Sunil is an accomplished Cyber Security and Risk leader with over 20 years of financial services industry experience. Experience securing Fortune 500 companies and helping them achieve compliance with multiple governance requirements and regulations. Served as Chief Information Security Officer for a Global financial services company with Banking, Credit Card, Payment Network and lending business. Led the organization through one of the biggest merger in the US financial services industry while maintaining a secure and compliant business.
Location: Northern Virginia, Washington DC
Linkedin : www.linkedin.com/in/sunilmallik
Q. Tell us about your School and College before you came to IIFM. How was your experience there? And how did IIFM happen?
A. I did my undergraduate degree in Chemistry before coming to IIFM. I started doing my Masters in Chemistry from Delhi University and quickly realized that I need to change my career path. By that time most of the MBA entrance exam application timelines were over. I applied from IIFM and AIMAT entrances and joined IIFM.
Q. How has been your journey from IIFM so far?
A. After graduating from IIFM, I joined HLL‘s Social Marketing division. Just six months into the role, my friend and batchmate Anjan Guha and I got an opportunity to work with Coastlog Industries in Monrovia, Liberia. It turned out to be one of the most rewarding—and simultaneously one of the most challenging—experiences of my life.
After returning to India, I joined Risk Management Systems in Noida in a business development role. I worked there for a year before deciding to pursue further education. I went on to earn two Master’s degrees from Virginia Tech—an MBA and a Master’s in Accounting Information Systems.
Since completing my education in the U.S., I’ve spent the last 20+ years working in the Technology Risk and Cybersecurity space. Over the course of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work with leading organizations such as Deloitte, Freddie Mac, Discover Financial Services, Capital One, and most recently, PayPal.
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. I consider myself incredibly fortunate for the life I’ve lived so far. One of the most defining—and paradoxically, both the best and worst—experiences of my early career was the opportunity to work in war-torn Liberia.
As a young professional, I was entrusted with the rare responsibility of leading an international timber logging operation. It was a tremendous opportunity, but it came at a heavy personal cost. During that time, I lost my close friend and batchmate, Anjan, to a mysterious illness. We had been stationed in different parts of the country, in areas with no communication or medical infrastructure. His passing left me devastated—and with far more questions than answers.
I still vividly remember landing at Mumbai Airport—exhausted, disoriented, and emotionally drained. But as we IIFMites often do, I found support in my community. My batchmate Reno Cherian was there to receive me and helped me get to Anjan’s parents’ home.
After taking a short break, I visited another classmate, Apurva Goyal, at RMSI. While on the RMSI campus, Apurva arranged an impromptu interview, which led to my next role.
Looking back, it was the unwavering support of the IIFM fraternity that helped me navigate one of the darkest chapters of my life and set me on the path to where I am today.
Q. How has been your experience in your current Organization? What all areas have you been working here.
A. I’m relatively new in my current role, where I lead a team of cybersecurity engineers and architects responsible for designing and building security tooling across PayPal‘s technology infrastructure. Our mission is to protect the personal and financial information of our customers, while enabling them to securely transact across PayPal, Xoom, and Venmo platforms.
Q. What is the most satisfying part in your career?
A. Prior to my current role, I served as the Chief Information Security Officer at Discover Financial Services (in India, the company is best known through its Diners Club and Pulse brands). In this capacity, I was the accountable executive for safeguarding a Fortune 500 organization with banking, credit card, and lending operations. In the cybersecurity profession, leading security for a large financial services institution represents the pinnacle of one’s career, and I consider myself very fortunate to have achieved that milestone.
Q. Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. 100%. I work in a profession that depends deeply on community. Cybersecurity thrives on information sharing and collaboration, and those principles have been central to my growth. IIFM instilled these values early in my professional journey, and they’ve played a significant role in helping me reach where I am today.
Q. Who (or what) are the biggest influences or drivers in your careers? What would be your advice to freshers and IIFM graduates who are looking to choose similar sectors/roles.
A. Many people have influenced my career over the years. Our seniors inspired us by showing what was possible, and IIFM instilled in me the belief that the mission should always come before personal growth. This principle has been invaluable in a field as mission-oriented as mine. I’m not sure how many at IIFM will be interested in my sector, but my general advice is simple: never stop learning. The moment learning stops, growth stops.
