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Executive Search

Appointing a Chief Security Officer for a Defence Technology Organisation

Date Posted:30 September 2025

Delivering an Executive Search to Strengthen National Security Leadership for a Defence Technology Organisation

Commonwealth Health Agency

The Brief

Future Leadership™ was engaged by a sovereign defence technology organisation headquartered in Canberra to appoint a Chief Security Officer.
The organisation plays a pivotal role in delivering radar and surveillance systems to the Australian Defence Force and required a CSO with deep expertise in integrated security governance, cyber resilience, and stakeholder engagement.
The search was initiated to support a strategic uplift in protective security maturity, aligning with evolving Commonwealth expectations and the organisation’s expanding operational footprint. The CSO would also serve as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), embedding secure-by-design principles across all digital and physical environments.
9.19.1

Candidate net Promote Score

Future Leadership combines truly personalised relationships with innovative technology solutions to ensure an approachable and efficient process for all our Net Promoter Score across clients, successful candidates and unsuccessful candidates is well above industry standard.

10,000+10,000+

Candidates supported every year

We maintain genuine relationships with past candidates and continue to support them with leadership solutions long term, after they land their role.

50.5%50.5%

We maintain genuine relationships with past candidates and continue to support them with leadership solutions long term, after they land their role.

Over half of the executive search assignments undertaken by our team have resulted in the appointment of outstanding female or LGBTQI+ leaders to high profile roles.

98%98%

Candidate Retention Rate for 12 months since 2002

Our thorough briefing process and ability to engage passive candidates mean that we go to great lengths to find the right person for the role – long term!

The Process

Future Leadership™ undertook a comprehensive search process tailored to the organisation’s needs. The search was designed to identify a candidate capable of leading protective security across all domains- physical, personnel, information, and cyber – within a highly classified and strategically sensitive environment.
The process began with detailed briefing and strategy development, engaging with the Chief Executive Officer and senior stakeholders to understand the organisation’s operational landscape, risk appetite, and strategic priorities for the CSO role. This ensured alignment with Defence expectations and internal governance frameworks.
A targeted candidate search was conducted using Future Leadership’s national security networks, sector referrals, and direct outreach. This approach enabled the identification of candidates with deep experience in DSPF and DISP compliance, cyber resilience, and stakeholder engagement across Defence and government.
Shortlisted candidates underwent rigorous assessment, including psychometric testing, stakeholder interviews, and scenario-based evaluations. These assessments focused on strategic thinking, incident response capability, and cross-agency collaboration. Candidates were also evaluated on their ability to embed secure-by-design principles and lead multidisciplinary teams.
Final candidates presented strategic uplift plans to the executive panel, demonstrating their understanding of the organisation’s mission and their capacity to lead integrated security functions. The evaluation process ensured that the appointed CSO would be both technically exceptional and culturally aligned with the organisation’s values and future direction.

Top 5 Capabilities

01.

Governance and Compliance

Deep understanding of DSPF, DISP, ISM, and Commonwealth security frameworks.

02.

Stakeholder Relations

Highly effective engagement across Defence, government, and industry.

03.

Strategy and Purpose

Led national-level cyber strategy development and implementation.

04.

Communication and Influence

Trusted advisor to Ministers, Secretaries, and senior Defence leaders.

05.

Organisational Capability

Managed and developed high-performing teams across complex environments.

The Outcome

The process resulted in the appointment of a highly regarded security leader with extensive experience in Defence cyber operations, stakeholder engagement, and integrated security governance.
The appointed CSO had previously led Australia’s largest non-telco network security operations and contributed to the development of the Defence cyber security strategy.
Their appointment has enabled the organisation to strengthen its protective security posture, enhance cross-agency collaboration, and embed a proactive security culture across all domains. The appointment was well received across the sector, reinforcing the organisation’s leadership in sovereign capability delivery.

Consultant

Grant Nichol

Partner, Executive Search View Profile

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