ACS Leadership Series: Cultivating Australia’s role as a cyber leader

Hamish Hansford, Deputy Secretary of the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Group,   Department of Home Affairs.

Hamish Hansford was appointed the Deputy Secretary of the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Group on 1 May 2023. He was previously Group Manager and Inaugural Head of the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre, and before this First Assistant Secretary of the Cyber, Digital and Technology Policy Division, where he led the delivery and implementation of Australia's Cyber Security Strategy 2020. Prior to this, Hamish was the First Assistant Secretary of National Security and Law Enforcement Policy Divisions where he delivered Australia's first ever modern slavery act, surveillance, investigatory powers and lawful access reforms, as well as hardening of Australia's counter money laundering, illicit firearms, terrorist financing and child exploitation regimes.

Hamish has held Senior Executive positions in the former Department of Immigration and Border Protection and the former Australian Crime Commission. Hamish has also served in a range of intelligence, policy, planning, and program delivery roles in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Attorney General's Department, the Australian Senate and the former Office of Transport Security.

Major General Murray Thompson AM CSC, Head ICT Operations, Defence Australia

Murray Thompson was appointed Head Information Communications Technology Operations (HICTO) & Strategic J6 in October 2020. As HICTO he is responsible for the integration, operation, management and security of Defence's global strategic communications capability that enable military operations and support Defence business.

Over a thirty year career, Major General Thompson has served in a range of Army units both in Australia and overseas and held staff appointments in international engagement, communications & electronic warfare, Army force design and Military Strategic Plans.

In addition he has also served as an instructor at the Royal Military College, Duntroon, peacekeeping in the Sinai and as a project manager with the Australian Agency for International Development.His command appointments include a British Army signal squadron on exchange in Germany and Afghanistan, 1 Combat Signal Regiment in Darwin and the Force Communications Unit in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Gulf States.

More recently as a Brigadier he was Commander Defence Strategic Communications in Defence’s Chief Information Officer Group.In 2020, before taking up his current employment, he was seconded to industry and conducted placements with Coles Group and Telstra.He is married to Catriona, who is a general practitioner and has three children fast growing up to be adults. He is a keen trail runner and enjoys delving into natural history.

John Karabin, Senior Director Cybersecurity, NTT Ltd

John has broad experience in risk based information security, cyber security, identity management and telecommunications. He has managed Sales, Technical Services, Product Marketing, Managed Services and Professional Services organisations in both Australian and the Asia Pacific region over a twenty year period.

He has worked both with Government and Commercial sectors covering state and federal, finance, health, resource, retail and manufacturing.Capabilities include setting and executing strategy and managing teams in an environment that gets the best out of matrix based organisations. He understands the dynamics from small companies to large multinational organisations, focusing on the key objectives of customer centric delivery.

Steph is head of the ACSC’s Cyber Security Resilience Division, which is responsible for delivering technical programs, services and publications across government and industry, as well as enabling the uplift and hardening of critical networks. Steph’s cyber security career spans almost 10 years – she has conducted various roles within junior operational ranks up to her most recent roles in senior leadership positions. 

Steph has led the ACSC’s cyber threat intelligence and incident management functions and designed programs to enhance Australia’s cyber security situational awareness, national threat picture and incident response capabilities. Steph has been involved in cyber security efforts supporting key national events such as e-Census, elections and G20, and in facilitating national exercise programs. She has also directed Government’s technical response to numerous nationally-significant cyber security incidents. 

Her Bachelor of Asian Studies Specialist (ANU) led to her to the graduate program in ASD in 2009.  Throughout her 13 year career at ASD Steph has performed in various roles across the organisation’s intelligence missions utilising her expertise in operations management.