The Star Entertainment Group finds its next CISO

The Star Entertainment Group has tapped Hollard Insurance’s assistant CISO Neha Sharma to be its new CISO.

The Star CISO Neha Sharma

Sharma replaces Hank Opdam who took up a role as NSW electricity distributor Ausgrid’s CISO last month. 

Sharma will be responsible for the casino and hotel operator’s cyber security roadmap, with initiatives including increasing the Star’s maturity score and mitigating the cyber risks associated with technology and business operations and strategies. 

The expired job posting for the role also said the CISO would “lead and manage the emerging cyber risks, strategic framework and execution towards transitioning into a completely cashless operating model by August 2024.”

To “identify and address new cyber threats,” the Star has invested in “a multi-year, multi-million-dollar program of work,” which includes new technologies like “machine learning” and engaging with “industry experts” for “external validation” of its cyber controls, according to the company’s 2022-23 sustainability report [pdf]. 

Sharma worked at Hollard Insurance from January to October; prior to that she was Sydney Metro’s associate director for cyber security for two years and an enterprise security architect for Transport for NSW.

She has also held security roles at Coca-Cola Amatil and Ernst & Young.

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AndyC

Andy Curtis is an award-winning security consultant, researcher and public speaker. He has been working in the computer security industry since the early 1990s, having been employed by state and federal government, leading healthcare and banking providers across three continents. He has given talks about computer security for some of the world’s largest companies, worked with law enforcement agencies on investigations into hacking groups, and is a regular voice on TV and radio explaining IT security threats.

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