Ben West - InfoSec Associate

Q: Where is Ben based?

Ben is based in London, United Kingdom and prefers 100% remote projects.

Q: What languages does Ben speak?

Ben speaks the following languages: Portuguese (Native), English (Intermediate), Spanish (Elementary), French (Elementary) .

Q: How many years of experience does Ben have?

Ben has at least 28 years of experience. During this time, Ben has worked in at least 7 different roles and for 8 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 4 years and 6 months . Note that Ben may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Ben's latest experience?

Ben's most recent position is InfoSec Associate at VIRTUS Data Centres .

Q: What companies has Ben worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Ben has worked for VIRTUS Data Centres and Bureau Veritas .

Q: Which industries is Ben most experienced in?

Ben is most experienced in industries like Professional Services , Information Technology (IT) , and Transportation and Logistics . Ben also has some experience in Telecommunication , Construction , and Healthcare .

Q: Which business areas is Ben most experienced in?

Ben is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology (IT) , Quality Assurance (QA) , and Product Development . Ben also has some experience in Project Management , Audit , and Strategy and Planning .

Q: Which industries has Ben worked in recently?

Ben has recently worked in industries like Professional Services and Information Technology (IT) .

Q: Which business areas has Ben worked in recently?

Ben has recently worked in business areas like Quality Assurance (QA) , Audit , and Information Technology (IT) .

Recommended expert

London, United Kingdom

Experience

Dec 2022 - Present

3 years 3 months

London, United Kingdom

InfoSec Associate

VIRTUS Data Centres

Played a pivotal role in guiding the organization through regulatory audits, ensuring full compliance with industry standards including GDPR, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, and SOC2 Type 2 audits
Achieved nearly a 50% reduction in external auditing costs while enhancing and broadening the scope of the process
Conducted comprehensive risk assessments and audits to identify vulnerabilities and mitigate potential threats, resulting in a 15% reduction in security incidents
Collaborated cross-functionally with IT teams to enhance security protocols and deploy advanced monitoring tools, bolstering the company’s defense against cyber threats
Provided training and awareness programs to staff members, fostering a culture of security and business continuity consciousness and promoting best practices across the organization

Jul 2018 - Dec 2022

4 years 6 months

London, United Kingdom

Lead Auditor

Bureau Veritas

Delivered audits on ISO 27001 (Information Security)
Delivered audits on ISO 22301 (Business Continuity)
Delivered audits on BV Data Protection Scheme (GDPR)
Delivered audits on ISO 37001 (Anti-Bribery)
Delivered audits on ISO 55001 (Asset Management)
Delivered audits on ISO 20000 (IT Service Management)
Delivered audits on PCI-DSS and ISO 9001 (Quality Management Systems)

Nov 2017 - Jul 2018

9 months

London, United Kingdom

Developer

Blind Veterans UK

Created a mobile app to bring thousands of members closer
Implemented features to retrieve medical study results
Provided emergency contact functionality
Ensured data privacy was maintained throughout the app

Sep 2016 - Mar 2019

2 years 7 months

London, United Kingdom

Developer

Bespoke Builders Services

Achieved 112-man hours/month (70%) savings on energy rating assessments preparation by automating information extraction from building models
Freed assessors from a manual and error-prone process

Feb 2016 - Aug 2016

7 months

London, United Kingdom

Hybrid

Information Security Consultant

Methods Digital

Helped clients design privacy and information security–oriented infrastructure (hybrid, public, and private)

Jun 2012 - Dec 2018

6 years 7 months

Lisbon, Portugal

IT Consultant

Independent

Increased sales of a transport management solution by 1,200% through a bespoke mobile application with full end-to-end integration, enabling an online paperless process for delivery and transport tracking and cost management
Developed and supported the implementation of IT strategy and processes for multiple organisations, including disaster recovery strategies, resulting in improved SLAs to best practice levels
Worked with major telecoms such as SAPO (the largest Internet service provider in Portugal) as a project mentor and Vodafone Portugal on router testing

Mar 2009 - Jul 2010

1 year 5 months

Consultant and Auditor

Santos Costa Solucoes Empresariais

Performed gap analysis and internal audits to help small and medium enterprises manage information security and data protection risks towards ISO 27001 certification
Defined customer-facing interfaces and improved internal processes to support strategic business relations

Feb 1998 - May 2012

14 years 4 months

Lisbon, Portugal

IT Manager / Information Security Manager

JMDO Despachantes

Defined and implemented ISO 27001–oriented policies and controls and made progress towards ISO 27001 certification
Enabled cost reductions that allowed competitive bids, winning long-term clients such as Mercedes-Benz and Mitsubishi by automating the motor vehicles registration process in Portugal
Defined the IT systems and strategy for the company and managed the IT support team, continuously improving service levels and guaranteeing the ability to recover from disasters
Improved communication inside the company with an intranet portal including document management systems to support the quality and information security management systems (ISO 9001 and ISO 27001)

Industries Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.

