New manager starts on 1 September 2026
Health-ISAC has hired Simon Cowley as its Asia Pacific health sector security and partnerships manager from 1 September 2026.
Cowley is based in the Melbourne area and reports to Paul Chua, Health-ISAC’s APAC operations director.
The organisation will use Cowley as its main representative across Australia and New Zealand. He will also support broader operations across Western Pacific nations.
His brief includes supporting Health-ISAC’s growth, operational resilience and member community across the region.
Role covers Australia, New Zealand and Western Pacific
According to Health-ISAC, Cowley will help shape long-term strategies to improve medical device security, privacy and patient safety across medical device manufacturers and health delivery organisations.
He will also provide regional insight on the strategic threat environment and build ties with senior health leaders, government agencies, CERTs and law enforcement.
Before joining Health-ISAC, Cowley worked at Victoria’s Department of Health on strategy, cybersecurity assurance, threat intelligence and incident response.
In 2021, he implemented a medical device security assurance program across Victoria’s public health sector to reduce critical cyber risks.
Earlier in his career, Cowley spent more than 15 years as a biomedical engineer focused on healthcare technology management.
Health-ISAC president and chief executive Denise Anderson said the group had made a commitment to Australia and the wider APAC region by bringing Cowley into the organisation.
Anderson said Cowley had supported Health-ISAC for years as a member and would now share his expertise with the community in a deeper way.
Chief security officer Errol Weiss said the global health system needed strong local presence and specialised operational expertise. He pointed to Cowley’s background in medical device security assurance as a key reason for the appointment.
Weiss also said Cowley’s regional knowledge would help drive resilience and expand support for members.
Cowley said he was joining at a critical time for Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region as the health sector responds to cybersecurity attacks.
He said his career in medical device security and health technology had shown him the value of collaboration and intelligence sharing in protecting patient safety.
Health-ISAC plans to introduce Cowley and its APAC operations team to members at the annual Health-ISAC APAC Summit on the Gold Coast from 15 March to 19 March 2027.
