Abigail Bradshaw will be appointed the new Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), succeeding Rachel Noble. Subject to approval by the Federal Executive Council, the change will take effect on September 6, 2024. The Australian Government announced the appointment on August 27, 2024.
Bradshaw has served as Deputy Director-General of the ASD and Head of ASD’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) since March 2020. The government says she has played a pivotal role in developing partnerships between it and industries domestically and internationally. Bradshaw has led ASD’s response to nationally significant cyber security incidents and spearheaded the government’s cyber security partnership with industry, forging critical partnerships that underpin Australia’s national resilience.
“I congratulate Abigail Bradshaw on her appointment as Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. “At a time of increasingly complex geostrategic challenges, Ms Bradshaw’s expertise in cyber and national security matters will be critically important in leading ASD to continue protecting our nation.”
Bradshaw’s experience in cyber security, intelligence and national security includes roles in the Royal Australian Navy, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
Albanese also thanked outgoing ASD Director General Rachel Noble, saying she had “led ASD with distinction over almost five years.”
During her tenure, Noble, the first female to head an Australian statutory intelligence agency, oversaw the growth of the Australian Cyber Security Centre. She also oversaw the development and delivery of ASD’s transformation under the REDSPICE program, the largest-ever investment in Australia’s signals intelligence and cyber capability.
A new head of ASD’s ACSC will be appointed in due course.
