Shahul
Hameed

Security Operations Unit Head, Museums Shared Services

Department of Culture & Tourism, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Leading information security operations across DCT's Museums Shared Services portfolio. Deployed Microsoft Sentinel (SIEM), Defender XDR, and Cloud App Security (CASB) enterprise-wide. Established AI Governance Framework aligned with ISO/IEC 42001 and executed comprehensive VAPT programmes across network, application, and cloud layers.

IT Security Unit Head — Zayed National Museum

Department of Culture & Tourism, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Directed technology and cybersecurity strategy for one of the UAE's flagship cultural landmarks. Established the museum's technology operating model from greenfield, architected an ISO 27001-aligned Information Security Strategy, and championed a security-aware culture ahead of the museum's opening.

Head of Technical Engineering Section

Department of Culture & Tourism, Abu Dhabi, UAE · IT Department

Appointed to lead DCT's Technical Engineering Section, directing a multi-disciplinary organisation encompassing Security Operations, Hybrid Infrastructure, Application Development, and the Desktop Unit to support enterprise-wide digital operations.

• Spearheaded IT strategic planning and financial governance, aligning the engineering roadmap with enterprise digital transformation objectives while optimising budgets across Security, Infrastructure, and Application Development portfolios.
• Designed and delivered executive-level technical reporting, translating complex operational metrics, security postures, and project statuses into actionable business intelligence for C-suite decision-making.
• Managed strategic vendor and partner relationships, negotiating complex service contracts and overseeing third-party delivery to ensure stringent SLA, infrastructure availability, and security compliance.
• Mentored and developed a high-performing, cross-functional engineering team, cultivating a culture of technical excellence, continuous learning, and collaborative problem-solving across disparate IT disciplines.
• Governed enterprise infrastructure lifecycle and BCDR strategies, ensuring the resilience of critical systems and executing formal Incident Response Plans to maintain continuous operations during crisis scenarios.
• Directed a multi-layered enterprise security architecture and 24/7 SOC operations, safeguarding networks, applications, and endpoints against advanced threats through continuous monitoring and rapid incident response.
• Orchestrated the administration of a complex hybrid cloud ecosystem (Azure IaaS/PaaS/SaaS) alongside on-premises data centres, ensuring seamless integration, high availability, and proactive cloud cost management.
• Championed DevSecOps and secure SDLC within the Application Development Unit, embedding secure coding practices, rigorous QA testing, and continuous security assessments into all organisational software delivery.
• Managed the Enterprise Desktop Unit and End-User Computing (EUC) strategy, overseeing the secure provisioning, lifecycle management, and tiered support of thousands of endpoints across distributed teams.

IT Governance & Compliance Unit Head

Department of Culture & Tourism, Abu Dhabi, UAE · Corporate Security Section

Directed the enterprise Security Governance and Compliance (SGC) Unit, serving as the strategic advisor to executive leadership on cyber risk and regulatory alignment.

• Architected and institutionalised a strategic Security Governance Framework, successfully aligning IT security operations and risk tolerance with DCT's enterprise business objectives.
• Authored and modernised the enterprise IT security policy library, while managing the SGC Unit budget and engineering a fully compliant Incident Response Plan (IRP).
• Established an enterprise cyber risk management lifecycle, conducting rigorous threat modelling to mitigate IT, third-party, and vendor-related security risks.
• Achieved and sustained enterprise compliance with ISO/IEC 27001, GDPR, and UAE Information Assurance (ADSIC/NESA) through robust control matrices.
• Orchestrated comprehensive internal and external compliance audits, driving corrective action plans (CAPs) and presenting formal compliance reports to senior management and regulatory bodies (NESA).

Infrastructure Lead

Department of Culture & Tourism, Abu Dhabi, UAE · IT Department

Directed enterprise IT infrastructure operations and a cross-functional engineering team, ensuring the high availability, security, and scalability of foundational technologies supporting DCT's core business units.

• Spearheaded enterprise infrastructure strategy, budget, and deployment, overseeing the seamless implementation of new network architectures and systems with zero critical disruption, while negotiating enterprise procurement contracts to maximise ROI.
• Designed and maintained robust Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) architectures, ensuring critical systems and data met stringent RTO/RPO objectives in alignment with industry standards and regulatory compliance.
• Engineered and enforced comprehensive infrastructure security controls, hardening network components against emerging cyber threats and aligning proactive monitoring tools to guarantee high availability and resolve operational bottlenecks.

Security Administrator → IT Security Expert → Senior Security Administrator

Department of Culture & Tourism, Abu Dhabi, UAE · IT Department

Progressed through multiple technical roles over 8 years, serving as the primary subject matter expert and architect for enterprise security operations, infrastructure defence, and threat management.

• Engineered and administered the enterprise network security stack and complex IAM controls, managing firewalls and IDS/IPS to successfully maintain a zero-breach environment across a highly targeted infrastructure over an 8-year period.
• Deployed centralised SIEM solutions and orchestrated end-to-end Incident Response (IR) lifecycles, establishing robust threat-hunting capabilities and institutionalising forensic "lessons learned" to harden future security postures.
• Governed enterprise vulnerability management (VAPT) programmes, continuously identifying and coordinating the patching of critical flaws while embedding "security-by-design" principles into all new enterprise IT initiatives.
• Achieved and maintained continuous compliance with ISO/IEC 27001 and ADSIC standards by conducting rigorous IT risk assessments, authoring comprehensive security policies, and designing Security Awareness Training for thousands of employees.

Network Administrator

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), Abu Dhabi, UAE · IT Department

• Engineered high-availability network infrastructure and security firewalls supporting rigorous sovereign wealth fund operations, notably executing a zero-downtime corporate headquarters migration that ensured uninterrupted financial trading.

Systems Engineer

Seven Seas Computers, Abu Dhabi, UAE

• Designed and deployed complex enterprise IT architectures for diverse corporate clients, directing end-to-end IT project lifecycles encompassing requirements gathering, vendor negotiation, and rigorous security integration.

Master of Business Administration — Information Technology

Sikkim Manipal University, India

Bachelor of Engineering — Electronics & Communication

Madurai Kamaraj University, India