Recognized Risk Assessment Leaders 2025

Karthikeyan Ramdass a seasoned cybersecurity professional with over 18 years of experience securing mission-critical systems for leading Fortune 500 companies across industries including aviation, finance, automotive, and technology. I have played a pivotal role in protecting organizations such as Southwest Airlines, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, Toyota Motors North America, AIG, Cognizant, Salesforce, and Deluxe Corporation. Specializing in application security, vulnerability management, secure architecture, and supply chain defense, led the design and implementation of enterprise-scale security frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, and advanced security testing solutions. Extensive experience in SAST, DAST, SCA, zero-day vulnerability management, and penetration testing, ensuring compliance with global standards such as NIST CSF, PCI DSS, and OWASP Top 10.

Results-oriented technology leader with over 9 years of experience in Infrastructure Security, Automation, Generative AI, and Software-Defined Operations. Demonstrated ability to lead high-performing teams, streamline enterprise support, and execute strategic initiatives that enhance organizational resilience and operational efficiency. A seasoned cybersecurity professional, experienced in vulnerability and patch management at scale, with a strong track record of driving measurable, data-driven impact through intelligent automation. Skilled in designing and implementing secure, scalable, and compliant infrastructure solutions that align with business and regulatory goals. Proven expertise in project and program management, particularly within Agile and Scrum frameworks, with a focus on cross-functional collaboration, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement. Recognized for combining technical depth with strategic vision to deliver transformative outcomes in complex enterprise environments.

Warren Pulley brings 40 years of threat assessment and crisis management expertise across military, law enforcement, diplomatic, corporate, and educational environments. As founder of CrisisWire, he provides professional threat assessment services to organizations throughout Hawaii, Nationally and Internationally. Credentials: BTAM (Behavioral Threat Assessment & Management) trained - University of Hawaii West Oahu 20+ FEMA certifications (IS-906, IS-907, IS-915, complete ICS/NIMS) Former LAPD Veteran Police Officer (12 years) 6+ years U.S. Embassy Baghdad security operations (zero incidents under daily threat) Former Director of Campus Safety, Chaminade University Former California Private Investigator 7 years U.S. Air Force (nuclear security & paralegal) Published Authority: Author of five books on threat assessment: The Prepared Leader, Threat Assessment Handbook, Campus Under Siege, Locked Down: The Access Control Playbook, and Uniformed Silence. Published researcher with 9+ peer-reviewed papers on threat assessment, workplace violence, and crisis management. Media-Ready Expertise: Available for expert commentary on threat assessment, school safety, workplace violence prevention, crisis management, executive protection, insider threats, and emergency preparedness. Find CrisisWire online at https://rypulmedia.wixsite.com/crisiswire

Raj Karan Gunukula is a seasoned technology leader with 14+ years of experience driving large-scale AI, machine learning, and data infrastructure programs across fintech and commerce. He currently serves as Group Technical Program Manager at Coinbase, where he leads AI adoption across the software development lifecycle. Previously at Amazon, Raj rose to Principal TPM, founding and leading a team of TPMs supporting XXX+ engineers, scientists, and analysts to deliver flagship Generative AI and intelligent advisor solutions that scaled to over one million sellers worldwide. His career blends deep technical grounding from his B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering at IIT Dhanbad (Silver Medalist) with hands-on leadership in AI innovation, product scaling, and business transformation.

SEO and Web Design Specialist at KKT Management Enhance digital strategies and website functionalities. Improve search engine rankings and design user-centric interfaces. Conduct successful SEO campaigns, staying abreast of the latest trends and algorithms. Operations Manager at Anna Nasi Lemak Spicy Asia City Manage day-to-day operations and spearhead online presence. Oversee digital engagement and brand management. Integrate traditional marketing with digital solutions to boost brand visibility and customer interaction.

