# HARRY MCLAREN
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK | (+44) 77 244 613 18 | info@harrymclaren.co.uk | linkedin.com/in/harrymclaren/

## ADVISORY PROFILE
Technology and cybersecurity board advisor specialising in scaling product operations, technical teams, and product-led growth (PLG) strategies. Provides founders and investors with deep pattern recognition across startup milestones—from early validation to enterprise procurement readiness. Leverages an extensive professional network and governance expertise to design right-sized, pragmatic security architectures that help startups navigate growth inflections, pass enterprise audits, and secure capital without introducing enterprise overhead.

## CORE ADVISORY EXPANSIONS
* **Strategic Capability**: Product-Led Growth, Product Portfolio Design, Market-Entry Speed.
* **Operational Expertise**: Team Restructuring, Outcome-Driven OKRs, Automation, Scale Strategy.
* **Network & Access**: VC/PE Connections, Cybersecurity Specialist Network, Joint Ventures.
* **Sector Insight**: Threat Intelligence, Regulatory Navigation, Cloud Security, AI Security Posture.
* **Leadership Influence**: Founder Coaching, Talent Pipeline Scaling, Workforce Well-being.

## ADVISORY & PORTFOLIO INVOLVEMENT

### Certified Board Advisor | Connectd Portfolio Professional | 2024 – Present
* Advises early-stage tech founders and scale-up leadership teams on aligning cybersecurity architectures with product-led growth objectives.
* Assists startups in designing robust security-by-design frameworks to build investor confidence and accelerate enterprise procurement cycles.
* Mentors founders on transition challenges, helping them move from hands-on execution to strategic corporate leadership.

### South of Scotland Digital Skills Hub | Government Industry Representative
#### Industry Specialist & Board Advisory Representative | January 2020 – December 2023
* Contributed to the formulation of the Digital Economy Skills Action Plan (DESAP) and the National Occupational Standards (NOS) to build technical capability.
* Collaborated with government policy makers, academic institutions, and business leaders to align educational curricula with modern industrial technology demands.
* Provided expert guidance on digital skills development, technology diffusion, and ecosystem capability building.

### Cyber Scotland Connect | Co-Founder & Strategic Advisor | January 2018 – Present
* Co-founded a safe, sales-free, and value-driven hub to connect, unify, and elevate the cybersecurity community across Scotland, supporting over 1,000 members.
* Designed community involvement programmes, hosted local meetups, and presented on modern security operations and talent recruitment strategies.

## RELEVANT EXECUTIVE TRANSFORMATIONS

### FTSE 100 Threat Defence Execution (Tesco PLC, 2024–Present)
* Led strategic cyber defence transformations, managing a global operational budget of £8 million and directing squads up to 60 headcount (60 for Cyber Defence, 30 for Cybersecurity Engineering).
* Focused on optimising away from compliance checks to threat-focused outcomes, and built technical platform architecture (SIEM/SOAR/Automation/AI) to prepare and test detection/response capabilities.

### Series A Product Scaling (SenseOn, 2022–2024)
* Aligned cyber defence product strategies with critical enterprise pain points, establishing product-level risk management and outcome-driven OKRs.
* Guided the security engineering squad to expand threat detection capabilities and scale operations.

### Consultancy Team Growth (Adarma, 2013–2022)
* Designed and executed a strategic talent pipeline programme that grew the consulting footprint from 4 to 47 consultants.

## ADVISORY EDUCATION & RECOGNITION
* **CPD-Accredited Certified Board Advisor** – Connectd Academy
* **Chartered IT Professional (CITP)** – British Computer Society
* **GIAC Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership (GSTRT)** – SANS Institute
* **Fellow Member** – Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec)
* **Awards**: Cyber Evangelist of the Year (2018 Scottish Cyber Awards), Napier Alumni Excellence Award (2024).