Aerospace company Boeing has appointed Mark Cross as its chief information security officer (CISO) for the Australia, New Zealand, and South Pacific region.
Cross announced his new position via LinkedIn, stating he is “looking forward to the challenges ahead and continuing to strengthen Boeing’s information security posture in the region.”
A Boeing spokesperson told iTnews that in his new role, Cross will report to directly to the information security global regulatory and cyber security strategies senior manager Jeff Yacobucci, in Washington DC as well as to Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific business partner and country leader Shirley Ferrier.
The spokesperson said Cross “is responsible for providing information and cyber security leadership and guidance for the Boeing organisation in the Australia, New Zealand, and South Pacific region”.
He will deliver cyber security strategies and direction “specific for Boeing Australia Holdings, Boeing Defence Australia, Insitu Pacific Limited and other subsidiaries in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific”
Part of his new role will include managing and developing Boeing’s cyber security programme in these regions, ensuring compliance and overseeing incident response activities.
The Boeing spokesperson said Cross is “an accomplished information security leader with more than 26 years of Information technology and operational technology experience.”
“Prior to the CISO role, Mark has supported Boeing and our customers as the [business information security officer] BISO within the Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific regions, leading and advising on all facets of information security”.
The CISO position was previously performed as a dual role by the company’s Australian IT and data analytics leaders.
The company decided to carve out a “dedicated CISO role”, deeming it “critical to supporting Boeing’s information security as well as aligning with Australian government obligations”.
“It supports our customer’s expectations to deliver secure products and critical services,” the spokesperson added, as well as “signals the strategic importance and investment Boeing places on information security, especially in support of the Asia Pacific’s heightened security environment.”
Cross first joined Boeing in late 2020 as its senior cyber security assessment specialist, holding the role for a year until shifting into the BISO spot in early 2022.
