Headline

VP / IAM & Identity Security Executive | Building High-Performing Security Engineering Org | Passwordless, Passkeys & Phishing-Resistant MFA | Identity Threat Protection & Posture | PAM | Cloud & Platform Security

About

I build identity and security engineering organizations that turn cybersecurity strategy into measurable business outcomes. Over 19+ years in cybersecurity, identity and security engineering, I have led large-scale transformation across IAM, authentication, privileged access, Active Directory, cloud security and platform security. My focus is at the intersection of identity, security engineering, technology transformation and people leadership — building teams and capabilities from the ground up while modernizing how organizations establish trust and control access. Some of the areas I have led include: • Identity & Access Management: Enterprise IAM strategy, SSO, MFA, federation, IGA, CIAM and access governance • Modern Authentication: Passwordless authentication, FIDO2, passkeys, biometric authentication, phishing-resistant MFA and Okta FastPass • Identity Security: Identity Threat Protection, Identity Posture Management, privileged access, machine identities, service accounts and API security • Security Engineering: Cloud security, authentication engineering, platform security engineering and Active Directory • Transformation: Building IAM/security engineering teams from the ground up, platform modernization, automation, operating-model transformation and large-scale migrations • Executive Leadership: Partnering with CISO, CIO, CTO and business leadership on security strategy, investment priorities, risk and transformation roadmaps I have built and led organizations across different stages of maturity — from establishing new IAM and cloud-security capabilities to scaling global engineering organizations supporting complex enterprise environments. At scale, my experience includes leading 90+ IAM professionals across seven teams supporting approximately 1M identities and 15K applications, including privileged identities and service accounts. I am particularly passionate about the evolution of identity security — from traditional authentication and access management toward continuous identity security, phishing-resistant authentication, identity threat detection, identity posture and securing both human and machine identities. I also believe strongly in developing cybersecurity talent and sharing knowledge with the next generation of security professionals. Areas of focus: Identity Security | IAM | Authentication | Passwordless | Passkeys | PAM | IGA | Active Directory | Cloud Security | Identity Threat Protection | Identity Posture | Zero Trust | API Security | Machine Identity | Security Engineering Leadership

Location

Greater Bengaluru Area

AI stack

claude

Work experience

Engineering Manager, Cloud Identity. at John Deere, Sep 2021 - Present · 5 yrs 1 mo, Bengaluru, Head, Identity & Access Management Leading enterprise IAM strategy, security engineering and operations supporting approximately 1M identities and 15K applications, through a global organization of 90+ professionals across seven teams. Key areas of leadership and transformation: • Lead enterprise IAM strategy, engineering and operations across Access Management, authentication, PAM, IGA, CIAM, Active Directory and identity security. • Drive the organization's transition toward passwordless and phishing-resistant authentication, including biometric authentication, FIDO2, passkeys and Okta FastPass. • Lead identity-security transformation spanning Identity Threat Protection, Identity Posture Management, privileged access, machine identities, service accounts and API security. • Lead global engineering teams and managers, establishing engineering capabilities, operating models, delivery discipline and measurable outcomes. • Partner with CISO, CIO, CTO and business leadership on identity strategy, cybersecurity risk, investment priorities, technology decisions and transformation roadmaps. • Own IAM platform resilience, 24x7 operations, disaster recovery/business continuity, vendor management and service performance. • Drive cross-functional engineering transformation across security, architecture, application engineering, infrastructure and business teams. • Lead innovation initiatives and hackathons focused on passwordless authentication, identity visibility, automation and emerging identity-security capabilities. • Drive technology optimization and vendor strategy to improve platform value and reduce unnecessary technology expenditure. Exploring Identity for AI agents

Information Security Manager at Wells Fargo, Apr 2017 - Sep 2021 · 4 yrs 6 mos, Bengaluru, VP, Information Security Built and led security engineering capabilities across IAM and cloud security, with a focus on establishing teams, platforms and operating models from the ground up. • Built a 15-member Cloud Security / IAM organization from scratch, establishing the IAM cloud-security framework and engineering capabilities. • Built an IDaaS engineering team from the ground up, establishing Okta engineering capability and onboarding 75+ applications across SAML, OIDC and OAuth. • Secured hundreds of APIs through enterprise identity and access controls. • Reduced application onboarding time by 30% through platform and process optimization. • Led a 25+ member global Active Directory organization spanning Joiner-Mover-Leaver processes, access certification, reconciliation, PAM, entitlement and service-account management. • Led cross-functional engineering delivery across security, development and infrastructure organizations. • Introduced infrastructure automation using Terraform/IaC to improve engineering consistency and operational efficiency.

Service Delivery Manager at Tesco Bengaluru, Aug 2006 - Mar 2017 · 10 yrs 8 mos, India, Manager, Service Delivery Led technology and service-delivery transformation across identity, infrastructure and enterprise operations. • Led user onboarding transformation that reduced account-creation SLA from 10 days to 1 day, enabling Day-1 identity and access; received CEO recognition. • Led migration from NetWare to Active Directory and consolidation of identities from multiple locations into a centralized domain. • Drove service improvement, process optimization, stakeholder management and operational performance across enterprise technology services.

Technical Support Engineer at ITC Infotech, Sep 2004 - Jul 2006 · 1 yr 11 mos, Bengaluru Area, India, My first role in IT as Technical Support Engineer - responsible for testing, researching and analyzing issues related to enterprise applications.

Education

BE, EEE, Shridi Sai Engineering College