Josh Fleming is the Risk Advisory & GRC practice lead at Echelon Risk + Cyber, where he helps organizations strengthen resilience against today’s most complex cyber and physical threats. He brings a unique ability to bridge technical expertise with executive strategy, enabling leaders to make confident, informed decisions during both preparation and crisis. With extensive experience across industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, and energy, Josh has partnered with organizations to identify risks, fortify defenses, and implement effective governance strategies. His work spans from building incident prevention programs to leading executive tabletop exercises, risk assessments, and crisis response planning. Josh regularly advises executive teams, C-suites, and boards on incident response readiness and strategic risk management. He is known for developing actionable frameworks and clear decision-making playbooks that reduce risk exposure, accelerate response, and build stakeholder trust. As an industry thought leader, Josh is committed to advancing the conversation around governance, risk, and compliance. He stays at the forefront of emerging trends and regulations, particularly in areas such as AI governance and cybersecurity resilience, to ensure his clients and partners are not only compliant, but future-ready. Above all, Josh is recognized as a trusted advisor who combines technical depth, business acumen, and a client-centric approach to deliver lasting value. His mission is to help organizations move beyond compliance to achieve true resilience and competitive advantage in an evolving risk landscape.

I am a Cybersecurity expert with ~15 years of hands-on experience in Application Security. I have a proven track record of building robust security frameworks and Security Testing Strategies to help organizations safeguard their Application landscape. I have worked with leading Industry Clients, across diverse Line of Business in implementing Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing services. I am currently pivoting to AI Safety and AI Security.

Christopher Trocola is CEO of Compliant Technologies and a leading expert in AI governance and safety frameworks. From 2012-2020, he owned and operated solar sales and installation companies, where he developed one of the first AI agents for FinTech applications in the solar space, before "AI agents" was common terminology. This early AI development work, combined with his compliance expertise (2020-2024) protecting $500M in regulated contracts and influencing 10 laws nationwide through collaboration with legislators, House representatives, Senators, and government agencies including DOE and NREL, gives him unique insight into both AI technical implementation and regulatory frameworks. Christopher has been featured in multiple news outlets including Time Magazine and has received recognition as Marquis Who's Who Top Professional 2024, Honoree in 2023, and IAOTP 2024 Top Founder and CEO of the Year, 2025 Fluxx AI Compliance Innovator of the Year. His expertise spans AI agent development, regulatory compliance, and government relations. Now applying proven regulatory frameworks to AI governance challenges, Christopher developed the CT Framework, a three-pillar system (Know Your Stack, Protect AI, Compliance Lock) that helps organizations deploy AI safely at scale. His signature thesis "You cannot enforce a standard that was never defined" has resonated with thousands of AI practitioners and enterprise leaders. Christopher's LinkedIn thought leadership generates 25K-50K impressions per post, with engagement rates 3-7x industry averages. His analysis of AI governance failures (Replit, Rolling Stone, Grok) has sparked discussions among 500+ professionals about the urgent need for architectural controls over reactive compliance. He is founding the AI Safety Summit (March 2026, Phoenix) and serves as Chief Policy Advisor alongside former Arizona Deputy Director Wendy Jameson. Christopher works with insurance carriers on AI liability frameworks and is developing the Academy program to train certified AI compliance consultants. Specializations: AI agent development, AI governance frameworks, regulatory compliance (NIST AI RMF, EEOC guidelines, EU AI Act), architectural controls, FinTech AI applications, insurance partnerships, government relations, and enterprise risk management.

📌 Key Areas: Secure Software Engineering | Zero-Trust Security | Cloud & DevOps Security | AI for Cyber Defense | Research & Innovation | Cybersecurity Advocacy I am an award-winning Cybersecurity Professional and Software Engineer with about 10 years of experience building secure, resilient, and scalable systems that safeguard enterprises and critical infrastructures worldwide. At Microsoft, I have spearheaded high-impact security engineering initiatives across Azure, DevOps, and enterprise security driving innovations in zero-trust frameworks, system observability, automation, and AI-integrated security solutions. My contributions have fortified services relied upon by global customers while elevating industry standards in reliability, compliance, and risk management. Beyond corporate impact, I am deeply committed to advancing the cybersecurity community. As an advisor, trainer, and researcher, I actively contribute to academic publications, global workshops, and non-profit initiatives with multiple global organizations like CyberNGO, Mentors Without Borders, TCET, CHARUSAT, PARUL, MSU, Live2Serve and Many More, promoting cybersecurity awareness and training future leaders. Recognized with honors such as the Global Recognition Award 2025 and multiple CISO50 Innovation & Excellence Awards, my mission is to bridge research, engineering, and leadership to shape the future of digital trust and resilience.

