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Adam McGreggor
Technologist+
Professional Background
Adam McGreggor is a London-based multi-skilled technologist and geek leader who specializes in driving efficiencies and practical governance within diverse technology environments. With over 15 years of experience working with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Adam has cultivated a wealth of expertise in cloud-native solutions and technology leadership. His career has been marked by significant contributions to startup and scale-up organizations within the finTech sector, underscoring his adaptive and innovative approach to technology integration.
In his pursuit of impactful technology deployment, Adam has held a variety of high-caliber positions across notable organizations. As the former Chief Platform Officer and Group Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Railsbank, he led initiatives that set benchmarks for security practices within the financial technology landscape. His leadership skills were instrumental in guiding teams through complex projects and advancing the company's objectives in an ever-evolving technology space.
A proponent of agile methodologies, Adam is particularly adept at technical project management, ensuring that projects not only meet deadlines but also align with overarching business goals. His ability to facilitate clear communications at all levels of an organization has made him a valuable asset in environments that require collaboration across teams and departments.
Education and Achievements
Adam’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Political Philosophy, Intellectual History, and Juristic Thought from the University of Wales. This rich academic experience has equipped him with critical thinking and ethical frameworks that he applies to his work in technology and information security.
In addition to his formal education, Adam has achieved several industry certifications, including compliance with ISO 27001:2013 and PCI-DSS, alongside explorations of ISAE3402 and SOC2 standards. He actively engages with current best practices, reflecting his commitment to continuous learning and improvement within the realms of information security and technology governance.
His previous roles as Co-founder and Technical Director at NO2ID and General Manager/CTO at Rewired State have further solidified his reputation as a leader in innovative tech solutions. Adam has made significant contributions to developer relations and community-building initiatives, particularly through his engagements with the Open Knowledge Foundation and various grassroots tech movements.
Key Achievements
- Leadership Excellence: Adam’s role as a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in residence at Startupbootcamp FinTech showcased his ability to nurture startups, offering vital mentorship and guidance to emerging tech companies in the finTech space.
- Data Ethics and Governance: His time as a member of the (Shadow) Data Standards Panel with Her Majesty's Government illustrates Adam’s influence in shaping data governance policies while advocating for ethical usage and best practices.
- Diverse Organizational Engagement: Beyond his professional roles, Adam has served on various advisory councils, contributing his knowledge to organizations such as the Open Rights Group and participating in initiatives that highlight the importance of data transparency and user rights.
- Innovation through Hack-Days and Collaboration: Adam has a history of spearheading productive hack-day events that foster community collaboration and innovation, benefiting both organizations and wider tech communities.
- Holistic Technology Approach: His specialization in secure software engineering and the management of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) ensures that security considerations are woven into the fabric of all technology projects, positioning Adam as a thought leader in the effort to merge security with innovation.
Specialties and Skills
Adam’s portfolio of specialties reflects a deep understanding of several key technological areas:
- Information Security: Expertise in industry standards and practices, ensuring that information security is prioritized in all tech initiatives.
- Technology Leadership: Building and steering teams towards common goals while fostering an inclusive and collaborative culture.
- Startup and Scale-up Dynamics: Proven track record of supporting business growth in fast-paced environments, particularly within the finTech sphere.
- People Development: A keen advocate for mentorship and support, Adam believes in empowering individuals to excel in their roles and careers.
- Effective Communication: Skilled in conveying complex technical ideas to diverse audiences, enhancing understanding and fostering collaboration.
- Agile Methodologies: Practical experience in applying agile practices to improve project delivery and team dynamics.
- Change Management: Proficient in navigating the
Highlights
How foolish of me to expect a collection of posts to be arranged chronologically. Ah, algorithms. 💩
Perhaps I should post more :)
Recently I've been thinking that having my card details stolen. If it's captured quickly enough (my banking apps tell me about spends) there really isn't anything to worry about — I can freeze the card in seconds, have a new card sent to me in days, initiate chargebacks, and challenge on not having SCA.
Out of all the things I have, it's the easiest to replace. I've been thinking that with these advances, the proportionality of #PCIDSS is over-rated — even extrapolating on a merchant scale.
Measures like Strong Customer Authentication (#SCA) from #PSD2 can really help deliver benefits.
Replacing a card is significantly easier than replacing my #identity — especially changing my voice (I don't use that), fingerprints (I do use that), face pattern (purged), or other #inherents.
Part of me wonders if there should be something that better protects these — beyond just #dataprotection (which is not global).
I've also been thinking "proof of address" (especially if, from a #fincrime perspective you're using trends data) is something that's stuck in the past… maybe I'll do another post on that?
Would the '𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖔𝖓 𝖔𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕮𝖑𝖆𝖕𝖍𝖆𝖒 𝖔𝖒𝖓𝖎𝖇𝖚𝖘' be affronted if they knew what should happen with their data? (#banking, #privacy, #ctf, #aml, #framl)
