Zechariah Oluleke Akinpelu’s 15 years of experience working in the cybersecurity space and leading large strategic initiatives for financial institutions and technology companies has shaped the future of cybersecurity on a global scale. Starting out as a software engineer in his early career, Zechariah quickly became comfortable with designing and building websites for banks and other finance-focused organizations.

He enjoyed taking part in a project from start to finish and working with the necessary resources to bring functional web pages to life. Because of the nature of his clients at the time, cybersecurity was always a critical factor when building these websites. Zechariah not only found it interesting but knew that cybersecurity would take more of a front-row seat in the years to come, so he pivoted his career in that direction.

After three years as a full-stack developer, Zechariah took a role as a security auditor with First City Monument Bank PLC. There, he continuously monitored and evaluated the security and overall integrity of the bank’s applications and databases. If issues came up, it was Zechariah’s job to flag them and recommend an appropriate course of action. As a security auditor, Zechariah focused on finding security holes that could be exploited, charting a path to a safe resolution for the organization. Before any new application or feature went live, Zechariah and his colleagues ran a thorough security assessment to ensure optimal functionality and safety for the bank and its customers.

Financial data is some of the most sensitive data on the planet. Not only do banks hold confidential customer information and personal identifiers, but they also maintain financial accounts, which are often targeted by hackers and fraudsters. Working in cybersecurity in the financial sector is about as serious as it gets, and for Zechariah, taking on these types of roles was a very personal mission. Just as he would want his own personal and financial information safeguarded, he took it upon himself to ensure the safeguarding of customer data no matter where he worked.

Quickly becoming a leader in cybersecurity, Zechariah began to step into higher-level roles with even more responsibility. As the lead application and data security architect at Fidelity Bank PLC, he worked closely with the business automation team to add security measures and protect the organization’s business logic in the process. There, he developed a security program for the bank, orchestrating a solid process and structure around application reviews, security assessments, and approval processes, making it faster and safer for the institution when it rolled out new applications. This wasn’t his first attempt at architecting a complex security infrastructure, but it was Zechariah’s first time leading a team.

It wasn’t long before Zechariah was a renowned cybersecurity leader, stepping into management roles and taking on more complex challenges. Now, he is the Chief Information Security Officer at Unity Bank in Nigeria. At Unity Bank, Zechariah is setting up the Information Security Group and transforming the bank’s security capabilities to be more robust. Potentially the largest undertaking of his career, Zechariah is tackling the challenge head-on, collaborating closely with other industry specialists, and influencing financial security in all of Nigeria.

It's not every day that those in leadership roles prove their skill sets, but Zechariah believes that it’s important that he knows how the behind-the-scenes works as cybersecurity changes, which is why his skill list is so extensive. Penetration testing, cloud security, risk management, and security incident management only scratch the surface of what he’s capable of. Leading by example, Zechariah continues to show budding cybersecurity experts and long-time leaders that, as a professional, one is never done growing, learning, and contributing.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 21, 2023 11:03 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).