Hi, I’m Mona Ghadiri — a cybersecurity strategist, product leader, and passionate advocate for making Microsoft Security more accessible, actionable, and intelligent. I am bilingual in English and Farsi. I am a Microsoft Security MVP and product leader who believes in encrypted wisdom, cultural design, and defending with intention. I write about security strategy, SOC design, and the emotional intelligence of digital defense.

I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and History from Grinnell College, where I studied historical memory, language, and corporate culture. I stayed at Grinnell as an editorial assistant and researcher for another year for the Grinnell Magazine.

I then spent a few years as a manufacturing engineer working in injection and compression molding, bringing new car parts or bottle caps through a new product introduction process–what was soon to become my speciality. I picked up a Lean Tools certificate from the University of Illinois BIS extension, a forklift license, and became a Paulsen certified Gold extrusion molder. I also took my first Microsoft class.

While working, I did a part-time MBA program through the University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business. It was during my MBA that I found myself transitioning before I had graduated to a new profession in software development, specifically, developing cybersecurity software.

It’s “nontraditional” but it has shaped my approach to cybersecurity: deeply human, forward-looking, and relentlessly practical with a product manager methodology that has successfully launched both software products and managed services.

As a Microsoft Security MVP in both SIEM & XDR and Cloud Security. I specialize in SOC modernization, managed security operations, and Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity (SCI) technologies. I was part of the first wave of Sentinel adopters, as well as an early Unified SIEM & XDR believer.

I’m also one of the early experts working hands-on with Microsoft Security Copilot, including custom Copilot agents that are transforming how security teams respond to threats.

I believe in sharing what I know. I sit on the board of the Microsoft Zero to Hero Learning Community and co-lead MSFarsi, a growing hub for Persian-language learners and professionals in tech.

When I’m not working, you’ll usually find me in the kitchen experimenting with sourdough bakes or cooking something from memory and/or spice.

You can find the link to my sessionize profile here: https://sessionize.com/mona-ghadiri/