Anwar El-Wakil

I build security functions that unlock regulated markets.

Head of Information Security with more than ten years in technology and six in security. I build functions regulators trust and engineers don’t route around, for regulated fintech and global SaaS companies. Based in Dubai.

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What I do

Build the function from zero
Operating model, hiring, levelling frameworks and salary bands, through to a 24/7 security function that runs on a lean, well-negotiated budget and reports risk to the board.
Turn regulation into market access
Lead the security workstreams behind financial licences and certifications, and translate what regulators and auditors expect into controls engineers will actually run.
Make security a commercial asset
Bring security into the sales cycle with trust centres, pre-sales support and clean audit evidence, so enterprise buyers can say yes faster.
Secure cloud-native engineering
Zero Trust access, AWS and Kubernetes hardening with policy-as-code, a secure development lifecycle, and detection and response that gets exercised, not just documented.
Govern AI adoption
Write the policies and guardrails that let teams adopt AI tools quickly without creating unmanaged risk.

Selected results

  • No visibility to minutesmean time to detect, through detection engineering and a 24/7 incident response rotation
  • Weeks to daysexposure window for high-risk vulnerabilities, through SAST, SCA and threat modelling
  • Manual to automatedcloud CIS benchmark alignment, raised through a hardening programme built on automated remediation and policy-as-code
  • VPN to Zero Trustendpoint fleet moved across, with phishing-resistant authentication and device posture checks
  • 0 critical findingsacross four external penetration tests, alongside two SOC 2 Type II audits, TISAX and CSA STAR Level 2
  • 40%+average discount negotiated on enterprise security tooling

Compliance & regulation

Certifications and audits
SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and TISAX, PCI DSS, CSA STAR and GDPR — from gap assessment and control design through to evidence collection and external audit.
Financial services regulation
Egypt’s FRA, including the 2023 FinTech decrees behind fully digital onboarding, ADGM-FSRA in Abu Dhabi, and the Saudi CMA and Tadawul — covering licensing, data residency and the market-access requirements that come with them.

Credentials

  • CISM
  • CISSP
  • CEH
  • ISACA member
  • ISC2 member
  • BSc Computer Science, High Honours

Writing