Ross Widdows

Ross is a Cyber Security Partner with BDO in Sydney. He helps clients move beyond generic compliance to build tailored, threat-informed resilience that truly protects their business. This is done by identifying the specific adversaries targeting their industry and region, understanding their motives and attack methods, and aligning defences accordingly.

By combining strategy, risk insight, and deep technical expertise, Ross works with business leaders to build secure, scalable, and trusted digital environments that enable growth, resilience, and confidence.

With 18 years of experience, Ross has held operational and consulting roles across cyber security and technology in the UK, Europe, and the Middle East.

Expertise

• Cyber strategy and governance
• Cloud and emerging tech security
• Cyber resilience and incident readiness
• Cyber and technology tooling, including managed services
• Specialising in sectors:
  • Financial Services
  • Technology, Media & Telecommunications
  • Manufacturing & Wholesale
  • Retail

Experience

• Worked with a major Australian telecommunications company to conduct red teaming services to evaluate the effectiveness of defences against nation-state actors to protect critical Australian infrastructure.
• Collaborated with a prominent manufacturing provider to develop a new cyber strategy that supports the business's evolving needs and addresses emerging cyber threats.
• Advised a leading Australian retailer on cyber maturity in preparation for SOCI Act reporting requirements.
• Assessed and enhanced physical cyber security measures at key locations that housed core infrastructure for a large Australian telecommunications provider.
• Supported many cross-sector clients to implement and manage security tools, such as Microsoft Sentinel.

Qualifications and affiliations

• AWS Certified Security Specialty - Amazon Web Services | In Progress
• Various Microsoft security career paths, including AZ500 and security engineer associate.
• Certified Ethical Hacker - EC-Council | 2014
• COSO Internal Control Certificate IIA Australia | 2017
• ITIL Foundation - APM Group | 2008