Niel Harper is the Founder & Managing Director of Octave Digital, a boutique consulting firm specializing in corporate governance, cybersecurity, privacy, digital transformation, ICT policy, and AI governance. He previously served in chief information security officer roles at Doodle, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). Niel has senior leadership and advisory experience with Aspen Institute, Bemol, Canonical, CIBC, Deloitte, European Commission, and the Internet Society, among others.
He is the recipient of the 2026 ISC2 Harold F. Tipton Lifetime Achievement Award, 2025 Security Magazine Top Cybersecurity Leaders Award, 2024 ISC2 Global Achievement Award - Senior Professional (EMEA), 2021 International Security Journal (ISJ) Caribbean Security and Resilience Award and the 2021 ISACA Technology for Humanity Award. Niel is currently a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Information Security (FCIIS) and a Fellow of the British Computer Society (FBCS). He previously served on the United Nations Information Security Special Interest Group (UNISSIG) and participated in the World Economic Forum’s Cyber Risk & Corporate Governance Working Group and Digital Trust Initiative. Niel currently sits on the Independent Management Advisory Committee (IMAC) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Board of Directors at ISACA.
Niel holds a Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of Strathclyde; MBA from the University of Leicester; Postgraduate Diploma (PgD) in Telecoms Regulation & Policy from the University West Indies; Diploma in Business Information Systems from Algonquin College; several industry certifications in corporate directorship, cybersecurity, privacy engineering, AI governance, and IT auditing; and has completed executive programs at Carnegie Mellon University, University of Oxford, Stanford University, Nanyang Technological University, and Florida International University.
