Aura attracts top talent, expands New Zealand team

With two key new hires, Aura Information Security is further boosting its ability to meet growing customer demand in a white-hot market.

Marnu Havenga and Stephen Coates both join the company as Senior Security Consultants. Both will be based out of Aura’s Auckland office.

Aura Information Security General Manager Peter Bailey says the new hires come at a good time, with demand for expert cyber security advice and support skyrocketing.

“Aura is very much in growth mode, largely due to the prevalence of cyber-attacks and an increased understanding of cyber risk amongst New Zealand businesses,” says Peter.

“We know both Marnu and Stephen will add an extra dimension to the world-class work that’s already being produced by the team on a daily basis. Not only are they highly qualified with extensive experience in both local and international markets, they have a proven track record in delivering customer solutions and are highly regarded by their industry peers. They join Aura at an exciting time and are well positioned to add immediate value to our customer base.”

Aura Information Security is New Zealand’s foremost provider of cyber security consulting services and has a team of more than 30 expert consultants based in Wellington, Auckland, Sydney and Melbourne. The company is an independent division of mission-critical technology solutions provider, Kordia.

Marnu Havenga

Havenga comes to Aura with a technical infrastructure security background and has extensive experience working with small and medium-sized organisations.

Bringing nearly two decades of senior IT experience, his specialty is providing 'Secure by Design' advice for infrastructure projects. He is also proficient in the strategic design, development, deployment and ongoing management of all information security measures, including mission-critical defensive security and compliance governance, as well as implementation of ISMS and ISO27001.

Havenga has previously worked with Healthscope New Zealand, Maclean Computing, Benefit IT and was the Global Head of IT at HIFX Limited.

Stephen Coates

Coates joins Aura from Gallagher Group, where he served as Information Security Manager. A Chartered IT Professional, Coates is highly qualified, holding many industry certifications alongside his Master of Science in Applied Computing and MBA.

With many years of experience in information security, cloud, risk management, privacy and GDPR, e-commerce, IT infrastructure and IT Service Management, Coates has held senior positions at Waikato District Health Board, and has also worked with RWE, npower, and P&O Ferries.

Peter Bailey notes that qualified and experienced people are a key differentiator in achieving ‘defence in depth’ and sound organisational security for effective protection against today’s multifaceted attacks.

“A good deal of technology is involved in securing any organisation, but the capability of our people is the most crucial factor. That’s why it is exciting to bring Marnu and Stephen on board; their skills and experience are a valuable addition to an already formidably talented team.”

He says there is more recruitment in the pipeline for Kordia, both at senior and junior levels, across the company’s Auckland, Wellington and Australian offices.

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