Open to opportunities

Gaurav Bhatnagar

@gauravbhatnagar

Message

Dynamic cybersecurity leader with expertise in SOC operations.

Kenya

Message

What I'm looking for

I am looking for a role that fosters innovation and collaboration, where I can leverage my expertise in cybersecurity to drive impactful security initiatives and mentor teams.

I am a dynamic and results-driven cybersecurity leader with a proven track record of transforming and elevating Security Operations Centre (SOC) operations across multiple regions and industries. My experience includes building cutting-edge, next-gen SOCs from the ground up, optimizing threat detection and incident response capabilities through advanced technologies like SIEM, XDR, and EASM. I am known for driving major security overhauls, slashing incident response times, and uncovering critical vulnerabilities while leading seamless cross-functional responses to major cyber threats with zero data loss.

In my current role as Group Head of Cyber Security Operations Centre at Equity Group Holdings, I standardized SOC operations across six subsidiaries, harmonized security monitoring, and implemented cross-subsidiary incident correlation workflows. My leadership has enabled a centralized visibility and coordinated response to multi-regional threats, while I have successfully overseen the delivery of a major Group-wide cybersecurity program. I take pride in my ability to mentor teams and deliver top-tier performance, earning industry accolades and setting new standards for security excellence.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Group Head of Cyber Security Operations Centre

Current

Equity Group Holdings

Jan 2024 - Present (1 year 5 months)

Standardized SOC operations across six subsidiaries, aligning processes, tooling, and escalation paths to ensure consistent threat detection and response. Managed the SOC budget and procurement lifecycle for technologies including SIEM (LogRhythm), XDR (CrowdStrike), and EASM.

SIEM LogRhythm Crowdstrike Threat Intelligence SOAR

Manager - Threat Intelligence & Incidence Response

Equity Group Holdings

Dec 2022 - Present (2 years 6 months)

Led the department to achieve the highest score in the Deloitte and Orange Defense report and implemented and structured the incident response protocol. Successfully reduced Mean Time to Resolve (MTTR) incidents through structured processes and continuous improvement.

Threat Intelligence Incident Response Vectr Malware Analysis

Manager - SOC Engineering

Equity Group Holdings

Jul 2022 - Present (2 years 11 months)

Designed the Security Operations Center (SOC) architecture for subsidiary nations and managed and trained a team of 8 analysts that operate on a 24/7 basis. Implemented Darktrace across the entire organization and deployed and configured policies within the CrowdStrike platform.

Crowdstrike Team Management Log Management

Senior SOC Engineer

Equity Group Holdings

Nov 2020 - Present (4 years 7 months)

Discovered over 25 domain vulnerabilities and 4 ADs vulnerable to zerologon, escalating for remediation. Designed Automated Windows Event Collector to collect sysmon events from over 4000 endpoints.

Vulnerability Management Tufin Sysmon

Senior SOC Analyst

Diamond Trust Bank Africa

Apr 2018 - Present (7 years 2 months)

Designed and implemented 3 Flexconnectors for custom banking apps, saving the company about $10,000 per connector. Successfully developed over 40 rules that are triggered in the event of a malicious activity on the network.

Flexconnectors Sysmon Threat Detection