Builder, Operator, and Advisor | Bridging AI and Cybersecurity to Drive Real-World Outcomes

Khiro is a recognized cybersecurity leader with over two decades of experience building high-impact businesses that deliver results. As Founder & CEO of Shieldient, he is leading an AI-first, intelligence-led approach to managed security, designed to outpace modern threats and deliver measurable outcomes with speed.

Prior to Shieldient, Khiro founded Cybalt, a fast-scaling global MSSP known for platform-agnostic execution, enterprise trust, and operational agility. Before that, as CEO of NTT Security Americas, he transformed a legacy MSSP into a next-generation services powerhouse. Earlier at Dell Services, he built the global security services business from the ground up, launching differentiated offerings and trusted delivery engines that continue to scale.

Khiro is deeply embedded in the cybersecurity innovation ecosystem, advising AI-native startups, private equity firms, and venture capital funds on identifying and scaling transformative security technologies. This gives Shieldient early access to emerging capabilities, translating directly into competitive advantage for its clients.

A frequent voice in global media and speaker at top-tier security events, Khiro brings global leadership experience across the US, EMEA, and APAC. His perspective is both strategic and hands-on, shaped by decades of working alongside enterprise CISOs to navigate real-world security and business risk.

For CISOs, Khiro is a strategic partner, fully invested in helping them stay ahead, build resilience, and realize the true business value of security.

Cybersecurity Strategist & Practice Builder | Driving Scalable, Business-Aligned Security Outcomes

Anant Bhat brings over two decades of global experience with a proven track record in advancing cybersecurity strategy, operations, and innovation. He leads Shieldient’s security practice with a distinctive blend of strategic foresight, technical expertise, and business acumen. His career includes leading high-impact incident response missions, delivering advanced offensive and advisory security assessments, and architecting resilient, enterprise-grade security operations for complex global organizations.

Anant began his career applying scripting to drive automation and develop application logic, then built deep expertise in networking and infrastructure security before moving into offensive security. Over the past decade, he has applied his adversary-driven mindset to shape defense strategies and is now focused on securing AI enablement. His experience spans healthcare, telecom, defense, BFSI, and manufacturing across the US, Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and India.

He has built and scaled end-to-end cybersecurity functions, including the establishment of over 10 global SOCs, execution of 100+ offensive and advisory engagements, and leadership in 50+ major incident response missions. His strategic roles have involved full P&L ownership, governance oversight, and driving security transformation across multinational organizations, including NIIT, GTL, Reliance, Essar, and Cybalt.

As Shieldient advances its Securing AI Practice, Anant leads the initiative – bringing a pragmatic, threat-informed lens to securing large language models (LLMs), copilots, AI APIs, and data pipelines. He works closely with emerging AI security product companies as a design partner, contributing to real-world, scalable solutions for AI risk governance, model hardening, and AI SOC capabilities. He continues to enable clients to adapt, innovate, and operate securely in the AI era.

Known for his structured thinking and outcome-driven leadership, Anant is also deeply passionate about identifying and nurturing talent – creating meaningful opportunities for professionals to grow, contribute, and thrive within high-performance teams.

Cloud-First, Identity-Centric | Driving Innovation and the Technology Vision for Shieldient

Pronoy Haldar is an accomplished cybersecurity leader with over 12 years of experience designing and scaling advanced security operations across IT and cloud environments. As Chief Technology Officer, he drives Shieldient’s technology vision, ensuring our cybersecurity services are powered by innovative, scalable, and secure platforms and processes – with a strong focus on cloud security, identity and access management (IAM), and AI-driven threat detection and response.

Pronoy has built and managed integrated security architectures across Azure, AWS, and GCP, helping enterprises secure workloads, identities, and data in dynamic cloud environments. He has led the implementation of robust IAM frameworks and identity governance models tailored to enterprise risk profiles and regulatory needs.

His technical foundation spans SIEM, SOAR, EDR, and modern threat detection frameworks. He has successfully delivered over 100 security projects involving cloud protection, insider threat mitigation, and proactive adversary simulation exercises.

Pronoy’s professional journey includes impactful tenures at leading organizations such as KPMG, Wipro, Reliance, and Cybalt where he gained valuable experience across enterprise environments and honed his ability to align technical delivery with real-world business needs.

He ensures that Shieldient’s services are not only technically sound but strategically aligned to each client’s objectives – from Managed XDR to real-time threat containment. Pronoy leads the charge in building threat-aware, cloud-resilient, and identity-driven security operations that deliver measurable results.

Driving Unified Detection and Response Engineering Across the Modern Enterprise Attack Surface

Rajat Singh is a seasoned cybersecurity engineering leader with over 14 years of experience designing and implementing advanced security solutions for global enterprises. As the Head of Engineering at Shieldient Inc., Rajat plays a pivotal role in architecting scalable, resilient, and high-impact security ecosystems for clients across industries.

His engineering expertise spans the end-to-end integration of SIEM, SOAR, and EDR platforms—building cohesive, automation-driven detection and response environments that adapt to today’s fast-evolving threat landscape. Rajat is especially recognized for his ability to blend deep technical insight with practical implementation, ensuring that every solution delivers measurable security outcomes.

