Abigail Bradshaw named as nation’s new cyber spy chief

Former naval officer Abigail Bradshaw will lead the nation’s fight against soaring cyber threats as the new director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate.

Abigail Bradshaw has been named as the nation’s top cyber spy, taking over from Rachel Nobel as director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles.

Former naval officer Abigail Bradshaw will lead the nation’s fight against soaring cyber threats as the new director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate.

The new cyber spy chief replaces outgoing ASD head Rachel Noble after a nearly five-year stint leading the agency’s public-facing support arm, the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

Anthony Albanese said Ms Bradshaw had served “with distinction” at the ASCS, where she played a key role in responding to major cyber attacks on Medibank Private and Optus.

“At a time of increasingly complex geostrategic challenges, Ms Bradshaw’s expertise in both cyber and national security matters will be critically important in leading ASD to continue protecting our nation,” the Prime Minister said.

Ms Bradshaw takes over the role as ASD ramps up recruitment to boost the agency’s workforce by up to 1900 personnel under the $9.9bn REDSPICE program.

The investment will triple the directorate’s offensive cyber capabilities, and introduce new artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to analyse vast datasets.

She will also be responsible for delivering a new $2bn top secret cloud computing network for the nation’s intelligence community by mid-2027.

Ms Bradshaw, who began her career in the navy before moving into senior roles in Home Affairs and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, said it was “an absolute privilege” to be appointed to the role.

“I look forward to leading the incredible mission-focused team at ASD as we continue to advance Australia’s national interests,” she said.

“ASD’s focus will remain steadfast on continuing our proud history of support to the Australian Defence Force, collecting foreign signals intelligence, conducting cyber offensive operations and protecting Australians from cyber threats.”

Outgoing Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate, Rachel Noble. Picture: Sean Davey.

Defence Minister Richard Marles hailed Ms Bradshaw’s cyber and national security credentials, saying she was uniquely equipped to lead the agency.

“As head of ASD’s Australian Cyber Security Centre, Ms Bradshaw has strengthened relationships with cyber security leaders and private network owners in Australia and internationally, including our Five Eyes partners,” he said.

“Her appointment demonstrates the Albanese government’s ongoing commitment to ensuring our national intelligence community remains at the forefront of global efforts to bolster national defence and security against increasingly sophisticated malicious cyber activity.”

The Coalition strongly backed Ms Bradshaw’s appointment, declaring “no one is better placed to take on the critical challenges facing Australia in the cyber domain”.

“Abigail Bradshaw understands the structural cyber threats we face as a nation. I have every confidence she will hold fast to the ASD mission and protect our digital sovereignty,” opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie said.