Harry McLaren

Career & Experience

Professional Journey, Qualifications, Education & Awards.

My career has been a journey from hands-on SIEM engineering to executive leadership, always with a focus on outcome-driven security. Currently leading unified threat intelligence and response at Tesco, I've seen first-hand that the best defences are built on engineering discipline and human intuition, not just vendor checkboxes. I also act as a Board & Investor Advisor and am the co-founder of Cyber Scotland Connect. Review my comprehensive employment history, certifications, and educational background below.

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Roles & Experience

An overview of my professional roles, key responsibilities, and achievements across various organisations.

Head of Cyber Defence

Aug 2025 – Present
Tesco
  • ▹ Direct responsibility for the unified defensive function across Prevention, Intelligence, Detection, and Incident Response. I oversee the full "intelligence-to-action" lifecycle, with a pragmatic focus on reducing Mean Time to Contain (MTTC) and translating technical risk into executive-level reporting.

Head of Cybersecurity Engineering

Feb 2024 – Aug 2025
Tesco
  • ▹ Architected the design and efficacy of the global security technology stack, including SOAR and advanced monitoring platforms. Led technical roadmaps and engineering recruitment while providing hands-on crisis expertise during major security incidents.

Director, Product Management

Mar 2023 – Jan 2024
SenseOn
  • ▹ Led strategic initiatives for MITRE ATT&CK coverage. Managed the Security Engineering squad and SIRT. Developed outcome-driven OKRs and established product risk management.

Advisor (Freelance)

Jan 2023 – Jun 2023
Building Cyber Collective
  • ▹ Strategic advisor to cybersecurity founders on XDR, EDR, and SIEM product-market fit.

Senior Product Manager

Jan 2022 – Feb 2023
SenseOn
  • ▹ Defined strategy for multi-cloud detection (AWS/Azure/GCP). Coached detection engineers and collaborated on GTM messaging and competitive analysis.

Product Lead, Detection & Response

Nov 2019 – Jan 2022
Adarma Security
  • ▹ Directed product vision for 70% of company revenue. Designed SOC Transformation programmes and provided direct line management for software engineers.

Managing Consultant

Jan 2018 – Nov 2019
Adarma Security
  • ▹ Led Splunk enterprise deployments using CI/CD. Developed board-level business cases and mentored senior consultants. AWS Security certified.

Senior Security Consultant

Jan 2017 – Dec 2017
Adarma Security
  • ▹ Appointed Splunk Enablement Lead. Recognised in "Tech 100 for Scotland." Focused on TCO/ROI models and organisational governance.

Security Consultant

Sep 2014 – Dec 2016
Adarma Security
  • ▹ Hands-on SIEM engineering, SOC design, and ISO 27001 assessments for enterprise clients. Recognised as "Best New Cyber Talent" at the 2016 Scottish Cyber Awards for contributions to the field.

Senior Security Analyst

May 2013 – Aug 2014
Adarma Security
  • ▹ SOC analyst for a global bank. Built MI reporting packs and improved SLA accuracy for security alert triage.

Desktop Support Analyst

May 2011 – Dec 2012
BlackRock
  • ▹ Improved ticket resolution (SLA breaches down from 15% to 1.5%). Led Windows 7 rollout for 500+ users.

Senior Technician

Jul 2006 – Jul 2010
Hoylake Computer Center
  • ▹ Managed store relocation. Handled hardware diagnostics, repairs, and SOHO network installations.