andrew.chester // office_of_the_ciso

CISO & CYBERSECURITY STRATEGIST | OFFENSIVE ASSURANCE | ACTIVE DEFENSE

ACCESS MANDATE

// THE MANDATE

> Resilience is proven through adversarial validation, not compliance audits.

// THE MANDATE
OBJECTIVE:

To direct executive security strategy for high-threat environments, transitioning organizations from passive monitoring to active defense, threat hunting, and continuous offensive assurance.

THE PHILOSOPHY:

Most enterprise security programs fail because they optimize for checklists rather than actual adversaries. As a CISO and security strategist, my focus is bridging the gap between boardroom governance and Tier-1 operational execution. Defense requires active engagement. We do not wait for the audit; we mathematically validate organizational resilience through continuous threat hunting, cyber deception, and adversarial simulation—ensuring the business can adopt frontier AI and survive contact with reality.

CURRENT MISSION:

Directing the strategic cybersecurity execution and fusion center operations for a corporate demerger within the heavy industry sector. Securing the convergence of critical OT and IT assets across a R400bn estate while driving the transition toward AI-augmented security operations and active defense frameworks.

STATUS: Operational

Operational Status

  • Availability Retained / Advisory
  • Current Focus Agentic AI Defence Grids
  • Location Johannesburg, ZA
STATUS: DEVELOPMENT CYCLE [v0.9]

Project Phalanx

An open-source Command & Control (C2) interface engineered for SME defense. Phalanx eliminates reliance on fragmented, high-OPEX legacy vendors by providing a unified, deployable war room. The platform programmatically correlates dynamic asset inventories with real-time vulnerability graphing, wrapping the intelligence in a unified NIST/CIS governance interface.

  • Asset-to-Vulnerability Correlation (CPE Mapping)
  • Integrated GRC (NIST / CIS / Zero Trust)
  • OSINT Threat Intelligence Aggregation & News Feeds
  • Secure Identity Core (RBAC + MFA)
  • Integrated Incident Response Command Centre
MODULES: ACTIVE
> ASSET_GRAPH: ONLINE
> VULN_FEED: SYNCED
> MFA_GATE: LOCKED
> IR_COMMAND: DEPLOYED
> SME_CYBER_COMMAND: NOMINAL

// THE EXECUTION

Valterra Platinum

Feb 2025 - Present | JHB, ZA

Senior Specialist: Cyber Resilience & Program Execution

Directing the sovereign cyber security capability for a R400bn mining enterprise following its de-merger from Anglo American. Serving as the strategic bridge between executive risk management and active network defense.

  • Active Defense & Threat Hunting: Designed and implemented the enterprise "Purple Loop." Moving the organization beyond passive monitoring by utilizing continuous Red Team simulation and deception engineering to mathematically validate detection efficacy.
  • AI & Security Automation: Leading the engineering transition toward an AI-augmented SOC. Utilizing advanced LLMs to automate threat triage and generate Policy-as-Code, decoupling defensive lethality from headcount to drive a 30% reduction in departmental OPEX.
  • OT Infrastructure Resilience: Securing industrial control systems (SCADA/ICS) through decoupled recovery strategies, immutable backups, and dynamic Policy Enforcement Points at the network edge.
  • AI Governance: Authored the governance framework and runtime protections for internal LLM adoption, ensuring the enterprise can leverage frontier AI without exposing proprietary data to injection or poisoning attacks.
  • Cyber Safety Culture: Realigned legacy security awareness training into a behavioral program that mirrors Valterra’s corporate physical safety standards.

Anglo American

2024 - 2025

BISM: EMEA, Australia & APAC

Directed Cyber Governance across three continents. Secured high-value industrial assets during aggressive M&A and divestitures.

  • Led security due diligence for cross-border M&A.
  • Hardened OT perimeters across Australian mining sites.
  • Navigated China Cyber Security Law & GDPR compliance.

Catalisto LLC

2021 - 2024

Principal Cybersecurity Architect

Delivered sovereign capability development for Ukraine & Balkans energy sectors. Engineered proprietary SOC stacks and nation-state defences.

  • Architected resilience for Ukraine energy operators.
  • Engineered proprietary Open Source SOC (Wazuh/ELK).
  • Led "Cyber Warfare" training for Developing Countries Civilian Operations.

ACDS

2014 - 2021

President & Chief Architect

Engineered strategic turnaround from deficit to R20m valuation. Pivoted business model to high-margin MDR and Offensive Security.

  • Scaled Managed SOC capacity by 2500% via SOAR.
  • Served as "Breach Commander" for live ransomware events.
DOWNLOAD PORTFOLIO: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Encrypted via Proton Drive

// SECURE COMMUNICATIONS

Secure channel open. For sensitive corporate or architectural transmission, encrypt using the public key provided.