Praveen Prabhakar
Dubai
Summary
Strategic and results-driven senior executive with 23 years of global experience across Middle East, India, and Great Britain. Proven track record in business development, strategy planning & execution, sustainable business growth across global markets. Expert in Managed Services and leading diverse cybersecurity consulting practices including Offensive Security, Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT), Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC), and Cybersecurity Strategy, client success. Adept at building cohesive, high-performing teams, fostering innovative thinking, and delivering quantifiable ROI to clients and investors.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Business Head - GCC
Youcloud
04.2025 - Current
- Developed and implemented successful strategies for building company sales including alliance, Go-To-Market planning for GCC.
- Enabled Managed services and Cybersecurity practise as a offering
- Built and strengthened relationships with industry partners to drive growth.
- Set and monitored annual budgets for departments and entire business.
- P & L Management
Director – Cybersecurity & GRC
Espina Digital Consulting
05.2024 - 03.2025
- Played a keyrole in launch of the Espina Digital Consulting brand and establishing the organization strategy and USP both internally with the organization and as well with enterprise and government clients.
- Developed pipeline of 25 million for the region in 8 months of tenure with 80% if business being between UAE and Qatar.
- Closed a large deal with a premier bank in Oman within 90 days of being in the organization delivering Vulnerability and penetration testing services with multi-year contract.
- Developed the verticals of OT - operations technology offering with next generation cybersecurity and GRC solution and AI based command center.
- Diversified partner ecosystem was built encompassing subcontractors, vendors to facilitate aggressive bids based on trust and commitment.
- Developed Go-To-Market strategies specific to client verticals and was appreciated by CEO of Espina Digital Consulting for the insight provided with reference to Abu Dhabi government entity specializing in delivering Cybersecurity services.
- Developed support team through up-skilling on new technologies, key vendor certifications, cross skilling between team members for increased skillset availability and enhanced service levels to clients.
- Played key role in orchestrating bids and client presentations on Cybersecurity, GRC, SOC and Managed Services opportunities.
- Regions catered: UAE, Qatar, Oman
- Bid management, P & L: Proficient
- Team management: Advanced
- Governance: Contract negotiation & administration
Business Head– Managed Contact Center Services & CX
Data Direct Group
09.2023 - 05.2024
- Responsible for business development and delivery of Contact Center & BPO business of the organization delivering Managed Contact Center services under 24X7X365 remote/offshore services to clients from industries of: Healthcare, Banking, Insurance.
- Spearhead the organizations vision to achieve ISO27001 standard and achievement for year 2024.
- Responsible for the network security and adhering to Infosec guidelines for clients from the Health care industry.
- Program managed one of the largest government health care entity of UAE for their digital transformation project to setup a greenfield based Managed Contact center service delivering end to end health care service with integration with insurance entities, medical practitioners, pharmacists and delivery team.
- Hybrid cloud/on-premise contact center solution encompassing Audio, Video/tele medical, complete data center infrastructure, cybersecurity, implement industry best practices.
- Spearhead the Disaster recovery requirements and SLA’s for the function.
- Designing of support flows, SLA’s, Standard Operating procedures, FAQ based knowledge based to support contact center agents for a quicker resolution.
- Post rollout the service was transitioned to Managed services/support team.
- From program management perspective had the complete hands-on function to conduct workshops with respective teams, spear head in benchmarking business requirements through BRD’s, build cost effective proposals/commercials, effort estimate timelines, demand analysis and capacity planning, develop project plans, Scope of work document, success criterias, System integration testing use cases, UAT, Go-live and reporting throughout the phase of rollout and post go live.
- Regions catered: UAE, Oman, Bahrain
- Bid management, P & L: Proficient
- Team management: Advanced
- Governance: Contract negotiation & administration
AVP- Cybersecurity Delivery
RNS Technology Service
02.2020 - 06.2023
- Responsible for P & L of professional services with key focus on cybersecurity, application program management encompassing Identity and access management, PAM, Managed NOC, SOC & Security services, VAPT, Network security hardware/software solutions, MFA & SSO product lines, other Cybersecurity services.
- Regions catered: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Singapore, Malaysia, Kuwait, Egypt, India, Philippines.
- Bid management, P & L: Proficient
- Drove services business of 12 Million USD
- Team management: Advanced
- Governance: Contract negotiation & administration
Senior Service Delivery Manager-Managed Services
Intertec Systems
11.2018 - 02.2020
- Responsible for managed services vertical with key focus on infrastructure program management and managed services. Professional services P & L management of AED 35 Million+ per annum.
- Core services offered were for Infrastructure managed services, application managed services.
- Region catered: UAE
- Bid management, P & L: Proficient
- Team management & Up-skilling: Advanced
- Governance: Contract negotiation & administration
- Transition Management: Advanced
Service Delivery Manager
Alpha Data
10.2017 - 10.2018
- Responsible for the P & L management of IOT & ELV business vertical including:
- Restructuring of division, processes, vendor evaluation/realignment, partnerships with new solution providers, reduce wastages and built quality governance process which improved divisions profitability by +18% while both internal stakeholders and clients appreciated enhancement in service delivery in short span for 4 months.
- Drove IOT (Internet Of Things) business stream as presales manager encompassing requirement analysis, solutioning, delivered POC through technical team, channel partnering.
