Macquarie Government appoints Dr Chris Peiris for Azure
Macquarie Government has appointed Dr Chris Peiris as Microsoft Security and Azure Lead, with a focus on the federal and state public sector.
He brings more than 20 years of cybersecurity experience across government advisory work, large technology companies and academia. His remit includes expanding Microsoft security and Azure work across public sector customers, where demand is shaped by compliance requirements and the handling of sensitive workloads.
Before joining Macquarie Government, Dr Peiris was Cybersecurity Advisor to the Department of Defence, providing IRAP compliance support and Azure and SAP security architecture for major Australian Defence Force projects. He also served as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Canberra.
His commercial career includes more than a decade at Microsoft, where he was APJ Cybersecurity Lead and worked on Azure cloud security initiatives for strategic enterprise customers. More recently, he was APJ Head of Microsoft Workloads at AWS, overseeing migration and modernisation work for public sector organisations.
Security focus
Dr Peiris also held the role of National Security Lead at Avanade, where he built a Cyber Fusion Centre based on Microsoft Sentinel. Macquarie Government noted that his experience in Azure security architecture is clearance-ready, an important factor for agencies operating in regulated environments.
The appointment comes as public sector bodies continue moving systems and data into cloud environments while facing tighter scrutiny on cyber risk, compliance and resilience. Frameworks such as IRAP and the Essential Eight remain central to procurement and system design for government agencies and contractors.
Dr Peiris holds a PhD in Cybersecurity and Cloud Computing and has written 12 books on cloud and cyber topics. His latest is titled Threat Hunting in the Cloud: Defending AWS, Azure and Other Cloud Platforms Against Cyberattacks.
Business strategy
In his new role, he will work within Macquarie Government, a division of Macquarie Technology Group, as the business deepens its Microsoft security and Azure presence in government accounts. The company has been positioning itself around cloud, cybersecurity and communications services for public sector customers.
Dr Peiris said cloud adoption and cyber defence should be treated as the same priority.
"I'm thrilled to join a team that shares my belief that security and cloud innovation aren't separate, competing priorities. They're the same priority," said Chris Peiris, Microsoft Security and Azure Lead, Macquarie Government. "Australia is at a pivotal moment in its digital transformation journey, particularly within government, and Macquarie Government is actively helping organisations navigate that complexity with confidence, clarity, and world-class security capabilities infused with industry leading Artificial Intelligence innovations."
Agency demands
He also highlighted the demands facing agencies working with sensitive systems and strict control frameworks.
"Having spent years working alongside Defence, National Security and Intelligence agencies, I've seen firsthand how the stakes couldn't be higher when it comes to securing sensitive workloads and navigating complex frameworks like IRAP and the Essential Eight," said Peiris. "That's exactly what drives our work at Macquarie Government, and I'm genuinely excited to bring my experience to the company. I'm not interested in just helping agencies check compliance boxes. I want to help them build resilient, future-ready cloud environments they can stake their reputations on."
Managing Director Aidan Tudehope said the appointment reflected Macquarie Government's focus on customers facing a more complex security and compliance environment.
"We're delighted to welcome Chris to the team. His combination of hands-on experience, expert knowledge, strategic sales methodology, and proven success is extremely rare," said Aidan Tudehope, Managing Director, Macquarie Government. "It is exactly what our customers need as they navigate an increasingly complex AI-driven security and compliance landscape. This appointment reflects our commitment to our clients and our people, and we're confident Chris' expertise will support our customers' AI-powered digital transformation goals."