Rachael Falk

She advises Boards and executive teams on high-profile cyber incidents, governance reviews, and resilience, bringing deep operational, legal, and regulatory expertise.  She works closely with the Legal team advising on how to interpret and operationalise the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018.

Earlier in her career,  Rachael practised as a lawyer at Blake Dawson Waldron (Ashurst) then for over a decade as a Legal Counsel at Telstra Corporation Limited. Rachael Prior to joining Ashurst Perkins Coie, Rachael served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre for more than six years, where she ran a cyber security research organisation with a multi-year program collaborating between industry, government and academia.

During that time, Rachael was asked by the Australian government to lead an Independent Review of the Australian Government's response to two major cyber incidents. Her work informed significant reforms, including the introduction of Australia's Cyber Security Act and updates to the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act.

Rachael co-authored the Australian Institute of Company Directors & Ashurst Governing Through a Cyber Crisis and both editions of the Cyber Governance Principles. She serves as a Distinguished Advisor at the ANU National Security College and on the RAND Australia Advisory Board.