Chad Neale is a Partner overseeing ACA Aponix’s Strategic Technology Advisory and Risk practice. Prior to joining ACA, Chad served as the Cybersecurity and Privacy Director for PwC's Risk Assurance practice. In that role, he led various teams responsible for performing cybersecurity, privacy risk, maturity assessments, and attack and penetration testing for clients operating in a variety of industries including healthcare, financial services, technology, retail, aerospace and energy. Chad was also instrumental in developing PwC’s approach to delivering cybersecurity maturity assessments and establishing an offshore center of excellence. Before that, he led the establishment of an ISO27001 compliant Information Security Program and devised a method of managing cybersecurity risks related to the independent advisor model as the Information Security Officer at First Allied Securities.
Chad has more than 20 years of experience in information security/privacy risk management; IT/security engineering and administration; and compliance readiness. With his background navigating complex regulatory environments in the financial services, healthcare and energy industries, Chad brings a broad and unique perspective to the topic of security/privacy and a passion to helping organizations mitigate their exposure to security risks.
Chad earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego and holds several certifications including ISO27001:2013 Auditor, GSLC, GCCC and GCFE.