Q. How did you decide to go for higher studies post IIFM? And how was the experience?
A. This ties back to my earlier response. When I was at IIFM, my senior—and now also my brother-in-law—Kunal Mangal was preparing to move to the U.S. He had a stack of university prospectuses (this was the pre-AI era when everything arrived by mail). Whenever I visited his room, I would flip through them, captivated by the picture of the beautiful campuses. Kunal even gave me a poster of one of those campuses, which I proudly hung in my room as inspiration.
Kunal eventually was accepted at Texas A&M and left for the U.S., followed by Sudipta, Soumitri, and Nishita (my classmate). They paved the way for me. With their guidance, I ultimately found my way to Virginia Tech—one of the most beautiful campuses in the country.
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. It has to be our field trips—I loved every single one of them. I also have fond memories of my two trips to the National Sports Meet. While my contributions to the sports team weren’t particularly noteworthy, one highlight stands out: Vijay Ganapathy, Shakeb Nabi, and I won the gold medal in the quiz competition. As far as I know, that was the first and only gold we had won up to that point, and it remains a proud memory 🙂
Q. In hindsight, what was the biggest contribution or take away from IIFM that you think played a critical role in shaping you as an individual or professional?
A. I’d say it’s a combination of everything: faculties, courses, friends & alumni.
I’ve already shared how IIFM shaped my professional journey, but its impact on my personal life has been just as profound. Many of my closest friends to this day are from IIFM, and those bonds have extended to my family as well—my wife, Neha, is Kunal’s younger sister. IIFM didn’t just shape my career; it became an integral part of my life story.
Q. The best buddies / seniors /faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share?
A. I have countless memories, but one that really stands out is from Kalpataru. I was a last-minute replacement for one of the main characters in the play and had no time to prepare. In a bit of creative improvisation, I hid my lines inside a magazine and read them out during the performance. It was nerve-wracking at the time, but it turned into a memorable and fun experience.
Q. As an alumni, what’s your advice to freshers or those are joining IIFM to get best out of the 2 years there?
A. IIFM is a special place, make the best of your stay. Learn, build your community, and make memories.
Q. What would be your advise for recent graduates who look for changing their sector after working for couple of years?
A. That’s a great question. We’re living in one of the most transformative periods of our lives. AI is reshaping how we learn, work, and live, and it will soon create entirely new sectors we haven’t even imagined yet.
My advice to recent graduates considering a sector change is to always operate from a position of strength. When making a transition, do it gradually—start with a role that allows you to apply your existing skills while you build new ones. I followed a similar path myself when I transitioned from technology risk to cybersecurity, where I was able to leverage much of my existing expertise as I grew into the new domain. At the same time, use AI to accelerate your learning and upskilling; it’s an incredible enabler in today’s landscape.
Q. What is your typical day at the work?
A. Cybersecurity is truly a 24/7 profession—there’s always something happening, and we’re constantly on alert. Working with a global team also adds a dynamic layer to each day, as time zones and priorities continuously shape the routine.
I typically start my mornings by catching up on emails, planning my meetings for the day, and clearing any tasks left over from the previous day. Since most of my team is based on the U.S. West Coast and in India, I carve out a mid-morning window to fit in my exercise before the wave of meetings begins. From there, the day is usually packed with discussions, 1:1 meetings, and problem-solving—and it’s not uncommon for meetings to extend late into the evening.
Q. And how about weekends, hobbies, family and anything else you want to add?
A. Weekends are usually spent on family, groceries, and if I am lucky a round of golf.
Q. Favorite Books, movies, authors?
A. I rarely get time to read these days. My favorite book is Sapiens. Favorite movie The Shawshank redemption close second is Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron.
Q. IIFM is driven by alumni’s passion and commitments towards its goal. How would you like to contribute to IIFM or IIFM alumni, students?
A. I am in a completely different sector so it makes it hard to stay connected with the alumni’s and campus. However, I am connected to many of my batchmates and seniors.
Q. What do you think is different at IIFM now vs when you studied there? When was the last time you visited IIFM?
A. I have not been to the campus for a while. I think the last time I visited was almost 15 years ago. The buildings and number of students had grown significantly.
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. I have not kept track of everyone who has been profiled but I will go with Swetan Sagar/Ashish Raj/Kunal Mangal/Sudipta Dasmohapatra.