ciso profile
Tamer Gamali , Mashreq Bank ’ s Head of Information Security
CISOs set to become dominant force
Intelligent CISO speaks to Tamer Gamali , Mashreq Bank ’ s Head of Information Security , about the latest industry trends , opportunities and insight on what it means to be a CISO . He tells us that the well-positioned CISO will soon become one of the most dominant leaders in the industry .
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W our systems and processes becoming paperless – from federal-level blockchain policies , to an increasing shift to the cloud across the world – the need to find and retain top information security talent has become an urgent necessity .
As per recent forecasts by Gartner , global investment on information security will grow to a massive US $ 93 billion ( about Dhs341 billion ) this year , representing an 8 % increase since 2017 .
Against this sharpened international focus on security , our spotlight is on Tamer Gamali , CISSP CISA , Group Chief Information Security Officer ( CISO ) for Mashreq Bank and EMEA Advisory Council Member for ( ISC ) 2 , the world ’ s leading cybersecurity and IT security professional organisation .
With a distinguished career spanning two decades and in-depth experience within the regional financial sector , Gamali is a leading security expert and was most likely one of the first CISOs to be appointed in the Middle East .
Background
Gamali started out as a systems engineer at Computacenter in 1998 , then one of Europe ’ s largest independent IT integrators . In 1999 , following Intel ’ s drive to set up an online services practice , Gamali was recruited for a security role at its new data centre facility .
“ I found myself adapting and moving into security easily with a bit of a technical background ,” said Gamali .
It was during his time at Intel that he discovered a passion for security , where his clients included Virgin . com , the FIFA World Cup , the first ever Big Brother and the Discovery Channel , to name a few .
Gamali went on to join KPMG , London ’ s risk management practice , before moving to the Gulf in 2005 , when he was appointed Group CISO for the National Bank of Kuwait ( NBK ), a bank Gamali says was pioneering for identifying an early need to build an information security practice . He also served as Head of Group Technology Risk for Kuwait Finance House before moving to his role at Mashreq Bank .
Rapidly evolving regional information security sector
A 2017 Gartner report revealed that more than 60 % of organisations will
16 Issue 01 | www . intelligentciso . com