Summary
Overview
Education
Skills
Accomplishments
Certification
Work Availability
Timeline
Work History
Languages
Generic
Arvinder Kumar

Arvinder Kumar

Gurgaon

Summary

Visionary CIO with 18+ years of experience driving IT strategy and technological innovation for enterprises in banking, logistics, IT Products/Services and telecom. Proven expertise in aligning IT strategy with business growth, modernizing legacy ecosystems, and delivering $50M+ cost efficiencies through cloud adoption, AI integration, and agile product development. Trusted advisor to boards on cybersecurity, risk mitigation, cloud modernization, and scalable IT governance.

Overview

1
1
Certificate
19
19
years of professional experience
9
9
years of post-secondary education

Education

Master of Technology - CSE

Amity University
Noida
07.2013 - 06.2016

Bachelor in Technology - CSE

APJ AK Technical University
Lucknow
07.2003 - 06.2006

High School Diploma - CSE

Govt. Polytechnic College
Kangra
07.2000 - 06.2003

Skills

  • Digital Transformation & Innovation
  • IT Strategy & Roadmap Development
  • Budgeting & Financial Management
  • Software development & Product Management
  • Cloud Computing & Infrastructure Modernization
  • Cybersecurity & Risk Governance
  • DevSecOps & Agile Scaling
  • Vendor Management & Contract Negotiation
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Executive Communication
  • AI/ML & Data Analytics
  • Team Development & Mentorship
  • AWS/Azure, Terraform, Kubernetes
  • Linux, Windows, VMware, Docker

Accomplishments

Dual CIO/CTO Impact:

  • Drove 25% revenue growth at Paul Merchants and $12M revenue at DigiSmart through combined IT and product leadership.
  • Directed development and rollout of AI-driven platforms (Digigold Platform, Compliance Management System, Bulk SMS & Emailing Platforms) and ERP systems (SAP Hana, Dynamics 365), minimizing downtime and ensuring alignment with engineering needs.

Cost Leadership:

  • Achieved $10M+ savings via cloud migrations and process automation.
  • Managed $25M+ IT budgets, consistently delivering 15–40% cost savings through procurement optimization and tool rationalization.
  • Slashed cloud spending by 25% at Optym via Kubernetes-driven microservices, Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform), and vendor renegotiations.

Compliance:

  • Reduced cybersecurity incidents by 50% at Paul Merchants through ISO 27001 frameworks, risk assessments, and ₹50M cyber insurance procurement.
  • Led 10+ global certifications (ISO 27001, SOC2, CSA STAR) and managed audits for Fortune 200 clients.
  • Certified ISO 27001:2022 Lead Auditor with hands-on experience in incident response, cloud security, and policy development.

Infrastructure Modernization:

  • Saved 60% costs at ValueFirst via VMware virtualization and 30% at Way2Online through AWS migration.
  • Scaled IT support across geographies at TA Digital & Optym, managing a 50+ member team to deliver seamless infrastructure solutions for 300+ global clients.
  • Led the migration of 100+ servers to VMware and cloud environments (AWS/Azure) at ValueFirst and DigiSmart, ensuring 99.9% uptime for systems processing 5B+ transactions annually.

Team Leadership:

  • Scaled teams from 0 to 150+ members (ValueFirst & DigiSmart) and 50+ global DevOps teams (Optym & TA Digital).
  • Mentored teams at Paul Merchants to adopt Agile/DevOps, accelerating product delivery by 2x and improving engagement by 25%.

Certification

  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional
  • ISO 27001:2022 Lead Audit

Work Availability

monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
swipe to browse

Timeline

Chief Information Officer

Paul Merchants
05.2024 - Current

Director - DevOps & IT | CISO

Optym, Inc.
06.2022 - 12.2023

Practice Head - DevOps & Cloud Services, CISO

Credra (TA Digital)
04.2019 - 06.2022

Technical Advisor, CISO

Self-Employed
07.2018 - 04.2019

Group Head - IT & Infrastructure

DigiSmart Digital Media (Times Internet)
03.2015 - 06.2018

Technical Architect

Way2Online Interactive India
09.2013 - 02.2015

Master of Technology - CSE

Amity University
07.2013 - 06.2016

Technical Manager

ValueFirst Digital Media (Tanla Platform Limited)
07.2006 - 09.2013

Bachelor in Technology - CSE

APJ AK Technical University
07.2003 - 06.2006

High School Diploma - CSE

Govt. Polytechnic College
07.2000 - 06.2003

Work History

Chief Information Officer

Paul Merchants
Chandigarh
05.2024 - Current

Report to CEO | Team: 25+ | Portfolio: Digital Gold, PPI, Wellness & Insurance, Gold Loan, Education Loans & Forex.

  • Directed 5-year IT strategy development and execution, served as dual CIO/CTO, aligning IT strategy with business goals while spearheading product innovation for NBFC ($15M+ monthly transactions).
  • Transformed and modernized Gold Loan Enterprise systems (LOS & LMS) to stimulate operational effectiveness.
  • Oversaw delivery of AI-driven Compliance Management System and digital gold platforms, boosting user engagement by 30%.
  • Modernized legacy IT, migrating 20% of systems to AWS hybrid cloud. Achieved 40% cost savings through process automation, security integration into DevOps, digital service architectures, and system rationalization.
  • Developed a 3-year cybersecurity strategy, implemented ISO 27001-compliant frameworks and policies, and secured ₹50M cyber insurance.
  • Led culture and organizational change efforts, mentored teams to adopt Agile and DevOps, accelerating product delivery by 2x and improving employee engagement by 25%.
  • Managed vendor relationships to ensure effective service delivery and value for investments.

