ANU finds new CISO

The Australian National University has a new chief information security officer, with Julian Doak joining from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Doak spent nearly eight years at the ABS, the majority of which as its CISO.

Writing on LinkedIn about his move, Doak said that "cyber security in higher education presents unique challenges, balancing security, academic freedom, and innovation.

“I’m looking forward to working with the talented folk here to strengthen resilience, support research, and protect our wonderful community.”

ANU began recruiting for a new CISO last July [pdf] following the departure of Suthagar Seevaratnam to Vocus.

During the intervening period, Shirley McCombe oversaw ANU’s cyber security as interim CISO.

In a statement, ANU interim CIO Paul Hargreaves said Doak brings “over 25 years of experience in information security and technology management within Australian government departments and internationally” to the university.

During Doak’s tenure at ABS, he “[played] a role in developing and implementing the agency’s information security strategy,” according to Hargreaves.

“This included safeguarding the integrity and confidentiality of ABS’s critical data and systems, and ensuring the security of Australia’s national statistical infrastructure including the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey and the 2021 Census.”

Hargreaves, meanwhile, took on the interim tech leadership position after former CIO Jonathan Churchill was promoted to the role of chief operating officer.

ANU recently launched a recruitment drive to fill the CIO role on a permanent basis.