CERT NZ's Advisory Board extended for another six months

The CERT NZ Establishment Advisory Board will now operate for at least an extra six months to 30 September 2018, bringing their total term to 24 months.

Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Minister Clare Curran announced the extension last week, noting that the board members will play a key role in serving New Zealand.

The Board's nine members have backgrounds in security and related fields spanning public and private sector. They provide advise to CERT NZ and to the Minister on cybersecurity matters.

Amongst the nine members are Air NZ CISO Michael Wallmannsberger, Datacom associate director for Cyber Security David Eaton, Duo cofounder and Director Kendra Ross

"The combined expertise and experiences of the Board members will provide key insights as CERT NZ continues to serve New Zealand's cybersecurity needs both as they are occurring today, and into the future," Curran says.

She says that digital technologies enable more sophisticated and more frequent cyber attacks and they provide new ways for criminals and states to cause harm to New Zealand.

"I'm pleased all existing Board members have agreed to stay on and advise CERT NZ as we work through the refresh of our cybersecurity action plan, which I announced recently," Curran continues.

"Their expertise and insight will add value to the refresh and help protect the information and network systems that are vital to our economic growth, ensure the integrity and security of our increasingly digitalised government services and make sure Kiwis can interact online without suffering harm," Curran concludes.

CERT NZ Establishment Advisor Board members

Michael Wallmannsberger (Chair) is the chief information security officer at Air New Zealand, where he has overall responsibility for digital risk governance, as well as information security governance, strategy, architecture and operations, including security incident response. He has previously held various other senior leadership and consulting roles in cybersecurity as well as governance and advisory board roles. He is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand. He has chaired the Board since August 2016

Sarah Burke is the head of Technology – NZ Platforms for ANZ New Zealand. She has a strong record of technology leadership and delivery within financial services, leading technology functions and transformation both internationally and in New Zealand. She has an in-depth understanding of the banking sector and customer needs, particularly in relation to cybersecurity.

Jon Duffy is the head of Trust and Safety at TradeMe. He is also the deputy chair of NetSafe (an NGO focussed on online safety and security). Through these roles, Duffy brings considerable experience in the frontline of digital challenges and cyber incidents in New Zealand, and has operational and governance experience in the internet security space. Through his engagement with cybercrime victims, Duffy is aware of the impact cyber incidents have on the community and economy. Duffy is a strong advocate for consumers and sits on the Board of Consumer NZ.

David Eaton is the associate director for Cyber Security at Datacom NZ. He is responsible Datacom's cybersecurity practice including Security Operations - consulting. He is passionate about developing New Zealand's cybersecurity landscape, from services - training through to innovation and is strong advocate for the role of good cybersecurity in building trust and business confidence

Paul McKitrick, whose career has been focused on improving the cybersecurity of the Internet and New Zealand. He has been working in the cybersecurity industry nationally and internationally for more than 15 years, including roles within the Government Communications Security Bureau's Centre for Critical Infrastructure Protection, the .nz Domain Name Commission, Microsoft's Security Response Center, and most recently at ICEBRG.io. Through these roles, McKitrick has had extensive experience in security response, working with national CERTs, and has built a deep understanding of the technical requirements and the strategic relationships of CERTs. McKitrick was also a founder of the New Zealand Internet Task Force.

Debbie Monahan established the Domain Name Commission in 2002, and was the .nz Domain Name Commissioner until recently finishing up in that role. She continues to be contracted to Internet New Zealand as a .nz Advisor. Monahan has a sound understanding of cybersecurity issues and the aims of a CERT. Monahan is the elected vice chair on the Country Code Names Supporting Organisation.

Kendra Ross is the co-founder and director of Duo Ltd - PSDuo Ltd, both New Zealand's leading suppliers of security solutions and resourcing. Ross has built a trusted leadership role within the New Zealand security community by establishing and running 1stTuesday – New Zealand's largest network of security professionals. As a small / medium business owner herself, Ross understands the challenges businesses face in dealing with cybersecurity. Ross has sat on many boards and working groups including the Information Security Awards NZ, which she Chairs, Wellington Regional Council on Economic Growth through Cyber and was appointed to the Government Taskforce on Cyber Security Skills. Ross was the recipient of the New Thinking Award sponsored by Massey University at the 2016 Gold Awards and along with her business partner, named Entrepreneur of the Year at the Women in ICT Awards in 2016.

Rick Shera has had an expansive 30 year legal career in corporate, commercial and ICT law, particularly internet law. For the past 20 years, Shera has been a partner at Lowndes Jordan – a high level corporate, commercial and IT law firm. He has extensive governance experience and is currently the Chair of NetSafe. He is also a board member of the Network for Learning.

Adrian van Hest is the national cyber leader for PwC and has a specific focus on cybersecurity, risk, and innovation. He also leads PwC's Global Threat and Vulnerability Management Centre of Excellence, one of the largest teams of researchers and testers focussed on combatting vulnerabilities and threats to organisations. van Hest is highly passionate about New Zealand's cybersecurity and was a founder and former board member of the New Zealand Internet Taskforce and is part of the Cybersecurity Researchers of Waikato's Industry advisory group.