Rachel Noble will lead the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), the head of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), Mike Burgess, has announced.
Noble is currently deputy secretary executive group in the Department of Home Affairs. According to the department, the group oversees enterprise strategy, risk, assurance, security and ministerial, media and intelligence services.
Prior to her current role she led the team that helped oversee the launch of the Home Affairs mega-department in 2017. Noble held senior roles in the former Department of Immigration and Border Protection and the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, including as ACBPS national director intelligence and CIO.
Her career has also included stints at Defence, including at the ASD, and at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet where she was the national security chief information officer and cyber policy coordinator.
“Rachel Noble possesses a formidable skill set and the new role brings together her experience in cyber, science and security,” Burgess said,
“I’m particularly impressed by Rachel’s leadership qualities, which were so well displayed when she and I worked together previously to improve cyber policy across government.”
Noble replaces Alastair MacGibbon, who has led the ACSC since late 2017. The ASD last month revealed MacGibbon intended to return to the private sector.
“I’m delighted that Rachel’s agreed to return to ASD to take this important and challenging role,” Burgess said in a statement. “The cyber threat is real and Rachel is ideally qualified to confront it.”
“I am really looking forward to returning to ASD to work with Mike and his team,” Noble said. “I have always enjoyed the work of ASD and this will be the third time in my career that I have worked there. I’m delighted to be reconnecting with some of my old colleagues and making new ones too.”