Pete Smith
Cliffe
Summary
Information security professional with strong track record in safeguarding organizational data. Proven ability to implement comprehensive security measures and ensure compliance with industry standards. Known for fostering team collaboration and achieving high-impact results, while effectively adapting to changing requirements.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
5
5
Certification
Work History
Head of Information Security
IFX Payments
03.2025 - 10.2025
- Developed and executed a comprehensive security strategy aligned with business objectives, enhancing resilience against evolving cyber threats.
- Defined a long-term security roadmap and implemented enterprise-wide security frameworks covering network, cloud, application, and endpoint domains.
- Established and governed security policies to ensure compliance with ISO 27001, NIST, GDPR, DORA, and SOC 2.
- Embedded security within enterprise architecture and DevSecOps practices, strengthening secure-by-design adoption.
- Implemented a proactive Threat Intelligence Program and enhanced business continuity and disaster recovery strategies to improve resilience.
- Promoted a security-first culture through awareness campaigns, training, and metrics (KPIs/KRIs) to measure security effectiveness.
- Leveraged AI-driven analytics and continuous improvement initiatives to drive maturity of security operations.
- Hybrid
Chief Information Security Officer
Allica Bank Ltd
07.2021 - 01.2025
- Established and scaled the cybersecurity function, expanding the team from 2 to 13 members.
- Built a dedicated cybersecurity department from the ground up, recruiting specialists in areas such as governance, risk, and operations security.
- Provided training and mentorship programs to upskill junior staff, ensuring rapid onboarding and effective integration into the security team.
- Defined clear roles and responsibilities within the team, fostering collaboration and accountability across different security domains.
- Developed and executed a comprehensive security strategy, enhancing security maturity, and ensuring that new projects, systems, hires, and controls were implemented with proper prioritization.
- Conducted in-depth assessments of existing security controls, identifying gaps and areas for improvement.
- Championed an overhaul of the security governance framework, linking it directly to strategic corporate goals, fortifying new projects with suitable controls and compliance measures, and cutting incident response time by 3 hours.
- Collaborated with cross-functional stakeholders—such as IT, HR, and Legal—to integrate security considerations into all phases of project planning and execution.
- Rewrote the Security Risk and Control Self-Assessment, enabling clear visibility of inherent vs residual risk and effectiveness of existing controls.
- Spearheaded key GRC initiatives, including AI Governance frameworks, ISO 27001 certification, PCI-DSS, SWIFT certification, audit management, and compliance with PRA/FCA regulations.
- Drove key Operations Security initiatives, such as CIS Benchmarking, 24/7 SOC implementation, CSPM, DLP, Email Security, User Awareness Training and Phishing Tests, and Zero Trust Networking.
- Led key Application Security initiatives (SCA, SAST, Bug Bounty, Penetration Testing, Developer Training, Threat Intelligence).
- Implemented critical IAM initiatives, including SSO (Entra ID), PAM (Microsoft PIM), cloud migration, and customer IAM upgrades (Ping multi-region).
Information Security Manager
World First Services Ltd
02.2020 - 07.2021
- Directed the Information Security team, overseeing recruitment, training, and performance management.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to define 10+ key performance indicators (KPIs) and key risk indicators (KRIs) aligned with strategic objectives; improved team efficiency by 20% within 6 months.
- Managed the Security Roadmap aligned to company objectives.
- Delivered projects including Office 365 MFA rollout, AWS cloud migration, SIEM deployment, and PCI-DSS recertification.
- Enhanced security operations with encryption standard reviews, automated vulnerability scanning, and DLP implementations.
Global Network and Security Architect
Hogarth Worldwide Ltd
03.2017 - 02.2020
- Architected and implemented global network and security systems across 50 offices and cloud environments.
- Delivered security advancements, including 802.1X NAC, endpoint detection tools, and encryption protocols.
Senior Network Engineer EMEA
Edge Technology Group
06.2016 - 03.2017
- Provided expert consultation on network and security projects for diverse clients.
- Managed cross-functional teams to achieve SLA compliance and project success.
Network and Security Architect
IBM
03.2015 - 06.2016
- Unified infrastructure across business units to drive efficiency and security.
- Oversaw global WAN projects and improved network management practices.
Group Network Infrastructure Manager
Hogarth Worldwide
06.2012 - 03.2015
- Directed global networking expansion from 6 to 40 locations.
- Implemented secure data centre solutions, remote access systems, and monitoring tools.
Education
DipHE Open -
Open University
01.2016
Skills
- Team leadership and strategic planning
- Cybersecurity strategy development
- Cloud security expertise (Azure/AWS/GCP/Ali Cloud)
- Cybersecurity risk management
- Access control management
- Security information and event management
- Threat intelligence analysis
- Mobile security management
- Cybersecurity awareness education
- Defense against social engineering
- Data governance
- Data protection strategies
- Cybersecurity architecture development
- Secure application development
- Development of security protocols
- Project oversight
Certification
- ISC2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
- Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)
- ISACA Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
- PECB Certified Data Protection Officer (CDPO)
- IAPP Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional (AIGP)
- CompTIA Security+
Timeline
Head of Information Security
IFX Payments
03.2025 - 10.2025
Chief Information Security Officer
Allica Bank Ltd
07.2021 - 01.2025
Information Security Manager
World First Services Ltd
02.2020 - 07.2021
Global Network and Security Architect
Hogarth Worldwide Ltd
03.2017 - 02.2020
Senior Network Engineer EMEA
Edge Technology Group
06.2016 - 03.2017
Network and Security Architect
IBM
03.2015 - 06.2016
Group Network Infrastructure Manager
Hogarth Worldwide
06.2012 - 03.2015
DipHE Open -
Open University
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