I had the pleasure of recruiting James for an Interim Information Security Officer role at Amnesty International, where he made a significant impact on the organisation's cybersecurity posture in a short space of time. James focussed in on pain points and the quick wins immediately and set about further developing Information Security Maturity and the operations of the team; improving communication with key stakeholders and the rest of the business in parallel.
He brought in key technical security standards and spearheaded a comprehensive tactical effort to improve the organisation's cybersecurity posture, demonstrating his practical, hands-on approach. James also did a great job with our 3rd party vendors, working well with different teams to make sure our partners understand and meet our security requirements. One of his standout contributions was working to set up an Information Security Governance Committee, showing strategic thinking in seeking to obtain alignment and support from senior leadership and peers.
In short, James' time with us was significantly impactful for our cybersecurity posture. His clear leadership, calm and logical approach, personable nature, deep knowledge and determination have made our organisation safer. I highly recommend James for any cybersecurity role.
He is a talented and experienced professional who would be a valuable asset to any team.
Paul Smith MBA MBCS CITP
CIO @ Amnesty International
