Saloni Paunikar

Cyber Risk Associate @Clarest Health

US

Spearheaded enterprise-wide security risk management across 7 key domains, including IAM, Security Operations, GRC, Incident Response, and Threat Intelligence—reducing potential data breach risk by 15% and exceeding compliance targets- Initiated and led the Identity and Access Management (IAM) program across the organization, conducting access audits, implementing the principle of least privilege, and developing a jump-host using ManageEngine—cutting unauthorized access risk by 30%- Planned and executed security risk assessments across five business units; identified 50+ vulnerabilities and developed comprehensive corrective action plans, reducing breach exposure by 40%- Facilitated both internal and external IT security audits by gathering audit evidence, aligning controls with HIPAA and HITRUST frameworks, and tracking risk remediation efforts- Managed third-party/vendor risk assessments for over vendors, ensuring security compliance and safeguarding against supply chain threats- Conducted vulnerability scans and implemented risk-informed security strategies to safeguard mission-critical infrastructure—achieving zero successful external breaches during tenure- Authored and updated enterprise-wide security policies, hardening standards, and incident response plans, remediating 95% of high-risk vulnerabilities- Introduced Agile project management methodology and collaborated cross-functionally with network, software, and production engineering teams to deliver scalable, effective security solutions—reducing cyber and physical threats by 40%- Implemented security controls and streamlined incident response workflows, decreasing average threat response time by 40% and significantly enhancing cyber resilience.

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Master of Science - MS

Institute of Forensic Science, Nagpur

Bachelor's degree