Director - DevOps & IT | CISO

Optym, Inc.
Bengaluru
06.2022 - 12.2023

Reported to CEO | Managed $25M IT Budget | Led 50+ | Cross-Functional Teams | Global Clients

  • Led digital transformation initiatives, aligning technology strategies with business objectives across three crucial departments: DevOps & Cloud, IT, and InfoSec.
  • Oversaw the development and execution of IT roadmaps, focusing on scalability, performance, and reliability.
  • Pioneered the consolidation of two data centers, resulting in a 40% cost reduction.
  • Managed DevOps and Cloud initiatives, improving operational efficiency by 30%.
  • Led cloud architecture projects, optimizing resource utilization, cost-effectiveness, and security posture across multiple cloud service providers.
  • Directed efforts in performance optimization, and application and database modernization.
  • Directed cybersecurity strategy as CISO, implementing robust programs for security, risk management, and compliance.
  • Ensured full compliance with ISO 27001:2022, CSA STAR, SOC2, and GDPR.
  • Managed vendor relationships to ensure effective service delivery and nurtured stakeholder relationships to drive IT initiatives in line with organizational objectives.

Practice Head - DevOps & Cloud Services, CISO

Credra (TA Digital)
Gurgaon
04.2019 - 06.2022

Scaled Cloud Practice for Fortune 200 Clients | Team: 50+

  • Achieved 250% revenue growth by leading 50+ team members and delivering 300+ AWS/Azure/GCP solutions.
  • Managed end-to-end aspects of Managed Services projects, from requirement gathering and infrastructure architecture to secure solution development in AWS/Azure.
  • Reduced time-to-market by 40% through standardized CI/CD pipelines.
  • Established strategic partnerships with Azure and AWS, driving innovation and optimization.
  • Oversaw the security operations center (SOC) to monitor, detect, and respond to cybersecurity threats.
  • Led the organization through successful cybersecurity certifications, including ISO 27001:2013 and CSA STAR.
  • Advised the leadership team on IT costs, value, and risks, contributing to strategic decision-making.
  • Drove product innovation by building FlashOps, a DevOps automation tool, cutting infrastructure costs by 40%.
  • Oversaw the deployment of ERP and CRM systems, streamlining business processes and improving data accuracy.

Technical Advisor, CISO

Self-Employed
Gurgaon
07.2018 - 04.2019

Advised 2 early-stage startups in Telcom, and e-commerce

  • Partnered with diverse clients to deliver shared CISO and CIO services, aligning security and IT strategies with business goals.
  • Provided expert guidance in architecture design, deployment, and optimization across AWS, Azure, and GCP environments.
  • Designed and executed end-to-end cybersecurity programs covering risk assessment, compliance, and incident response.
  • Led IT infrastructure transformation initiatives to improve scalability, reliability, and alignment with industry standards.

Group Head - IT & Infrastructure

DigiSmart Digital Media (Times Internet)
Gurgaon
03.2015 - 06.2018

Co-Founded Spin-off from Way2Online | Managed 5 Subsidiaries | Team: 150+

  • Transitioned 200+ employees to launch DigiSmart, scaling to $12M annual revenue via AI-driven ad-tech platforms.
  • Unified 3 data centers into a hybrid AWS cloud, reducing latency by 35% and saving ₹800K annually.
  • Oversaw comprehensive IT responsibilities, including governance, strategic planning, architecture, development, quality assurance, infrastructure, and vendor partnerships.
  • Established SOC 2-compliant US data centers, reducing downtime by 40%.
  • Implemented effective hiring, development, and retention strategies to build a high-performing team.

Technical Architect

Way2Online Interactive India
Gurgaon
09.2013 - 02.2015

Reported to CEO | Team: 30+
• Modernized data centers and migrated 30% workloads to AWS, cutting costs by 30%.
• Architected and built scalable microservices for a B2B SaaS platform handling 1M+ monthly users.
• Led the design and implementation of scalable and secure infrastructure solutions, achieving 99.9% uptime.
• Applied strong knowledge of networks, security, load balancers, DNS, and other infrastructure components to the cloud environment, ensuring robust and reliable system performance.

Technical Manager

ValueFirst Digital Media (Tanla Platform Limited)
Gurgaon
07.2006 - 09.2013

Reported to CTO | Team: 30+

  • Established Parwanoo (H.P.) branch (100+ employees), processing 5B+ SMS/email transactions annually.
  • Built and managed a 32-member team from scratch, delivering SMS/email gateway solutions, processing 5B+ messages annually and established co-location data centers in the US.
  • Migrated 100+ servers to NTT Global, Mumbai achieving 60% cost savings.
  • Conducted penetration testing for 50+ global clients, identifying and patching 200+ critical vulnerabilities.

Languages

  • English
  • Hindi
  • Punjabi
Arvinder Kumar