Rajat brings specialized depth in cloud security architecture, enabling secure design, monitoring, and governance of complex hybrid and multi-cloud environments across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. His broader capabilities include proactive threat hunting, identity and access management, next-gen SIEM deployments, and the strategic rollout of vulnerability management programs with a focus on enhancing threat visibility, accelerating response, and strengthening enterprise cyber resilience.

Over the course of his career, Rajat has held key technical roles at leading organizations such as WNS Global Services, Tech Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services and Cybalt. He has delivered mission-critical cybersecurity solutions for clients in banking, aviation, and defense, with on-ground experience in India, Australia, and the United States.

Known for his hands-on leadership and engineering rigor, Rajat aligns cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies with real-world business needs – helping organizations secure their digital transformation journeys while driving innovation in security operations.

Steven Bullitt is a cybersecurity executive with over 30 years of experience securing critical infrastructure, leading global threat intelligence, and combating advanced cybercrime. As CISO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, he directed cybersecurity strategy, incident response, and business continuity for one of America’s most vital financial institutions.

Previously, as Global leader of Threat Intelligence at NTT, Steven led international cyber operations and coordinated high-stakes investigations with INTERPOL, Europol, and other global intelligence agencies, disrupting criminal networks across borders.

During his 20-year career with the U.S. Secret Service, he commanded the Electronic Crimes Task Force, investigated complex cyber and financial crimes, and served in the Presidential Protection Division. These roles forged deep relationships with international law enforcement and honed his ability to respond decisively to evolving threats.

As founder of ListCrime, Steven now drives proactive threat prevention through automation and community intelligence.

Why it matters for our clients: Steven’s leadership across the U.S. Secret Service, Federal Reserve, and global intelligence networks brings Shieldient clients unparalleled access to operational insights, international partnerships, and tactical expertise essential for countering complex, cross-border threats.

Robert is a nationally recognized security leader with over three decades of leadership experience, including 20 years in senior roles at the FBI. As Executive Assistant Director, he oversaw the FBI’s global cyber investigations, criminal investigations, international operations, and critical incident response. Earlier, as Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division, he directed operations to protect U.S. national security, counter foreign espionage, and safeguard critical technologies; many involving advanced, state-sponsored cyber threats.

Robert’s FBI tenure placed him at the center of some of the nation’s most sensitive and high-impact investigations, from counterintelligence to economic espionage, giving him a rare, operational perspective on defending critical assets against sophisticated adversaries.

In the private sector, Robert has advised Fortune 500 companies, boards, and government agencies on cyber risk management, incident response, and long-term resilience, transforming organizations into security-forward enterprises capable of anticipating and neutralizing emerging threats.

Why it matters to our clients: Robert’s experience in defending national interests directly aligns with Shieldient’s mission to give clients the foresight, credibility, and proven strategies to stay ahead of today’s most capable cyber threats.

Eric Sanchez is a seasoned cybersecurity and risk management executive with deep expertise across government, corporate, and global security operations. He currently leads the execution of cybersecurity strategy at the international law firm Orrick, partnering with firm leadership to embed a security-first ethos into client services and innovation.

His career includes seven years in intelligence with the U.S. Air Force and twelve years at the CIA as a Cyber Intelligence Officer, where he architected and executed unconventional cyber operations shaping national security outcomes. In the private sector, Eric has led post-breach response, security modernization, and resilience initiatives with top consultancies and global enterprises in the U.S. and UK.

Most recently, as Global CISO for Kyowa Kirin, the global specialty pharmaceutical giant, he built a security program from the ground up, integrating governance, technology, and culture across international operations. Widely recognized for his pragmatic, risk-aligned approach, he has shared expertise at industry forums on securing complex, regulated environments.

Why it matters to our clients: Eric’s blend of operational intelligence, multinational leadership, and legal-sector insight equips our advisory board to guide clients through today’s most sophisticated, cross-border cyber challenges with precision and foresight.

Steven J. Brown is a strategic technology and cybersecurity leader with over three decades in finance, banking, and enterprise transformation. As former global CISO at Macquarie Group, the diversified international financial group, he directed global cybersecurity risk management, security operations, threat intelligence, and regulatory compliance, regularly engaging with executives and boards to align security priorities with business growth objectives.

In senior roles as Chief Technology Officer and Chief Architect, Steven modernized core systems, implemented Cloud-First strategies, and embedded secure DevSecOps practices across the enterprise. His leadership extended into designing frameworks and systems to streamline risk assessment and replace complex manual processes with data-driven precision.

Today, as Founder & CEO of Altura Consulting, Steven advises C-suite leaders on cyber resilience, enterprise architecture, and AI transformation, helping organizations navigate regulatory demands while harnessing emerging technologies to gain a competitive advantage.

Why it matters to our clients: Steven’s rare blend of deep technical expertise, AI-enabled innovation, and executive strategy equips our clients with future-ready solutions where security, resilience, and business agility converge.