Conor began his career with Allied Irish Bank in Information Technology before moving into Information Security, setting up the first dedicated InfoSec consultancy in Ireland in 2003. Conor went on to launch Information Security Assurance Services Ltd. (ISAS) in 2011, recognising that the requirement for cyber and data governance oversight had never been higher. ISAS grew to be one of the leading Independent InfoSec and Data Protection consultancies in Ireland.
ISAS came together with the Waystone Group in 2021 and is an ISO27001 and ISO27701-certified consultancy company, dedicated to delivering the highest calibre of Information Security and Data Protection advisory and support services to its clients.
Conor’s deep technical knowledge from an IT perspective and more specifically from an InfoSec technology perspective is considered unique among senior consultants. At ISAS, Conor developed a team of experts with information security and data protection as their focus, helping organisations to understand their regulatory compliance obligations, manage existing regulations and assist them with preparing for any impending regulations, all across multiple jurisdictions. The expertise and the retention of the ISAS team has been key to the success of ISAS since its inception.
Working alongside large corporate organisations and within the public sector, Conor works closely with the FinTech and RegTech sector, including working seamlessly with a number of startups, assisting the founders to oversee the delicate balance of managing cashflow while building a mature data governance culture. This maturity of approach increases the attractiveness of the startup to potential investors and can lead to a less onerous due diligence process.
Conor has extensive experience of working with the public sector, including working with many of the Irish Governmental departments, including the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice and over the past year has been pivotal to the work carried out with Ireland’s HSE, on the acceptance of Ireland’s COVID Tracker app. Conor’s role focused on data protection and information security with involvement spanning initial conversations at the outset, through to managing multiple stakeholder issues, development and completion. The high take-up rate of the app, that is largely recognised globally as the gold standard, is a reflection of industry and public confidence in the digital privacy work carried out, demonstrating a major public policy commitment.