Philip Farina is one of the most highly respected and recognized security and safety professionals. He is the Chief Advisor/Consultant for Risky Business, that provides management consulting services to hotels, hospitality organizations and corporations, commercial real estate and private individuals. Philip also provides expert witness litigation support to hotels and law firms. He is the Lead CPTED Practitioner for assessments and training to support the State of Florida State Statute 768.0706 (HB 837). A U.S. Military and Federal Law Enforcement Veteran, he has been proudly featured in Fox News, NBC News, CBS News Money Watch, CNN, ABC News, U.S. News Money & World Report, MSNBC, USA Today, The Washington Post, Reader's Digest, Chicago Sun-Times, Hotel Executive, American Express, Meetings and Conventions, Security Management Magazine, Chief Security Officer CSO Magazine, Police Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Private Wealth, Business Travel Executive, and SecurityInfoWatch. Philip has been recognized as a pioneer in all facets of security, safety and risk management. He began his career while serving in the United States Naval Intelligence Community, where he held top security clearances and gained expertise in antiterrorism and protective services. He participated in U.S. military special operations, amphibious, law enforcement and lifesaving campaigns throughout the Middle East, Latin America, Europe and Africa. A nuclear tactical security officer (under the U.S. Department of Energy), he protected radioactive fuels, nuclear facilities and sensitive structures from the threat of terrorism and sabotage. He also conducted government-level risk assessments. During tenure as a federal law enforcement training officer with the U.S. Department of Defense, he was tasked with conducting penetration tests and leading “Red Team” exercises against military installations to analyze existing protection and security measures. While in this capacity, he also wrote the training curriculum for police and maritime security personnel for a new patrol boat concept for the U.S. Dept of Homeland Security. Philip was the Vice President of Loss Control/Loss Prevention for the combined Aimbridge Hospitality/Interstate Hotels portfolios. He was responsible for leading all global enterprise security management, safety and loss/fraud prevention services to protect 90,000+ employees, company operations, guests and assets for over 1800+ hospitality locations in 23+ countries.

I am a proud generalist who unites the tribes: design, engineering, devops, sales, marketing, customer support, c-suite, legal, and more... I make products and organizations better by managing teams with focus on hard data and user needs to create delightful customer journeys that drive revenue growth.

My professional journey has taken me through various roles where I've sharpened my skills in risk assessment, financial analysis, and building enduring client relationships.Achieving success for me goes beyond the immediate task at hand. It’s about seeing the bigger picture and making a tangible impact in the long term success of the organization. I’m passionate about developing new frameworks that create sustainable and repeatable outcomes within my work. I also believe in the power of collaboration and shared insights to drive progress for each member of my team.I welcome connections from fellow professionals and anyone interested in discussing the future of finance and the potential for innovation within our field. Together, let’s explore the possibilities.

Anant Wairagade is a Technical Lead with over 20 years of experience in Software Engineering enabling IT organizations with digital transformation and helping them become secure organizations. In his more than two decades long career, Anant has worked for financial services companies where he led the design and development of several successful products in the Security, Finance and CRM domain. Beginning of his career, Anant worked as a Technology consultant for major Financial Services companies and Banks. Anant is a thought leader in Enterprise Integrations solutions. He is expert in API based data connector development, Kafka and Messaging Middleware. Anant is also an active member of several Industry Open Standard communities. He is an IEEE Senior member and serves as Program Committee Member for several IEEE and other IT conferences.

