ANZ nabs tech heavyweight from Defence Dept

Maria Milosavljevic
ANZ's newly appointed CISO, Maria Milosavljevic

ANZ has announced the appointment current Defence Department data chief Maria Milosavljevic as its next chief information security officer (CISO).

As CISO, Milosavljevic will be charged with building out ANZ’s information security strategy alongside supporting the bank’s digital transformation agenda.

She reports directly to ANZ’s group executive technology, Gerard Florian.

Milosavljevic joins the big four bank from the public sector, currently serving as the DoD’s inaugural chief data integration officer. In this role, she has been responsible for driving the Department’s data and analytics transformation, including plying her expertise in AI, and leading data governance.

Prior to joining defence, the long-time public servant was CISO and chief data officer at Services Australia, and the inaugural Government CISO at the NSW Government, where she established a new whole-of-government function responsible for cybersecurity.

Milosavljevic replaces Lynwen Connick as ANZ’s CISO. Connick, who is set to retire in October, served six years in the role.

Commenting on her new appointment in a LinkedIn post, Milosavljevic said she wasprivileged to soon follow in Lynwen Connick’s footsteps”.

“I’ve loved my time in Defence”, Milosavljevic added in her post, “a truly worthy organisation filled with very committed individuals who are inspirational in the truest sense of the word.”

She added that she will take time off before her commencing with ANZ at the end of August.

Florian praised Connick for her “significant impact on the bank over the past six years”.

“Her cybersecurity expertise has been a tremendous asset for both ANZ and our customers at a time of great change in the industry, and we wish her continued success in her retirement,” Florian said.