The Health Service Executive has appointed cyber security and resilience specialist Neal Mullen as its new chief information security officer (CISO) to lead the charge in safeguarding Ireland’s healthcare infrastructure.

Mr Mullen will report to HSE deputy CEO and chief technology and transformation officer Damien McCallion and will develop and implement robust cybersecurity strategies to ensure the secure and resilient delivery of services to both the organisation and the public, an HSE spokesperson said.

He will be focused on enhancing the organisation’s cybersecurity maturity through “proactive measures and strategic initiatives” to protect sensitive health data.

According to HSE, Mr Mullen is a cyber, risk and resilience professional, with over 25 years’ global experience working within the healthcare, construction, technology and retail sectors.

He worked as group deputy director of ICT operations for St Vincent’s University Hospital for seven years, with KPMG as a security and resilience specialist, and in roles with Bertelsmann, Dunnes Stores and CRH.

He holds an MSc in Technology and Innovation Management, Certified Cyber Risk Officer, NIST Certified Security Expert, holds the MBCI and DBCI accreditations and was entered into the Business Continuity Institute Hall of Fame in 2019 for recognition of his contribution to the resilience industry.

He also serves as a cybersecurity advisory board director for the Safehouse Initiative, a US-based not-for-profit helping businesses improve operational resilience in the face of cybersecurity threats.

HSE recently released a Cyber Security Statement of Strategic Intent, outlining a three-year plan to help it implement the recommendations of the independent post-incident review (PIR) into the 2021 Conti ransomware attack.

It also revealed it had spent €55 million on cybersecurity in 2023, the largest amount ever invested in cybersecurity in the health service.