Nine looks for new cyber security director

Nine is looking for a new group director of cyber security following the departure of incumbent Celeste Lowe.

Nine's former group director of cyber security Celeste Lowe.

Lowe's replacement will report to Nine’s new chief information and technology officer Memo Hayek, who was appointed this February to replace Damian Cronan who moved to ABC. 

The new group director of cyber security will “align the cyber security strategy with the business strategy, ensuring the protection of Nine’s assets, data, and systems, maintaining regulatory compliance and mitigating cyber threats", according to a job posting. 

Lowe did not reply to iTnews' request for comment but said in a Linkedin post thar she was "super sad to be leaving the Nine family, but I have an exciting new opportunity."

A Nine spokesperson did not know where Lowe was headed.

Nine’s 2022 annual report signalled an increased investment in its defensive capabilities, stating that “net corporate costs increased by $6.2 million or 24 percent across the year, mainly as a result of investment in cyber capabilities, Covid related testing expenses…and higher cost of insurance.”

In March 2021 the media conglomerate’s Sydney division was hit by a cyber attack believed to involve MedusaLocker. 

Some staff were locked out of their emails, internet and print production systems; live broadcasts from Sydney were cancelled, but the disruptions only lasted a few hours and no data was compromised.

Consumer data security and privacy is an area of the company’s environmental, social and governance policy, according to its latest annual report. 

“Nine collects consumer data and information through the group’s base of more than 20 million unique, registered users," it said.

“Nine recognises that it is critically important to have controls and frameworks in place to protect consumers’ data and privacy. 

“Without appropriate controls, the business risks losing public faith, social licence to operate and shareholder value.”

In describing “ransomware and other destructive cyber activity” as a “material exposure to risk”, the report stated that “whilst the threat of cyber attacks exists in all businesses, Nine's reliance on technology and key partners to deliver our products and services increases the potential impact of cyber risks."

“We continue to invest in uplifting our cyber capabilities to keep pace with the ever-evolving cyber security threats," it said.

Lowe was Nine’s group director of IT security since 2020. 

Prior to Nine, Lowe had various cyber roles at Qantas for four years; she was appointed Qantas’ inaugural CISO in 2017. She has held other security positions at Deloitte and Telstra.