About
Built by a practitioner.
Not a consulting firm that staffs junior analysts. One senior practitioner who's done this work — and can do it for you.
Luis Torres-Villarreal, CISSP
I'm a security leader with over 12 years of experience building and running security programs at companies ranging from scrappy startups to global enterprises. I've led security at a digital health platform, a global grocery retailer, and a fintech company processing billions in payments — each at a completely different scale and risk profile.
What I've found is that the hardest part of security at a startup or growing company isn't knowing what to do — it's knowing what to do first, with a small team and real budget constraints. That's the problem 543HQ is built to solve.
I'm also genuinely interested in what AI can do for security operations. Not as a talking point — I've built production agentic security pipelines that run automated alert triage, vulnerability outreach, and compliance evidence gathering at scale. I bring that thinking to every engagement.
543HQ is founder-led. When you hire 543HQ, you work with me directly — not a staffed analyst. Senior expertise on every engagement, every time.
Certifications
- ✓ISC2 CISSP
- ✓CompTIA Security+
- ✓CompTIA Pentest+
- ✓CompTIA CySA+
- ✓AWS Solutions Architect Associate
- ✓AWS Cloud Practitioner
Education
- ✓M.S. Electronic Commerce — ITESM
- ✓M.S. IT Management — ITESM
- ✓B.S. Systems Engineering — ITESM
Experience
2024 — Present
AffiniPay (8am)
Sr. Information Security Manager
Leading the information security program for a payments and legal tech platform processing billions annually. Active SOC 2 Type II and PCI DSS audits. Built AI security governance program, AI-driven security automation pipelines, and a multi-brand vulnerability management system.
2023 — 2024
Strategic Solutions Group
Director, Information Security / ISO
Fractional and advisory security leadership for multiple client organizations. Security program design, compliance readiness, and risk management across fintech and SaaS clients.
2020 — 2022
b.well Connected Health
Director, IT & Security / ISO
Built the security program from the ground up at a digital health platform. HIPAA compliance, HITRUST CSF implementation, SOC 2 readiness, and cloud security architecture for a patient engagement platform.
2019 — 2020
Whole Foods Market
Sr. Manager, Global IT Security Operations
Led global security operations across 500+ locations. PCI DSS compliance program, threat detection, and incident response at enterprise scale.
2012 — 2019
Perk.com & RhythmOne
VP of IT & Security
Built and ran the security and IT program through rapid growth, multiple acquisitions, and eventual public company transition. Zero-to-one security program in a fast-moving advertising technology environment.
Why 543HQ
Founder-led, always
You work with me directly, not a staffed consultant or junior analyst. Senior expertise on every call, every deliverable.
Implementation, not advice
I've built security programs, written the policies, configured the tools, and walked through the audits. I'm not handing you a PDF. I'm building alongside you.
AI-forward by default
I've built production agentic security systems. I bring that thinking to every engagement — not as a buzzword, but as a way to make your security program faster and more resilient.