Viraj Malaka Mahanama

Advanced Specialist Information Security @Pearson

GB

I lead Cyber Risk Management operations across a global organization, overseing enterprise cyber risk management and third-party risk management initiatives. I provide senior management with actionable risk insights and statistical reporting to support the development of comprehensive mitigation plans. Working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders, I ensure robust compliance monitoring, evidence validation, and informed risk decision-making. I actively support critical audits including SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and NIST frameworks to maintain compliance with regulatory requirements. Passionate about innovation, I drive process improvements through automation and artificial intelligence, enabling stakeholders to make faster, more informed business decisions. My responsibilities include validating security testing outcomes such as vulnerability and penetration assessments, along with third-party attestations (SOC 2, PCI DSS, CMMC, NIST, ISO 27001, ISO 22301) to assess vendor risk profiles. I mentor junior analysts and specialists in information security risk management and compliance monitoring, while collaborating with cross-functional teams across different geographic locations to enforce governance standards and ensure comprehensive compliance.

University of Colombo School of Computing

Master's degree, Information Security

University of Northampton

Master of Business Administration - MBA, Business Administration and Management, General

SLIIT

B.Sc. Special(Hons), Information Technology specialized in Cyber Security