Looking for a job

Reinaldo Fernandes

@reinaldofernandes

Message

I lead cybersecurity strategy, cyber defence, cloud security and governance for regulated and global organisations.

Portugal

Message

What I'm looking for

I'm looking to lead security strategy, governance and cyber resilience for regulated or growth-focused organisations, partnering with executives and boards to turn cyber risk into clear, practical priorities.

I'm leading security and corporate IT at Hostelworld Group, shaping strategy, governance, cloud and application security, cyber operations, resilience, and third-party assurance for a listed global digital marketplace.

Across interim Head, CISO, architecture and cyber-defence roles at PTSB, Irish Rail, the Higher Education Authority, Medical Council, PepsiCo and Qualcomm, I've built security functions, advised boards, and improved incident response, risk and regulatory readiness.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Head of Security and Corporate IT

Current

Hostelworld Group

Jun 2026 - Present (3 months)

Lead cybersecurity and corporate IT for a publicly listed global digital marketplace, reporting to the CTO. Own security strategy, operating model, and roadmap across governance, risk, security operations, cloud, application security, identity, resilience, awareness, and third-party assurance.

Security Strategy Governance Risk Management Cloud Security Application Security IAM Incident Response PCI DSS GDPR NIST AI Governance MDR SIEM Endpoint Protection Vulnerability Management

Fractional CISO

Secure Target

Jun 2025 - Jun 2026 (1 year)

Provided fractional CISO and senior cybersecurity leadership practice to support organisations in regulated environments and small/medium companies. Defined and executed security roadmaps aligned to business objectives and regulatory requirements, and established governance frameworks and operating models.

Security Strategy Governance Risk Management NIS 2 ISO 27001 NIST CSF Security Architecture Resilience

Interim Head of Information Security

Higher Education Authority

Dec 2024 - Jun 2025 (6 months)

Defined and executed the enterprise security strategy and resilience roadmap aligned with NIS2 and NIST CSF 2.0. Advised the board and executive stakeholders on cyber risk, investment priorities, governance, architecture, and regulatory readiness.

Security Strategy NIS 2 NIST CSF Governance Risk Management Board Advisory KPI Reporting

Information Security Manager

Irish Rail

Feb 2024 - Aug 2024 (6 months)

Developed an organisation-wide security strategy and target operating model aligned with NIS2 and critical-service resilience requirements. Strengthened third-party risk, threat intelligence, policy, and security architecture practices while advising senior leadership on risk reduction and investment.

Security Strategy NIS 2 Target Operating Model Third Party Risk Threat Intelligence Security Architecture Policy

Interim Head of Cyber Defence

PTSB

Feb 2023 - Feb 2024 (1 year)

Built and led the Cyber Defence function, integrating blue team, red team, and threat intelligence into a cohesive operating model. Defined and executed a cyber-defence strategy that improved detection, response, logging visibility, and operational maturity.

Cyber Defense Blue Team Red Team Threat Intelligence Incident Response SOC Playbooks NIST MITRE ATT&CK MITRE D3FEND Security Operations

Acting Head of Information Security

Medical Council

Sep 2022 - Feb 2023 (5 months)

Led a security improvement programme across governance, architecture, cloud visibility, monitoring, and incident readiness. Implemented NIST CSF foundations and strengthened threat intelligence, dark-web monitoring, and cloud security controls.

Security Governance Security Architecture Cloud Security Monitoring Incident Response Readiness NIST CSF Threat Intelligence Dark Web Monitoring

Principal Security Advisor

Secure Target

Jan 2022 - Sep 2022 (8 months)

Advised leadership teams on security strategy, governance, risk, architecture, and roadmaps across regulated and growth environments. Maintained an independent advisory vehicle for selected fractional and strategic security engagements.

Security Strategy Governance Risk Management Security Architecture Roadmapping Advisory

BISO Cyber Technical Risk

PepsiCo

Mar 2021 - Dec 2021 (9 months)

Advised business and technology leaders on cyber risk across enterprise, operational technology, and cloud environments. Mapped risk exposure across business units and strengthened governance, awareness, and risk-based decision-making.

Cyber Risk Operational Technology Cloud Security Risk Assessment Governance Awareness

Information Security Architect

Qualcomm

Dec 2019 - Dec 2020 (1 year)

Led security architecture reviews across IT, operational technology, and AWS, Azure, and GCP environments. Embedded CIS and OWASP-aligned security requirements into architecture and integration decisions.

Security Architecture AWS Azure GCP Operational Technology CIS OWASP Integration

Senior Information Security Engineer

PTSB

May 2018 - Dec 2019 (1 year 7 months)

Led enterprise security reviews and provided architecture guidance across infrastructure, applications, networks, endpoints, and data protection. Mentored junior colleagues and worked with delivery teams to implement practical controls and reduce risk.

Security Reviews Security Architecture Infrastructure Security Application Security Network Security Endpoint Security Data Protection Mentorship