Inspira Enterprise names Lt Gen Pant strategic adviser

Inspira Enterprise has appointed Lt Gen (Dr) Rajesh Pant as Strategic Advisor. Pant previously served as National Cyber Security Coordinator in India's Prime Minister's Office.

The appointment brings a former senior government cyber official into an advisory role at the cybersecurity services company as it expands consulting work with corporate and public sector customers.

Pant served in the National Security Council Secretariat under the Prime Minister's Office from 2019 to 2023. During that time, India rose from 47th to 10th in the United Nations Global Cybersecurity Index, according to Inspira.

Earlier, he led the Indian Army's cyber training establishment for three years and spent 41 years in the Army Signals Corps. He was also awarded three times by the President of India for distinguished service, according to the company.

Advisory role

At Inspira, Pant is expected to help shape the group's cybersecurity advisory strategy and work with customers to align security priorities with broader business objectives. The company operates across cybersecurity, data analytics and artificial intelligence services, with offices and operations in North America, ASEAN, the Middle East, Africa and India.

Inspira employs more than 1,600 professionals and serves more than 550 clients, according to the company. Its customer base includes organisations in banking, financial services and insurance, healthcare, manufacturing, education, oil and gas, utilities and the public sector.

The hire reflects a broader trend in the cybersecurity market, where companies are seeking senior advisers with government, defence and policy backgrounds as customers face a more complex mix of regulatory pressure, geopolitical risk and criminal cyber activity. Former public officials can bring experience in national cyber policy, cross-border coordination and large-scale incident preparedness that private sector clients increasingly want to access.

Pant has represented India in several international cyber policy forums and dialogues, including meetings involving the US, Russia and the Quad grouping. He also led the resilience vertical of the Global Counter Ransomware initiative, adding an international policy dimension to a career spanning military, government and information security work.

His academic background includes a PhD focused on information security metrics, an MTech from IIT Kharagpur, an MPhil from Madras University and a Master of Management Studies from Osmania University in Hyderabad.

Market context

Cybersecurity providers have increasingly tried to position themselves as advisers on business risk rather than simply sellers of software or monitoring services. That shift has been driven in part by boards and senior executives taking a closer interest in cyber risk after ransomware attacks, supply chain intrusions and data breaches disrupted operations across industries.

For companies operating internationally, that agenda now extends beyond technical defence to governance, regulation and resilience planning. Advisers with experience in government and national security can help bridge those discussions, particularly when organisations are dealing with critical infrastructure exposure, state-linked threats or heightened scrutiny over data protection and operational continuity.

Inspira has been building its profile as a services-led cybersecurity group, with work spanning threat detection, analytics and managed security. It also offers an in-house platform called iSMART2, which it says is used for monitoring and analytics.

The addition of Pant suggests the company wants to strengthen its credibility in higher-level advisory work and deepen conversations with customers about cyber governance. In this part of the market, senior appointments can signal credibility to clients while also helping shape services around executive and board-level concerns.

Announcing the move, Pant outlined his view of the threat environment facing organisations. "The global cyber threat landscape is increasingly defined by an AI-driven arms race between highly sophisticated attackers and equally advanced defenders, with cybercrime damages projected to escalate to unprecedented levels across industries. My experience in delivering projects across Cyberspace Governance and Security at Global, National, Enterprise, and Citizen levels has benefited several organizations and also aligns with Inspira's mission to establish a secure world. I look forward to driving collaborative initiatives that strengthen cybersecurity and uphold trust across the digital ecosystem," said Lt. General (Dr) Rajesh Pant, Strategic Advisor, Inspira Enterprise.

Chetan Jain, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Inspira Enterprise, said the company saw strategic value in adding an adviser with experience across government and cybersecurity. "By partnering with trusted advisors, organizations can further navigate today's complex threat landscape with their invaluable industry-specific expertise. Lt Gen Pant's knowledge and rich experience in the cybersecurity space will influence Inspira's vision to enable organizations defend against cyber threats. With his guidance, we will be well-positioned to further enhance our capabilities in safeguarding the resilience and security of businesses worldwide," said Jain.