Kordia Strengthens Cyber Security Division With New Leadership Appointments

Kordia has made two new senior appointments to its Cyber Security business, with Patric Balmer and Elaine McCarthy joining the business as Head of Cyber Managed Services and Head of Delivery – Cloud and Cyber Security. 

“We’re ecstatic to have Patric and Elaine join the team. Their depth of experience in cyber security and delivering exceptional services to customers will help drive the success of our managed security offering,” says Glen White, Executive General Manager – Cyber Security and Cloud at Kordia. 

“Kordia’s approach is to help businesses stay secure with effective support across all aspects of information security, from risk and governance to 24/7 x 365 monitoring and incident response. That’s why we look for the best cyber talent in New Zealand to ensure our customers stay secure.”

Patric Balmer brings to Kordia over 25 years of experience in the ICT and cyber security industry, having previously held senior roles at Dimension Data, NTT and Liquid IT. Most recently he was Spark’s Managed Security Services Practice Lead for their cyber defence division. 

Balmer has extensive experience working to develop effective security services and solutions for both private sector and public organisations, helping businesses develop defensive layers to protect their valuable data and systems. 

In his new role at Kordia, Balmer will be responsible for ensuring Kordia’s managed cyber security services are underpinned by the right technology tools and expertise, so that the company can deliver best in breed solutions to its customers.

“I’m excited to bring my expertise to such an iconic New Zealand organisation such as Kordia, with a strong focus on cyber security. I’m looking forward to collaborating with the talented cyber professionals working in Kordia’s Cyber Defence Operations and Cloud teams, as well as the consultants at Aura Information Security, as we continue driving innovation and excellence in the cyber space for New Zealand organisations.”

Elaine McCarthy joins Kordia, where she held several key roles leading transformation and driving improvement for organisations across Australia and New Zealand most recently at Computer Concepts as the Head of IT Managed Services across Public and Private Cloud, Security, Cyber and Modern Work. 

McCarthy is a people centric leader, who brings a track record of driving excellence driving excellence for customers, centred through a lens of building mutually beneficial partnerships. McCarthy has experience leading high performing technology teams and was a finalist in the Reseller News Awards for Management Excellence in 2022. 

In her new role, McCarthy will be responsible for evolving Kordia’s delivery practice for Kordia’s managed Cyber Security and Cloud divisions, as well as Kordia’s independent consultancy Aura Information Security.

“I’m looking forward to helping Kordia continually seek better ways of working with our customers and driving results. What attracted me to Kordia was the passion and sense of purpose the team has for what they do – helping businesses stay safe and secure against cyber threats and navigate complexity in the cloud is truly impactful work. I’m looking forward to building great relationships with Kordia’s customers over the next few months.” 

Cyber business consolidates with Cloud

In addition to onboarding fresh senior talent into the team, White says Kordia’s Cyber Security division has been merged with its Cloud division, to create synergy for customers and offer complete solutions across the comprehensive range of services Kordia offers. 

Kordia’s Cloud division, established with the acquisition of boutique cloud consultancy EMRGE in 2020, has become one of the company’s fastest growing business units, offering a range of strategy, transformation and managed services to help customers adopt cloud-based operations in an efficient, effective and secure manner.

“Kiwi businesses are navigating a rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape, while simultaneously trying to shift workloads to the cloud and leverage new technologies like AI. Maintaining a strong cyber security posture and resilience against incoming attacks has never been more important, and proper governance and implementation of cloud environments is a major factor in achieving that,” says White.

About Kordia 

Kordia is a leading provider of innovative technology solutions to a wide range of corporate and government clients throughout New Zealand, Australia, and the wider Pacific. With more than 65 years’ experience in keeping New Zealand connected, Kordia is continually evolving its product and service offering to meet the changing needs of businesses in an always-on world. Today, Kordia’s offering in the mission-critical technology space spans cloud, cyber security, modern workplace, media, broadcast, maritime, and more. Underpinning all Kordia does is its people – a team of more than 480 technology experts who are trusted by some of New Zealand’s biggest brands to keep them connected and secure online. As a State-Owned Enterprise, Kordia is a proudly New Zealand owned business that exists to help Kiwi businesses create, innovate, flourish and thrive, and provide value to the shareholder. For more information visit: www.kordia.co.nz 

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