CREST Australia New Zealand (CREST ANZ) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening Australia’s cyber security capability, announcing an ambitious programme of professional standards, industry engagement and talent development initiatives during its 2025 Annual General Meeting.

Addressing members, Chair David McEwen reflected on another year of strong organisational progress, highlighting continued growth in membership, increasing industry influence and an expanding role in supporting government, enterprise and the broader cyber security ecosystem.

The AGM showcased CREST ANZ’s strategic priorities for FY26 and beyond, centred on three key areas – raising professional standards across the cyber security industry, creating stronger pathways for emerging talent, and deepening engagement with government, insurers and regulators.

CEO George Bej presented several major initiatives that will underpin CREST ANZ’s future direction, including the introduction of the Accredited Best of Breed Penetration Tester (ABPT) programme.

“Australia’s cyber security landscape continues to evolve at an extraordinary pace. Organisations are demanding greater assurance that the professionals entrusted with protecting their critical systems possess not only outstanding technical skills, but also the professionalism, judgement and integrity required to operate in high-trust environments.”

Members also confirmed the election and re-election of several Directors, strengthening the governance and industry representation of the organisation. David McEwen, Martin Boyd and Daminda Kumara were re-elected, while Bob Ledger, Troy Vanderplas, Jayaprakash Muthusamy and Gurpreet Singh were elected to the Board.

“The strength of CREST ANZ lies in its members and its unwavering commitment to raising standards across Australia’s cyber security profession,” Bej said. “We look forward to working closely with government, industry and our members as we continue building a stronger, more trusted and more resilient cyber security ecosystem.”