Experienced in Professional Services (18.5 years), Information Technology (9.5 years), Transportation (6.5 years), Telecommunication (6.5 years), Construction (2.5 years), and Healthcare (0.5 years).

Professional Services

Information Technology

Transportation

Telecommunication

Construction

Healthcare

Business Areas Experience

The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.

Experienced in Information Technology (24.5 years), Quality Assurance (18.5 years), Product Development (6.5 years), Project Management (6.5 years), Audit (4.5 years), and Strategy (1.5 years).

Information Technology

Quality Assurance

Product Development

Project Management

Audit

Strategy

Summary

Compliance Specialist with 15+ years of experience in ISO standards (ISO 27001, ISO 22301, ISO 20000), privacy, and risk management. Proven record in reducing audit costs and enhancing compliance program scope, with SC Clearance through 2027. Expert in privacy, regulatory audits, and operational resilience, with experience managing compliance across IT and business operations. Strong communicator with a keen ability to liaise between technical and executive teams to drive compliance and continuous improvement.

Originating from a developer background evolving to architect comprehensive IT strategies and leading teams to execute them effectively. My journey reflects a commitment to continuous learning and professional development, underscored by my experience as ISO 27001 Lead Auditor, and ISO 22301.

Languages

Portuguese

Native

English

Intermediate

Spanish

Elementary

French

Elementary

Education

Escola Secundaria Santa Maria

Portugal

Universidade Autonoma de Lisboa

BSc Information Technology Management for Business · Information Technology Management for Business · Lisbon, Portugal

Escola Secundaria Ferreira Dias

Major in Electrical Engineering · Electrical Engineering · Agualva-Cacém, Portugal

Certifications & licenses

Amazon AWS Certified Developer Associate

BV Data Protection Scheme (GDPR) - Lead Auditor certification

ISO 20000 – IT Service Management Lead Auditor certification

ISO 22301 – Business Continuity MS Lead Auditor certification

ISO 27001 – Information Security MS - Lead Auditor certification

ISO 37001 – Anti-Bribery MS Lead Auditor certification

ISO 55001 – Asset MS Lead Auditor certification

ISO 9001 – Quality MS Lead Auditor certification

TISAX Assessment / ENX Association - Auditor certification

Profile

Created

November 2024

Last Update

May 2025

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Ben based?

Ben is based in London, United Kingdom and prefers 100% remote projects.

What languages does Ben speak?

Ben speaks the following languages: Portuguese (Native), English (Intermediate), Spanish (Elementary), French (Elementary).

How many years of experience does Ben have?

Ben has at least 28 years of experience. During this time, Ben has worked in at least 7 different roles and for 8 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 4 years and 6 months. Note that Ben may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Ben be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Ben would be well-suited for roles such as: InfoSec Associate, Lead Auditor, Developer.

What is Ben's latest experience?

Ben's most recent position is InfoSec Associate at VIRTUS Data Centres.

What companies has Ben worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Ben has worked for VIRTUS Data Centres and Bureau Veritas.

Which industries is Ben most experienced in?

Ben is most experienced in industries like Professional Services, Information Technology (IT), and Transportation and Logistics. Ben also has some experience in Telecommunication, Construction, and Healthcare.

Which business areas is Ben most experienced in?

Ben is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology (IT), Quality Assurance (QA), and Product Development. Ben also has some experience in Project Management, Audit, and Strategy and Planning.

Which industries has Ben worked in recently?

Ben has recently worked in industries like Professional Services and Information Technology (IT).

Which business areas has Ben worked in recently?

Ben has recently worked in business areas like Quality Assurance (QA), Audit, and Information Technology (IT).

What is Ben's education?

Ben holds a Bachelor in Information Technology Management for Business from Universidade Autonoma de Lisboa.

Does Ben have any certificates?

Ben has 9 certificates. Among them, these include: Amazon AWS Certified Developer Associate, BV Data Protection Scheme (GDPR) - Lead Auditor certification, and ISO 20000 – IT Service Management Lead Auditor certification.