Luka Zedginidze
@lukazedginidze
I build audit-ready security and compliance programmes for payments and SaaS platforms.
United KingdomWhat I'm looking for
I've led security, compliance and assurance for Fresha, a global booking and payments platform serving 140,000+ businesses across 120+ countries. I own its PCI DSS, ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR and EU AI Act readiness portfolio while building an automation-first function.
At Improvado, I joined as the first security hire and grew Security, Privacy, Compliance, IT Operations and Legal Ops into an eight-person organisation. I delivered clean SOC 2 Type II reports every year from 2023, scaled customer assurance to 100+ questionnaires and 20+ audits annually, and cut review turnaround from roughly five days to under four hours.
Earlier, I spent seven years in Accenture Security, leading assurance, GDPR, SOC and cloud-security programmes for banking, insurance, retail and public-sector clients. I also served as a fractional CISO and advisor for Miro, Adjarabet / Flutter Entertainment, UniPAY Gateway and other digital platforms.
As the first CISO at United Financial Corporation, a PCI DSS Level 1 card-payments processor, I built the security and PCI programme from zero and passed every PCI DSS, PIN Security, ISO 27001, card-scheme and central bank examination. I work closely with Engineering and Product to turn risk into practical priorities, resilient controls and measurable business outcomes.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
Accountable for the certification portfolio (PCI DSS, ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR) and EU AI Act readiness; building an automation-first compliance operating model.
First security hire at a B2B SaaS data platform; owned Security, Privacy, Compliance, IT Operations and Legal Ops, delivering clean SOC 2 Type II audits and scaling customer assurance.
Led security consulting programmes for banking, insurance, retail and postal clients; UKI PCI DSS and payment-security subject matter expert.
Chief Information Security Officer
United Financial Corporation
Jan 2011 - Mar 2015 (4 years 2 months)
First CISO at a PCI DSS Level 1 card-payments processor; built the security and PCI programme from zero and passed every audit and examination.
Technology Research and Innovation Manager
MagtiCom
Jan 2006 - Dec 2010 (4 years 11 months)
Managed technology research and innovation initiatives at a tier-1 telecoms company.
Senior IT Infrastructure Engineer and SWIFT Security Officer
ProCredit Bank Georgia
Jan 2003 - Dec 2006 (3 years 11 months)
Managed IT infrastructure and SWIFT security operations at a bank.
PCI Consultant
UniPAY Gateway
Six-week PCI DSS engagement for a payment gateway; closed compliance gaps and delivered a 50+ control security roadmap.
Fractional CISO
Delivered ISO 27001 readiness across four regulated gaming markets in ~6 months and recovered a failed SOC build.
Emergency Security Advisor
Digital Platform
Co-led incident response with the CEO on a compromised hosting environment and an active extortion threat; operations restored in 24 hours.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
Bachelor of Laws, Law
Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, completed in 2003.
Tech stack
Software and tools used professionally
Availability
Location
United KingdomAuthorized to work in
Salary expectations
Social media
Job categories
Skills
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