Allens Partner and Head of Cyber Valeska Bloch has been appointed to the Australian Government's inaugural Cyber Incident Review Board.
The Board, which forms a key component of the Australian Government's 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy, will be responsible for conducting no-fault, post-incident reviews of significant cybersecurity incidents in Australia.
The Board will deliver actionable recommendations to government and industry following reviews to help prevent, detect, respond to and minimise the impact of future cyber incidents.
In announcing the new Board, The Hon Tony Burke MP, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Minister for Cyber Security, Minister for the Arts, and Leader of the House, said:
'The Cyber Incident Review Board will examine major cyber security events, develop findings, and provide recommendations to improve national cyber resilience across government and industry.
'Australia is fortunate to have highly experienced cyber security leaders guiding this work.'
By strengthening national cyber resilience, the Board will contribute to safeguarding Australia's economic prosperity, national security and social cohesion.
'Cyber defence is a responsibility that sits with all of us—individuals, businesses and government,' Valeska said.
'No two incidents are the same, but each one deepens our understanding of the threat landscape and how to defend against it. Sharing the lessons learned from previous crises helps build our communal knowledge and I'm honoured to contribute to work that will strengthen our collective resilience.'
The Cyber Incident Review Board appointments are:
- Ms Narelle Devine (Chair), Global Chief Information Security Officer, Telstra
- Professor Debi Ashenden, Director of the Institute for Cyber Security, University of New South Wales
- Ms Valeska Bloch, Partner and Head of Cyber, Allens
- Mrs Jessica Burleigh, Chief Information Security Officer, Boeing Australia
- Mr Darren Kane, Chief Security Officer, NBN Co
- Mr Berin Lautenbach, Global Head of Information Security, Toll Group
- Mr Nathan Morelli, Head of Cyber Security and IT Resilience, SA Power Networks
