Rachel Noble appointed head of Australian Cyber Security Centre

Home Affairs deputy secretary the first woman to lead top security agency.

Rachel Noble will head the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

The government’s top cyber security agency, the Australian Cyber Security Centre, will be led by a woman for the first time with the appointment of Home Affairs deputy secretary Rachel Noble as its new head.

Australian Signals Directorate director-general Mike Burgess announced the appointment to staff today, describing Ms Noble as a “highly respected public servant with a strong and long background in cyber, science, technology, national security and defence”.

“I’m delighted that Rachel’s agreed to return to ASD to take this important and challenging role,” Mr Burgess said. “The cyber threat is real and Rachel is ideally qualified to confront it.”

Ms Noble takes over from outgoing ACSC head Alastair MacGibbon, who is leaving for the private sector.

She has previously worked for ASD twice before and was awarded the prestigious Public Service Medal for work at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, where she coordinated whole of government policy on cyber issues and improved information sharing among the national security agencies.

Ms Noble will become Australia’s top cyber security adviser at a time of unprecedented threat from so-called “hybrid warfare”.

Prior to serving in government, Ms Noble worked for Optus. She has a Masters of Business Administration in Technology Management and a Bachelor of Science with Honours.

An intelligence source said the appointment of someone with a strong background in both cyber and national security “reflects the current threat environment”, which has seen recent high-profile hacks on the Australian Parliament and the Australian National University.