Salwa Alessa

Salwa Alessa has a diverse work experience in the fields of information security, quality governance, and cybersecurity. Salwa has held various roles in different organizations, including DETASAD and Najd National Schools.

At DETASAD, Salwa started as a Quality Officer in September 2018 and later became an Assistant Manager of Corporate Quality from December 2020 to October 2021. Salwa then moved on to become a Manager of Cybersecurity and Corporate Quality Governance, where they led and managed ISMS Certifications, DETASAD's Class B & C, NCA ECC, and CITC Cybersecurity Framework from October 2021 to July 2022.

Following that, they took up the role of Director of Information Security and Quality Governance at DETASAD from July 2022 to January 2024. In this position, Salwa headed Information Security & Quality Governance and managed various certifications, including ISAE 3402 SOC1 & SOC2, ISO 27001, ISO 27018, ISO 27017, ISO 22301, ISO 27701, PCI DSS, CSA, SAP Outsourcing Operation, TUViT Trusted Site Infrastructure Tier 3 Datacenter, ISO 9001, and ISO 45001. Salwa also supervised the SOC team and oversaw NCA ECC, Cloud Cybersecurity Controls, and Critical Systems Cybersecurity Controls.

Currently, Salwa holds the position of Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at DETASAD since January 2024. As the CISO, they are responsible for heading Information Security & Quality Governance and leading/managing DETASAD's CST Cloud Class C-ISMS Certifications. Salwa continues to manage the SOC team and oversee NCA ECC, Cloud Cybersecurity Controls, and Critical Systems Cybersecurity Controls.

Before joining DETASAD, Salwa worked as a Preschool Teacher at Najd National Schools from September 2003 to August 2008.

Salwa Alessa has a Bachelor's degree in Education in Arts from King Saud University, obtained between 1998 and 2002. Salwa also holds a Master's degree in Information Studies from Nanyang Technological University Singapore, obtained between 2009 and 2011. In terms of additional certifications, Salwa has obtained various certifications including PECB Certified ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor, Certified Policy Management Pro (CPMP), Integrated Data Privacy, GRC Auditor, Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) Training, Cybersecurity Leadership and Management Specialization, Certified GRC Professional (GRCP), Master Digital Transformation, Master In-Demand Professional Soft Skills, Become a GDPR and Data Privacy Expert, Critical Thinking for Better Judgment and Decision-Making, Implementing a Privacy, Risk, and Assurance Program, Microsoft Excel Data Analysis with Excel Pivot, Learning Cloud Computing: Core Concepts, Microsoft Excel-Advanced Excel Formulas & Functions, Microsoft Excel Data Visualization Excel Charts and Graphs, ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security Management System, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification, and A2.2 from the Goethe-Institut e.V. The dates of when these certifications were obtained are not specified.