Kmart CISO departs, heads to Chemist Warehouse as GM IT security risk and compliance

Nigel Hedges has been appointed general manager of IT security risk and compliance at Chemist Warehouse, departing as Kmart CISO.

Speaking to Digital Nation, Hedges said the opportunity to join another “fast-moving, entrepreneurial and innovation-spirited” organisation was “too hard to pass up”.

In his two years as the Kmart CISO, Hedges said, “Working with one of the largest retailers with a huge frontline worker community has been a great experience, and I am proud to have contributed to Kmart’s elevating and evolving views of the importance of cyber leadership.

“I will miss the organisation and being part of the broader Wesfarmers group of divisions.”

A major takeaway in his role as CISO was the importance of genuine authentic top executive support.

“It is so important to have a two-way dialogue and time with the C-suite,” he said.

“It is only through this connection that the CISO community can improve and practice the business communication required to have a seat at the table.”

In his new role, Hedges will work with the existing cyber team to invest in the next evolution of the cyber function.

“The role will be end-to-end security, my focus is to keep the organisation and its customers and employees safe,” he explained.

“With data privacy regulation changes in Australia and international GDPR considerations, it will be highly important to me to continue the focus on customer and team identity governance whilst ensuring frictionless customer experiences.”

He added, “I will play a foundation role in technology leadership as the CIO transforms technology capability with scalability and modernisation in mind.”

Hedges said working in a growing business with such a breadth of individual businesses in the portfolio presents him a “great opportunity” to help secure, stabilise, scale and modernise the way that they manage technology, digital and data risks. 

“My experience of the Reece business and Kmart was thoroughly rewarding and Chemist Warehouse has a blend of both; the pace and entrepreneurial spirit of a family business and the scale and international nature of the Kmart and Target,” he said.

“The cyber challenges I expect will remain the same as any customer-facing business. My role will help me educate on the risk landscape, help the board and the business prioritise mitigations and build a world-class cyber, risk and compliance team.”

Hedges said that technology, digital and data are important pillars of the business growth plans and he is excited to work with their CIO who is repositioning and rebuilding the capabilities to be ready to meet the growth plans of the group.

Damien Ballesty, CIO at Chemist Warehouse group told said they have committed to using technology, digital and data to power the growth of their business. 

“Our technology, digital and data teams drive our mission to be secure, stable, scaleable and modern. Bringing leaders like Hedges into the team is critical to getting us to the next level,” he said.

“Hedges brings a passion for his specialism and also has a reputation for building strong teams and for giving people the chance to develop their careers. I am very much looking forward to him joining the technology leadership team in 2024.”

Hedges noted that people are the strongest asset in a cyber function.

“I’ve made lifelong friends in and outside of cyber. The importance of a diverse team from different backgrounds, walks of life, and stages of career has been so rewarding,” he said.

“Working and mentoring industry newcomers from university paths has reinforced to me just how valuable that passionate new talent can be. In tech or cyber we often focus on tech stacks and processes, but for me, it is fundamentally all about the team.

“It is so important to make sure that everyone is mentally healthy and supported, and this is an important dynamic and focus that I will carry forward in my future roles.”

He will start his role in mid-January