Optus appoints Pieter van der Merwe as Chief Security & Risk Officer

Optus has appointed Pieter van der Merwe as its new Chief Security & Risk Officer.

Pieter van der Merwe is currently serving as Chief Security Officer at Woolworths and has previously held senior leadership roles at KPMG, IBM, and Dimension Data. He is set to join Optus later this year, directly reporting to Chief Executive Officer Stephen Rue.

In a message communicated to all employees, Stephen Rue stated that the appointment supports Optus's efforts to further strengthen and protect the security of the company and its customers. The move is seen as significant, given the increasing focus on data protection and privacy in the telecommunications industry.

"Pieter's appointment marks an important milestone in structuring our business to support our strategic needs and the championing of our customers," said Rue.

He continued, "Pieter brings extensive experience leading security efforts for organisations trusted by millions of customers, where privacy, data protection, compliance, and governance are non-negotiables."

Rue also emphasised Optus's commitment as a major Australian telecommunications provider to data security and customer trust. "As Australia's second largest telco, we have a commitment to safeguard data and privacy, support digital inclusion and uphold trust with our customers and key stakeholders," said Rue.

"I am confident Pieter's appointment and the extensive experience he brings will strengthen our business and further enhance our security posture across all actions that can damage our business and impact our customers," he added.

Pieter van der Merwe's appointment follows other recent changes in Optus's executive leadership, including the addition of former NBN executive Kathrine Dyer as Chief Operating Officer earlier this year.