Minister Barr: Inaugural board of directors appointed to Canberra Cyber Hub
- Written by ACT Government
Released 10/12/2021
The Canberra Cyber Hub celebrated a major milestone this week with the appointment of its inaugural board of directors who will play a critical role in guiding the organisation as it embarks on its mission to position Canberra as the cyber capital of Australia.
Dr Michael Frater has been appointed to serve as Interim Chair and Ms Michelle Melbourne and Air-Vice Marshal Neil Hart (ret’d) have been appointed to serve as Interim Directors of the Canberra Cyber Hub Board.
Dr Frater has been a driving force behind the Canberra Cyber Hub’s establishment and has a deep understanding of the sector and the objectives of the Canberra Cyber Hub and established networks.
Ms Melbourne is an experienced leader in the technology industry and mentor to emerging businesses. Air Vice-Marshal Hart is senior defence leader with experience in cyber security field. They are well qualified to establish the culture and values of the Hub and set it on a path to success.
The role of the Interim Chair and Interim Directors will be to establish the Canberra Cyber Hub as a company limited by guarantee and operate the company until the first Annual General Meeting.
Since the Canberra Cyber Hub was announced in April 2021, more than 20 businesses have already completed the Cyber Security Business Accelerator program run by the Canberra Innovation Network, helping local cyber businesses to find new markets.
We are also well-advanced in creating an online education portal promoting the range of diverse careers opportunities in cyber and linking prospective students with our universities, CIT and other training providers. The portal will be ready early in 2022.
Cyber security is one of the fastest growing sectors of the Australian economy. Nationally, the sector employs 19,475 people and its direct economic impact in 2019-20 was estimated at $15.7 billion in value add.
The Australian Government’s $1.67 billion investment in cyber security, the growing global demand for cyber security and workforce shortage, creates significant opportunities for Canberra to capitalise on.
Our cyber security ecosystem is already one of Canberra’s competitive advantages and the Canberra Cyber Hub will benefit the sector and or economy by creating an environment where cyber businesses have the best opportunity to thrive.
Quote attributable to Dr Michael Frater, Interim Chair, Canberra Cyber Hub:
“Canberra has a thriving, innovative cyber security ecosystem. The establishment of the Canberra Cyber Hub will drive further growth in this important sector of our community through developing the skilled workforce, driving engagement between industry and researchers and accelerating the growth of small to medium businesses. It is a very exciting step for our city.”
Quote attributable to Ms Michelle Melbourne, Interim Director, Canberra Cyber Hub:
“Canberra is a world class hotbed of clever cyber experts building teams and companies and undertaking research solving some of the biggest data and information security issues facing us right now. The Canberra Cyber Hub will discover, embrace and amplify these conditions to grow Canberra's cyber capability, workforce and reputation.”
Quote attributable to Air-Vice Marshal Neil Hart, Interim Director, Canberra Cyber Hub:
“Cyber is no longer just the realm of specialist organisations and experts, it touches all business endeavours and the entire community. The Canberra Cyber Hub will play a critical role in supporting the Canberra region’s understanding, capabilities and capacity to thrive in an always connected environment, with a great opportunity to leverage the deep national expertise in cyber that is resident locally.”
- Statement ends -
Section: Andrew Barr, MLA | Media Releases
