Episode 168: Ryan O’Kell

Ryan has almost 10 years’ experience within the Cyber Security and IT space. With a lifelong love of IT and Cyber Security, Ryan built his career with the goal of exposing himself to as many environments and unique technologies as possible, preparing himself for a successful pivot into the Cyber Security space. After pivoting in 2020, Ryan quickly grew into the role of Head of Cyber Security (APAC) for Waterstons Australia and now leads a small team of security engineers. He is known for being an innovative, empathic leader who is focused on continuing to build the Australian team and services through the adoption of bleeding edge training, technologies and techniques. Passionate about everything tech, Ryan has deep experience in cyber security. His strengths include Open Source Investigation, Security Operations, Incident Management and Penetration Testing. Eager to share his knowledge and insight wherever possible, Ryan frequently provides mentoring and training within the industry to colleagues and students alike, having previously led workshops, presentations and competitive hacking teams through Cyber Security competitions. Having joined Waterstons Australia in it’s infancy, Ryan has leveraged his knowledge and team to build and deliver new services to clients globally, including intelligence led scanning, penetration testing and BAU Security Operations. Deeply curious and fascinated with the Internet and Cyber Security, Ryan spends large amounts of his spare time contributing to bug bounties, participating in competitive hacking with his team, attending talks and presentations and eagerly exploring the Internet.