JAMES (JIM) SEAMAN
Grant Thornton Agile Talent Team
10
years of professional experience
1
Certification
Lead Functional Safety Expert with extensive experience delivering safety-critical solutions for embedded systems, automotive, aerospace, and industrial platforms. Led cross-functional teams in hazard analysis, risk assessment, FMEA, FTA, and safety lifecycle management, ensuring compliance with ISO 26262, IEC 61508, and DO-178C. Strengthened functional safety governance by integrating safety engineering across the entire product development lifecycle. Utilized IBM DOORS, Polarion ALM, MATLAB/Simulink, and ANSYS Medini Analyze to improve requirements traceability and safety verification. Collaborated with customers, suppliers, executives, and regulatory authorities to achieve successful product certification and operational excellence. Reduced safety-related defects, accelerated certification timelines, and improved system reliability across mission-critical engineering programs.
Work History
Founder & Principal Consultant
- Founded and led a cybersecurity consulting practice delivering strategic cyber risk, governance, and compliance advisory services to defense, financial services, utilities, and technology organizations, strengthening enterprise security maturity and enabling clients to navigate complex regulatory requirements.
- Directed enterprise-wide cyber risk assurance programs for defense and FTSE 100 clients, designing risk assessment frameworks, control improvement strategies, and executive reporting models that reduced audit findings by 40% and improved board-level confidence in cybersecurity readiness.
- Led regulatory compliance and assurance engagements for insurers and financial institutions, aligning cybersecurity programs with ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and NIST frameworks, resulting in stronger audit performance, improved compliance posture, and reduced exposure to cyber risks.
- Led regulatory compliance and assurance engagements for insurers and financial institutions, aligning cybersecurity programs with ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and NIST frameworks to enhance audit performance and compliance posture while minimizing exposure to cyber risks.
- Authored industry-recognized cybersecurity whitepapers and delivered thought leadership presentations on ransomware resilience and cyber defense innovation, providing security architecture reviews and compliance software solutions that fortified clients' defenses against evolving threats.
- Authored influential whitepapers on ransomware resilience and presented at leading industry conferences, positioning the firm as a thought leader in cyber defense innovation.
- Delivered cross-sector cybersecurity consulting engagements, developing compliance software solutions and conducting gap assessments and security architecture reviews that addressed vulnerabilities in embedded and operational systems.
Specialist Information/Cyber Security & Risk Consultant
3 Years 10 Months- Delivered strategic cybersecurity and risk consulting services to highly regulated organizations, leading security transformation initiatives across payment environments, embedded systems, and operational technology that strengthened cyber resilience, enhanced regulatory compliance, and protected mission-critical business operations.
- Directed PCI DSS v4.0 compliance assessments for Atlanta Insurance Intermediaries Ltd, identifying security gaps, mentoring stakeholders, and implementing control enhancements that improved compliance readiness by 30% and strengthened payment security governance.
- Designed and executed an enterprise-wide PCI DSS compliance strategy for Vanquis Bank's card issuer operations, optimizing security controls, streamlining audit preparation, and reducing audit exceptions by 40%, resulting in stronger transaction security and regulatory assurance.
- Led cybersecurity recovery and modernization initiatives for Paragon Customer Communications Ltd post-cyber incidents, implementing incident response protocols and resilience improvements that enhanced Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) by 25% and ensured operational continuity.
- Established compliance management frameworks for Motorpoint PLC's multi-channel payment environment, partnering with engineering, operations, and compliance teams to integrate security controls that reduced cyber risk exposure by 35% and ensured regulatory compliance.
- April 2018 - Current
Interim Head of Information Security Business & Technology
1 Year 1 Month- Led a strategic cybersecurity transformation program by enhancing threat detection, vulnerability management, patch governance, and incident response capabilities, reducing critical security vulnerabilities by 43% within 12 months while improving the organization's overall security posture.
- Directed enterprise-wide Information Security, Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery (BC/DR), and Technology Risk functions during a major organizational transformation, partnering with executive leadership, board committees, and regulators to strengthen cyber resilience, governance, and operational readiness across the organization.
- Designed and implemented a comprehensive Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BC/DR) framework, aligning resilience strategies with business objectives and reducing Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) by 35% across mission-critical systems and technology platforms.
- Oversaw technology risk, cyber governance, and regulatory compliance for $2.5 billion business acquisition, ensuring adherence to SOX, FFIEC, and SEC requirements and enabling seamless integration process with zero major compliance findings.
- Established enterprise-wide Third-Party Cyber Risk Management framework and led cross-functional collaboration across IT, Legal, Risk, and Operations, reducing vendor-related security incidents by 30% and enhancing incident escalation and governance efficiency.
Group Information Security Manager & Business Information Security
1 Year 7 Months- Directed the development and execution of a global Information Security and Business Information Security (BIS) strategy across a complex multinational organization, partnering with C-suite executives, regulators, and business leaders to strengthen cyber governance, manage enterprise risk, and enable secure business growth.
- Partnered with Group Risk, IT, and executive leadership to deliver an enterprise-wide cyber resilience transformation program, reducing high-risk vulnerabilities by 45% while influencing board-level cyber risk strategy that secured £15M in funding for identity and access management, cloud security, and Security Operations Center (SOC) modernization initiatives.
- Led the implementation and continuous improvement of an enterprise Information Security Management System (ISMS) aligned with ISO 27001, establishing robust governance, policies, and security controls that achieved zero critical audit findings across multiple consecutive regulatory and compliance reviews.
- Established Business Information Security Officer (BISO) governance model across key business divisions, strengthening security leadership and improving enterprise-wide risk visibility, reducing incident response times by 40% through enhanced collaboration and proactive risk management.
- Partnered with Group Risk, IT, and executive leadership to deliver enterprise-wide cyber resilience transformation program, reducing high-risk vulnerabilities by 45% and influencing board-level cyber risk strategy that secured £15M funding for identity and access management, cloud security, and Security Operations Center (SOC) modernization initiatives.
Education
Master of Science - Security Management
Skills
Governance
Risk & Compliance (GRC)
Security governance
Regulatory compliance
Enterprise Risk Strategy & Risk Assessment
Third-Party & Supply Chain Risk Management
Cybersecurity & Technical Expertise
Security Architecture & Enterprise Security Integration
Threat Intelligence & Vulnerability Management
Security operations
Identity & Access Management (IAM)
Disaster recovery
Operational resilience
Cyber resilience
Security strategy
Strategic consulting
Digital transformation
Team Mentoring & Knowledge Transfer
Certification
- Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
- Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC)
- Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE)
- Factor analysis of information risk (FAIR)
Timeline
Specialist Information/Cyber Security & Risk Consultant
Grant Thornton Agile Talent Team
12.2022 - CurrentRead More
Interim Head of Information Security Business & Technology
Virgin Money PLC
10.2018 - 11.2019Read More
Group Information Security Manager & Business Information Security
Croda International Plc
01.2017 - 08.2018Read More
Founder & Principal Consultant
IS Centurion Consulting Services Ltd
Read More
Loughborough University
Master of Science from Security Management
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