As the Founder of Sekurno, a cybersecurity company focused on protecting fast-growing startups in tech-driven industries, I'm passionate about making technology accessible and worry-free. My personal motivation stems from a belief that technology can change society for the better, but only with the trust that comes from integrating security. At Sekurno, we help businesses build trust with their customers by securing their operations and making technology worry-free. With years of experience in the cybersecurity industry, I'm committed to staying up-to-date on the latest threats and innovations, ensuring that our clients are always protected. Let's connect and see how we can work together to build a more secure digital future.At Sekurno we provide the following services: * Penetration Testing * Data Protection (GDPR, CPPA) * Security Compliance (ISO/27001, SOC2) * SSDLC/DevSecOps * Security Training

I am a Risk Management and Cyber Security professional, providing services to public and private sector clients for over 15 years.I graduated from Mount Saint Mary's in 2006 with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science.My most worked for award is my rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America, which I received on January 13, 1999.

Technology leader and Solution architect specializing in Cloud and AI driven insurance modernization. With 13+ years of deep expertise in Guidewire, Cloud and AI Technologies, designed scalable, secure solutions for Fortune 500 insurers. My work drives digital transformation, operational excellence, and measurable business impact through intelligent architecture, automation, and strategic innovation in core insurance ecosystems. • Professional and ACE certified in Guidewire Insurance Suite Integration, Billing Center, Policy center. Certified in Azure AI and AWS cloud. • Extensive experience solving business problems with innovative solutions for multiple Tier 1 clients having revenues >10 billion, million-dollar implementations, overseeing 100+ resources, supporting multiple business units, insurance line of business, handling high impact and critical production issues. • Delivered strategic guidance to client business teams across the full lifecycle of enterprise initiatives—including robust business requirements, Solution designing, leading root cause analyses, resolving high-priority production incidents, and overseeing timely deployments of fixes and enhancements in regulated environments. • Consistently recognized for precision and clarity in client communications, with a proven ability to present in-depth technical analyses, articulate risk scenarios, recommend industry-aligned best practices, and assess cross-functional impacts with executive-level fluency. • Extensive expertise in risk management, having successfully led resolution of multi-million-dollar production issues. Directed recovery exercises, implemented remediation strategies, and drove actionable outcomes to restore operational integrity and prevent recurrence. • Collaborated directly with executive leadership to deliver data-driven insights through dashboards, performance metrics, and analytical reports. Driven numerous demo sessions, showcasing solution capabilities and aligning technical deliverables with strategic business objectives. • Master’s degree in computer science from University of Cincinnati, US (3.81 GPA out of 4), with emphasis on Data analysis, advanced algorithms. Bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering (3.5 GPA out of 4) • 60 Plus certifications in Guidewire Property and Casualty Insurance technologies Including Professional and ACE (highest level of certifications) • Skilled in training global teams on industry best practices.

Cyber Threat Intelligence Leader | Nation-State Actor Hunter | Strategic Defense Architect With over 20 years at the forefront of cybersecurity—including senior roles in national security and government defense—I specialize in threat hunting, APT campaign attribution, and intelligence-driven defense. My career spans proactive threat detection, incident response, and mentoring high-stakes SOC/CTI teams in classified environments. I’ve led national-level threat hunting operations, correlated complex TTPs using MITRE ATT&CK, and produced actionable intelligence for executive stakeholders. My expertise includes SIEM, SOAR, threat intelligence platforms, and secure infrastructure design, with a deep focus on the MENA region’s cyber threat landscape. As the author of “Inside the Hacker Hunter’s Mind” and “Inside the Hacker Hunter’s Toolkit”, I share real-world insights into state-level threat actors, OSINT, malware analysis, and digital forensics. I’m passionate about mentoring the next generation of cyber defenders and building resilient, intelligence-led security postures. Let’s connect to discuss cybersecurity challenges, threat intelligence, or how I can contribute to your mission. Key Skills: Cyber Threat Intelligence | APT Attribution | Incident Response | Threat Hunting | SIEM/SOAR | MITRE ATT&CK | OSINT | Malware Analysis | Secure Infrastructure | Executive Reporting | Python/C# Automation | MENA Threat Context

I lead a threat hunting team at a risk management firm. I use evidence-based research methods to discover attack patterns and new adversary tools before they're documented, and turn those insights into actionable detections. Every day I see new phishing kits, new malware variations, and discussions between threat actors on evolving techniques.