Tima Soni

Tima Soni joined UNICC in 2016 as Head of Information Security Services. In 2019, she was appointed as Chief of Cyber Security Section that oversees the security program for UNICC and delivers cyber security services to UNICC’s Partner Organizations. Soni oversees UNICC’s cyber security team of experts in New York, Valencia, Rome, and Geneva for UNICC’s more than 40 subscribers to information security services. She has served as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for several UNICC Partner Organizations, including UN Women and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), and currently serves as the CISO for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Soni has worked to develop and implement information security programs by delivering various information security initiatives like information security governance, risk management, security operations, and security awareness, as per industry best practices. Soni strongly believes in collaboration and sharing of knowledge within the cyber security community, and has spearheaded the development of many common cyber security solutions within the UN family. She has helped UNICC partner agencies in responding to complex cyber security incidents, and developed cyber security roadmaps for many UNICC Partner Organizations. She oversees the delivery of several UNICC cyber security services that include the common secure threat intelligence network that UNICC runs within the UN system, the Common Secure Operations Centre, the common security testing services, the common cyber security incident response services, as well as common UN PKI services. Before joining UNICC, Soni worked for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), where she worked closely with the technical teams responsible for performing inspections in more than 190 member countries of OPCW to provide confidentiality and information security support. Before that, she worked for IBM to develop and deliver information security services to IBM customers.

Soni holds an M.Sc. in Information Technology, M.Sc. in Cyber Crime and Computer Forensic Investigations, and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mathematics. Soni holds industry information security certifications CISSP, CISA, CISM, GCFA, GWAPT, ISO 27001 lead auditor and implementer. She received the Nobel Peace Laureate Award in 2012 for her contribution to the work of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons during the Syria crisis.