- Bid management, P & L: Proficient
- Team management & Up-skilling: Advanced
- Governance: Contract negotiation & administration
- Transition Management: Advanced
Service Delivery Manager – Managed Services
Emitac Enterprise Solution
03.2015 - 09.2017
- Responsible for setting up managed services vertical for organization with key focus on infrastructure managed services, digital transformation, manpower outsourcing.
- Responsible for the P & L of the unit & delivered annual business net worth 30+ million (USD $) annually.
- Held additional role of Group - IT Manager for Emitac group of companies with end user count of more than 600+ employees.
- Directed team of 100+ resources encompassing implementation, support, NOC and outsourced resources.
- Spear head business design and rollout of Cloud, Managed Services, Network Operations center.
- Played role of presales consultant for Managed Services, Cyber security, Cloud opportunities including bid management.
- Bid management, P & L: Proficient
- Team management & Up-skilling: Advanced
- Governance: Contract negotiation & administration
- Transition Management: Advanced
Head Of Services
Think Software Services
09.2013 - 03.2015
Service Delivery Manager
Emircom (Telelogix IT Services)
08.2007 - 09.2013
Assistant Manager – Operations
Pronto Networks Inc.
08.2004 - 08.2007
Assistant Manager – Operations
HSBC India
04.2003 - 10.2003
Group Leader – Call Centre
Dell International Services
04.2001 - 02.2003
Education
MBA - International Business Management
AAIDU
Prayagraj, India05.2005
Skills
- Digital Transformation
- Project & Program management – IT System Integration, Cybersecurity, Process consulting, application management, IOT with AI & ML based automation, Smart city solution rollout
- Managed Services – Presales & Bid management, Transition management, SLA based delivery & governance, audits, capacity planning, digital transformation of MSP delivery
- Cybersecurity
- IAM - Identity and Access Management
- IT process consulting, audit & compliance, governance
- Risk advisory
- Human capital management – Recruitment, up-skilling, cross skilling, KPI mapping, productivity, appraisal, personality development
- Vendor Management
- Strategy planning
- SIEM (SOC Service)
- IOT
- SAP Leonardo, Niagara
- Cloud
- Microsoft Azure, Ubuntu, Openstack (HP)
- Enterprise Applications
- Oracle 11i, Oracle Fusion, SAP – HANA, Office365
- End point security – Crowdstrike, Cybereason, Sentinel, Mcafee, Trend Micro
- End user support and management
Certification
- Project Management Professional (PMP).
- Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).
- ISO27001 Lead Auditor.
- Six Sigma Green Belt.
- ITIL V3 Foundation.
- Certification in Customer Service Management
- SAP Leonardo – IOT
- IOT Design Framework from PTC University
- CISSP (Due for examination in March 2025)
Accomplishments
- 2023: Delivered a sizeable deal with the largest healthcare service provider in UAE through Managed Contact Center services.
- 2012: Emircom (Employer) (Dubai) - For outstanding performance and contribution to business
- 2014: Confidential government owned petrochemical organization in Middle East - Certificate of recognition for outstanding project management
- 2017: Emitac Enterprise solution - Star performer of year award (Team award under my leadership)
- 2019: Intertec Systems: Onboarded the organizations first managed services client from banking industry by spearheading bid management for managed services and front ending governance for client during transition.
- 2020-2023: Led global delivery teams spread across Middle East, Asia & Africa for a startup organization having rolled out managed services from green field state.
Affiliations
- Project Management Institute
- ISACA
Current & Previous 4 Employment Details
- ESPINA DIGITAL CONSULTING – Dubai (MAY 2024 - PRESENT)– Director: Cybersecurity & GRC
- Regions catered: UAE, Qatar, Oman
- DATA DIRECT GROUP – Dubai (Sep 2023 – May 2024)– Business Head: Managed Contact Center Services & CX
- Regions catered: UAE, Oman, Bahrain
- RNS TECHNOLOGY SERVICES – Dubai (Feb 2020 – June 2023)– AVP Professional Services & Managed SOC
- Regions catered: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Singapore, Malaysia, Kuwait, Egypt, India, Philippines.
- INTERTEC SYSTEMS - Dubai – (Nov 2018 – Feb 2020) Senior Service Delivery Manager
- Region catered: UAE
Timeline
Business Head - GCC
Youcloud
04.2025 - Current
Director – Cybersecurity & GRC
Espina Digital Consulting
05.2024 - 03.2025
Business Head– Managed Contact Center Services & CX
Data Direct Group
09.2023 - 05.2024
AVP- Cybersecurity Delivery
RNS Technology Service
02.2020 - 06.2023
Senior Service Delivery Manager-Managed Services
Intertec Systems
11.2018 - 02.2020
Service Delivery Manager
Alpha Data
10.2017 - 10.2018
Service Delivery Manager – Managed Services
Emitac Enterprise Solution
03.2015 - 09.2017
Head Of Services
Think Software Services
09.2013 - 03.2015
Service Delivery Manager
Emircom (Telelogix IT Services)
08.2007 - 09.2013
Assistant Manager – Operations
Pronto Networks Inc.
08.2004 - 08.2007
Assistant Manager – Operations
HSBC India
04.2003 - 10.2003
Group Leader – Call Centre
Dell International Services
04.2001 - 02.2003
MBA - International Business Management
AAIDU
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