Open to opportunities

Ivan Sestak

@ivansestak

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Strategic cybersecurity and IT leader driving secure, scalable enterprise solutions.

Canada

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What I'm looking for

I am seeking senior cybersecurity leadership roles where I can architect secure enterprise programs, lead SOC/IAM initiatives, mentor teams, and partner with stakeholders to deliver measurable risk reduction and scalable security operations.

I am a strategic, vision-oriented IT and cybersecurity leader with over 20 years of experience in higher education, public transit, and private-sector environments. I focus on aligning technology, governance, and operations to deliver secure, cost-effective services.

I have led major transformations including consolidation of multiple IT divisions, design and deployment of shared services, and the launch of enterprise online recruitment platforms. I build and operationalize Security Operations Centres, vulnerability and patch programs, and incident response capabilities.

My roles have included directing cybersecurity operations at a major transit agency, building fraud and security programs for large retail/loyalty platforms, and transforming SOC services using AI/ML and automation. I manage vendor relationships, MSSPs, and complex IAM/IGA/Zero Trust initiatives across IT and OT environments.

I am committed to mentoring teams, driving measurable security outcomes, and creating a culture of security awareness and accountability. I pursue continuous professional development and hold multiple industry certifications while working toward CISM, CISA and CISSP.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Cybersecurity Bootcamp Instructor

Current

Quickstart.com

Jul 2024 - Present (1 year 2 months)

Deliver hands-on cybersecurity curriculum, assess student progress, mentor career development, and align lab exercises to real-world scenarios to prepare students for cybersecurity roles.

Network Security Ethical Hacking Incident Response Digital Forensics Cryptography Lab Instruction Curriculum Development Assessments

Current

Director Cybersecurity Operations

Current

TTC Toronto Transit Commission

Apr 2024 - Present (1 year 5 months)

Lead and manage the TTC's integrated cybersecurity operations program, including SOC oversight, MSSP/vendor management, incident response, IAM program implementation, and OT/IT security frameworks to protect critical infrastructure and ensure compliance.

Security Operations SOC Incident Response IAM Vulnerability Management Azure Sentinel Vendor Management

Director, IT Governance & Fraud

Scene+

Jan 2023 - Apr 2024 (1 year 3 months)

Owned development and execution of Scene+ security roadmap, governance, fraud detection at POS, vendor/security program management, and incident management to protect member data and payment flows.

Security Governance Fraud Management POS Security Vulnerability Assessment Incident Management Vendor Management Data Protection PCI DSS

Senior Manager, SOC

CDW Canada

Jul 2022 - Jan 2023 (6 months)

Led SOC transformation leveraging AI/ML for automation, mentored analysts, managed major incidents and customer escalations, and defined SOC KPIs and operational governance for managed security services.

SOC SIEM Automation)Incident Response Managed Services Endpoint Security Customer Escalation

Manager, Cybersecurity Operations

The Beer Store

Jul 2020 - Jul 2022 (2 years)

Managed cyber threat intelligence, incident response, vulnerability and compliance programs (including PCI-DSS), vendor relationships, and enterprise-wide security strategy and awareness across Canadian operations.

Threat Intelligence Incident Response Vulnerability Management PCI DSS Forensics Endpoint Protection Security Strategy Compliance

Senior Manager, Operations & Integration

University of Toronto

Jan 2010 - Jan 2020 (10 years)

Executed pan-university initiatives including CanSSOC delivery, service catalog and pricing, ServiceNow SecOps deployment, cloud-based logging platform development, and onboarding multiple institutions to shared security services.

Security Operations Logging Azure DevOps CI CD Docker Kubernetes Vendor Management SLA Management

Manager, Web & App Services

York University

Jan 2000 - Jan 2010 (10 years)

Led web and application services and divisional IT strategic planning, managing desktop support, budgets, SLAs, and implementation of web-based process improvements for multiple faculties and student services.