Kaustubh Vazalwar

Principal - Melbourne

Kaustubh is an Principal in our Risk Advisory division and is based in the Melbourne office.

Kaustubh has an array of experience within the Risk Advisory and technology industry, implementing and leading new and innovative projects as well as achieving a number of awards throughout his professional services tenure.

As a senior resilience practitioner and executive, Kaustubh is motivated by taking up challenging engagements where he can help clients enhance their ICT resilience by understanding the root causes of breaches and disruptions and develop strategic plans for improving data security, governance and risk mitigation for critical systems.

"I love the intricacies and new challenges my role provides on a daily basis. The technology industry is an ever-evolving landscape with new systems, processes and risks. Although I have had many years experience within the professional services realm, I thrive on exploring new obstacles and enhancing my knowledge to better serve my clients, businesses and the community "

Prior to joining RSM, Kaustubh was the Head of Technology - Enterprise Resilience at Tabcorp Holdings Ltd.

Kaustubh considers himself an orderly and organised person who is very observant and has a high attention to detail. He likes to meticulously review his work as well as ensure that he is doing his tasks in the most efficient and effective way possible. 

When Kaustubh is not in the office, he enjoys cricket, photography and travelling. Kaustubh has become such as seasoned traveller that he has visited almost every continent. His top picks are the rainforests in Costa Rica and the sand dunes in Australia.

SIGNIFICANT PROJECTS

•   Kaustubh was responsible for leading the collaborative efforts between various government agencies in the state of Victoria. His role involved developing a standardised system for recovering data applications, using cloud technology to improve efficiency. The main objective was to address critical technology risks that were highlighted by the auditor general, ensuring the agencies' technological infrastructure was secure and reliable.
•   Kaustubh spearheaded the planning and execution of a Ransomware Response testing exercise within one of Australia's largest organisations. This improved the company's ability to withstand and counter ransomware attacks, bolstering their defences. John also improved the visibility of these efforts to the board of directors and regulatory bodies, instilling confidence in their ability to navigate cybersecurity challenges.

SOLUTIONS KAUSTUBH PROVIDES

•    Advice on planning, implementing and testing cyber resiliency services
•    Advice on planning, implementing and testing technical and business continuity solutions
•    Enterprise Risk management advice
•   Review operational resilience gaps and maturity against ISO 22301, 27001, 800-53, NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) as well as ACSC Essential Eight controls
•   Executive management advice and support on crisis management, incident response and testing for strategic alignment of their resiliency objectives 
•   Advice on Catastrophic incident response planning, Executive decision-making frameworks and Ransomware / Data breach response planning

AWARDS

•    Continuity and Resilience Consultant of the Year 2015, BCI India
•    Finalist as Business Continuity Consultant of the Year 2015, CIR Business Continuity Awards
•    Program manager for continuity awareness program which won the “DRI Excellence award” in 2013
•    HP GSC Top talent FY’14 & HP GBS Most Valuable Player Q3 FY’11
•    Multiple IBM ‘Manager’s Choice ‘Awards in recognition of contribution for team objectives in 2018 and 2019
•    100% Club member for 2019 in IBM
•    Shutterbug of the Year, E&U, Wipro Technologies, 2009-10
•    Feather in my cap” award, Wipro Technologies 2007 and 2010

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

•    AISA
•    BCI

QUALIFICATIONS 

•    Masters Program in Information Technology (MPIT)
•    Bachelor of Engineering with Distinction (Electronics & Telecommunications)
•    CBCP
•    MBCI
•    PMP
•    CISSP
•    CISA
•    ISO 31000 Implementor
•    BS25999 LA
•    IBM Design Thinking Practitioner
•    IBM Recognised Speaker