Ventia, the infrastructure services provider, has named Celeste Lowe as the new leader of its cyber strategy. Lowe, the former Group Director of Cyber Security at Nine, assumed her new role at Ventia in September, succeeding Jon Rolfe, who joined CyberCX as Director of Security Engineering, Cloud Security, and Solutions in May.
According to a Ventia spokesperson, Lowe’s responsibilities include ensuring the security of data and critical assets for both Ventia and its clients. Her focus will be on continuous improvement in detection, prevention, and incident response capabilities. Notably, Ventia experienced a cyber incident in July, highlighting the importance of strengthening its cybersecurity measures.
Ventia’s 2022-23 annual financial report outlines various cyber investments and initiatives, such as automating cybersecurity protocols, using artificial intelligence and managed security services, and conducting annual mandatory training for its entire workforce. The company also made updates to its cybersecurity strategy and crisis response plan during the past financial year.
Celeste Lowe previously served as Nine’s Group Director of IT Security starting in 2020. Before her role at Nine, she held various cybersecurity positions at Qantas for four years, ultimately becoming Qantas’ inaugural Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) in 2017. Lowe also gained security experience at Deloitte and Telstra.
Lowe’s appointment follows another significant technology hire by Ventia in July when Melanie Evans, a former KPMG and Telstra executive, was appointed as Group Executive for Digital Services. Evans took over from Karen O’Driscoll, who moved to Cochlear in February to assume the position of Chief Information Officer.
