Melbourne Water creates CISO position

Melbourne Water will soon hire its first-ever chief information security officer, as it looks to better manage the increasingly complicated threat environment facing utility companies.

The Upper Yarra Reservoir.

The CISO will be accountable for the leadership of all elements of information security across Melbourne Water, and will be responsible for ensuring the protection of the organisation’s assets against internal and external information security threats.

A major task for the incoming CISO will be the creation and implementation of Melbourne Water’s enterprise-wide information security strategy, which will include a cyber security threat framework.

This new strategy and framework will include multiple projects across all aspects of IT and operational technology.

The CISO will also be required to succinctly communicate about information security risks to all levels of the organisation and place threats into a business context.

The utility made the decision to create the role after taking the view that the increasing “convergence” between IT and operational technology required a greater level of security throughout the organisation.

The new appointment will mark the latest in a string of senior IT hirings at major Australian water utilities over recent months.

In November last year, Water NSW appointed former Airservices IT chief Gordon Dunsford as its new chief information officer, while Sydney Water hired former US and UK utilities executive George Hunt as its new head of IT.

Applications for the position, which is based out of Melbourne Water’s Docklands offices, close on March 22.