Communications

A highly skilled group of people from the private sector have been named as the CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) Establishment Advisory Board by Communications Minister Amy Adams.

The Board will provide advice to the Minister for Communications and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) on the establishment of the national CERT.

“The national CERT will sit at the centre of New Zealand’s cyber security response. It will be the first point of call for all cyber security incidents,” says Ms Adams.

“The CERT will receive cyber incident reports, track and monitor cyber security incidents, and provide advice and alerts on how to respond and prevent further events. The CERT will work closely with international counterparts to prevent and respond to global cybersecurity incidents.

“I am pleased to announce a group of such accomplished professionals have come together to provide advice in standing up the CERT. The combined expertise and experiences of the Board members will be instrumental in ensuring the CERT is established next year, with the key elements for success, security and credibility in place.”

The nine Board members have extensive careers in cyber security and related fields, in both the public and private sectors, and have been appointed for a term of 18 months.

“We received a number of applications from high-calibre New Zealanders, and I would like to thank them for their interest in this vital Board,” says Ms Adams.

The Board will enable private and non-government sector involvement to deliver a responsive, economy-wide service that supports businesses, organisations and individuals alike

New Zealand’s national CERT is expected to be in operation in the first quarter of 2017.

Biographies of inaugural CERT Board members:

Michael Wallmannsberger (Chair)

Mr Wallmannsberger is the Chief Information Security Officer at the Wynyard Group. He has extensive practical experience in both information security and governance, and has established networks in relevant CERT stakeholder communities. Mr Wallmannsberger also has a comprehensive understanding of public, private, and community sector partnerships structures that foster collaboration. Mr Wallmannsberger’s previous governance experience includes Board member of NZRS Ltd, Council Member of Standards New Zealand, Councillor of Internet New Zealand Inc, and Chair of Outline NZ Inc.

Sarah Burke

Ms Burke is the Head of Information Security and Technology Risk for ANZ New Zealand. She has a strong record of 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 cyber security.

Jon Duffy

Mr 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, Mr 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, Mr Duffy is aware of the impact cyber incidents have on the community and economy. Mr Duffy is a strong advocate for consumers and sits on the Board of Consumer NZ.

David Eaton

Mr Eaton is the Chief Technology Officer at Hewlett Packard Enterprise New Zealand (HPE NZ). He is experienced in achieving better business outcomes through the implementation of technology solutions. He is responsible for the HPE NZ Security programme and has also been part of the HPE NZ Future Cities, Big Data & Cloud Services programmes. Mr Eaton brings with him a wealth of experience from previous programme director roles in large enterprise transformations, including TranzRail and Vodafone.

Paul McKitrick

Mr McKitrick’s career has been focussed on improving cyber security in New Zealand. He has been working in the cyber security industry nationally and globally for more than 15 years, including roles within the Government Communications Security Bureau’s Centre for Critical Infrastructure Protection, the .nz Domain Name Commission and Microsoft. Through these roles, Mr McKitrick has had extensive experience working with national CERTs and has a deep understanding of the technical requirements and the strategic relationships of CERTs. Mr McKitrick was also a founder of the New Zealand Internet Taskforce.

Debbie Monahan

Ms Monahan established the Domain Name Commission in 2002, and has since been the .nz Domain Name Commissioner. Ms Monahan has a sound understanding of cyber security issues and the aims of a CERT. Ms Monahan is an elected Councillor on the Country Code Names Supporting Organisation.

Kendra Ross

Ms Ross is the co-founder and Director of Duo Ltd, one of New Zealand’s leading suppliers of security solutions and resourcing. Ms 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 business owner herself, Ms Ross understands the challenges businesses face in dealing with cyber security. Ms Ross has sat on many boards and working groups including the Information Security Awards NZ, Women in ICT – NZTech and the Wellington Regional Council on Economic Growth through Cyber. Ms Ross was the recipient of the New Thinking Award sponsored by Massey University at the recent Gold Awards and along with her business partner, named Entrepreneur of the Year at the Women in ICT Awards.

Rick Shera

Mr Shera has had an expansive 30 year legal career in corporate, commercial and ICT law, particularly internet law. For the past 20 years, Mr 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, and an advisory board member of DigitalNZ.

Adrian van Hest

Mr van Hest is the National Cyber practise leader for PwC and has a specific focus on IT security, risk, project governance, strategy and innovation. He also leads PwC’s Global Threat and Vulnerability Management Centre of Excellence, one of the largest team of researchers and testers focussed on combatting vulnerabilities and threats to organisations. He has more than 25 years of international business and IT experience and has a significant track record in in building businesses, implementing IT strategies and developing highly successful products and services. Mr van Hest also has specialist knowledge of organisational strategy and transformation. Mr van Hest is highly passionate about New Zealand’s cyber security and was a founder and is a current board member of the New Zealand Internet Taskforce.