NSW Finance creates CISO role in reshuffle

The NSW Finance department has begun 2017 with a string of senior IT appointments including the creation of a chief information security officer role, newly filled by Coca-Cola Amatil’s long-serving former security boss.

Marco Figueroa.

As CISO, Marco Figueroa will be responsible for IT security across the state government’s peak IT agency, covering enterprise policy, compliance framework, IT audits, and risk management.

Figueroa has held various roles at Coca-Cola Amatil since joining the giant in 1995, including more than seven years in its global security strategy team.

The new position was created as part of a broader restructure designed to help the department support its IT strategy, which aims to slim down and improve its systems for efficiency and greater customer experience.

Prior to Figueroa’s appointment, ICT security for the department was the responsibility of the director for enterprise architecture, governance, security and risk, who reported to Finance CIO Richard Host.

In order to increase focus on cybersecurity and enterprise architecture, the role was split into two director roles, with Figueroa as CISO and Gavin Brown serving as the director of systems and architecture.

The CISO role is supported by information security managers in each Finance division.

Alongside Figueroa, the reshuffle included the appointment of two new IT directors overseeing service planning (former Westpac IT executive Jenny Kerswill) and delivery (former CBA IT services delivery manager Peter O'Donovan). The new executives also report to Host.

“I am very pleased to welcome Marco, Jenny and Peter to the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation,” Host said.

“They bring a wealth of experience from the private sector and will help set the department’s ICT agenda to ensure we are delivering the very best value. I am looking forward to working with this can-do team to improve our systems and make a real difference to the people of NSW.”