Ira Goel is a veteran with 20+ years’ experience in the field of Information security, data protection, risk management and compliance. She specializes in building uniform Data Protection and Information Security, Compliance, and Risk programs from the ground up. Her strengths are creating risk-based programs, which align with business and understanding of business, risk, knowledge of compliance regulations, and mapping them to product/service requirements. Ira has led global CISO and DPO functions across 20+ countries, directly influencing up to 10% of worldwide revenue, and achieving a 35% post-acquisition integration within six months through strategic privacy and security program alignment; owning multi-year budgets up to €2.5M, delivering a consistent 10%+ YoY ROI improvement by championing automation, optimizing operational efficiency, and aligning security investments with business priorities.

Today she runs her own company - Gira Group that supports SMBs, startups, scaleups and non-profits to build their programs, stay compliant and grow efficiently. She also focuses on developing the next-generation workforce both through Gira Group and independently. She also lectures at several institutes and universities teaching cyber and risk masters, bachelors and certificate programs.

Ira has two Master’s degrees - a Master’s in Computer Applications from India and a Master’s in Cybersecurity and Leadership from the United States of America. She is a certified ISO 27001 Auditor, working with CABs across Europe, and ISO 27001 Lead Implementer. She is certified Trainer for certification courses and is also a certified CISO and certified DPO with professional training in AI Governance and Data Management.