Telstra loses its Asia Pacific CISO

Telstra has lost Asia Pacific chief information security officer Berin Lautenbach, one of two high profile departures from its security function in recent months.

Telstra's CSOC environment. (Credit: Telstra)

Lautenbach announced his departure on LinkedIn, saying he had finished up on Wednesday this week and would spend “the next few months with a focus on family” before deciding on where to head next.

“It has been an absolute privilege to run the cyber security team at Telstra,” Lautenbach said.

“I've learned more about security and leadership than I ever hoped for when I first started and I've had the chance to work with some of the smartest people in the industry.”

A Telstra spokesperson confirmed Lautenbach’s departure to iTnews.

“Berin Lautenbach resigned in March to spend more time with his family, but stayed on to assist with handover,” the spokesperson said.

“Recruitment is currently underway to find his replacement.”

Lautenbach is the second high-profile departure from Telstra’s cyber security function in the past couple of months, after Grant McKechnie left in March.

McKechnie had been Telstra’s general manager for its cyber security operations and threat management for almost three years.

His responsibilities covered Telstra’s cyber threat response centre and a Canberra-based cyber security operations centre (CSOC).

It is understood that Lautenbach and McKechnie’s departures are not related.

However, McKechnie’s departure appears to be linked to an internal restructure.

“Structural changes were made earlier this year to better align the team and Grant McKechnie departed shortly after this,” Telstra’s spokesperson said.

McKechnie has since landed at drinks retailer Endeavour Group, home of brands including Dan Murphy’s, Cellarmasters and BWS.