience.
• Developed and maintained business continuity and disaster recovery plans, ensuring organizational readiness to respond effectively to security incidents and disruptions.
• Upheld compliance with ISO 27001 accreditation, conducting internal audits and implementing corrective actions to maintain accreditation status and security standards.

Technology Lead at General Electric (2000-12 – 2005-08)

• Led a proficient team of 6 onsite engineers and 4 off-site help desk analysts, overseeing project management and technology updates to optimize infrastructure performance.
• Overhauled server, desktop, and network infrastructure, implementing robust security measures to safeguard critical assets and ensure compliance with security policies and procedures.
• Orchestrated backups and tape management procedures, ensuring data integrity and availability in alignment with business continuity objectives.

System/Network Administrator at First Computers (1996-06 – 2000-11)

• Maintained and configured network infrastructure, achieving 99.9% network uptime, ensuring uninterrupted access to critical business systems and applications.
• Conducted installations and troubleshooting for operating systems and applications software, reducing system downtime through proactive system maintenance and optimization efforts.
• Installed and serviced servers and desktops, specializing in products from IBM, HP, TVSE, and Wipro, providing expert support and recommendations to clients.

Master of Business Administration in MBA – Amity University

Bachelor of Business Administration in BBA – The ICFAI University