Backed by LVP funds, Island Bell Advisers and Seisma have joined forces, bringing together strategic advisory capabilities with deep technical expertise and cyber security services, to create a new Australian-owned cyber security and technology business.
The acquisition significantly expands Island Bell’s capability and scale. The combined business will work with Boards, executives and technology leaders from strategy and complex decision-making through to technical implementation and ongoing cyber security services.
Charlie O’Connell has been appointed CEO, with former Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate Rachel Noble joining Island Bell as Special Adviser.
Island Bell was founded to provide experienced, independent advice to organisations dealing with complex and high-consequence problems. Its advisers have held senior roles across government, national security, technology, business, law enforcement and crisis management.
Seisma brings hundreds of technology professionals and deep capability across cyber security, cloud, data, engineering, platforms, architecture and technology delivery.
Together, the businesses will offer clients a distinctly Australian alternative: combining senior strategic advice with the capability to implement and operate the solutions that follow.
.png)
James Scott, Chair, said:
"AI is reshaping the technology landscape at extraordinary speed, and the cyber security threats and vulnerabilities this presents make it a key strategic issue for every Australian Board.
“In Island Bell, we see a significant opportunity to build a genuinely Australian-owned Trans-Tasman technology and cyber security business with the capability and scale to compete in markets that have traditionally been dominated by large global firms. By leveraging our existing Seisma workforce and footprint, this ensures we have the balance sheet and scale to service our clients on day one.
“Sovereign capability matters. Australian organisations should have the choice of working with an Australian-owned partner that understands the local environment, can provide independent advice and has the technical capability to deliver.”
Charlie O’Connell, CEO, said:
“This is a significant step forward for Island Bell. The Seisma merger significantly expands what we can offer clients. We can now combine strategic advice and independent judgement with deep technical capability and cyber security services.
“We are deliberately building a boutique business. Bigger isn’t necessarily better when you are dealing with sensitive, complex problems. Our ambition is to combine scale where it matters with the trust, discretion, agility and personal attention of a specialist adviser.
“We want to be the cyber security partner clients turn to when the stakes are high - providing practical, tailored advice based on experience, not generic frameworks or onesize- fits-all solutions.
“Our proposition is quite simple: experienced people, independent judgement and practical solutions. We want to help clients understand what really matters, what they need to do about it, and then help them do it.”
Rachel Noble, Special Adviser, said:
“Australia’s cyber threat is changing at extraordinary speed, and artificial intelligence is accelerating that change. Australian organisations need clear-eyed, independent advice about their cyber posture and the resilience of the services they rely on.
“Australia benefits from having more choice in cyber security. We want Island Bell to be part of a stronger, more diverse Australian cyber ecosystem - one that can support organisations in normal times and scale when the country is under pressure.
“I’m particularly pleased to be joining an Australian-owned firm at a time when sovereignty and resilience are becoming increasingly vital. We should be building capability here that Australians can rely on when it matters most.”
A different model for cyber security
Island Bell works with Boards and executive teams when the stakes are high, circumstances are changing quickly and there is no obvious answer.
Cyber security is at the core of the business, but its approach recognises that major cyber and technology issues rarely remain purely technical, which includes the benefits and challenges of artificial intelligence. They can quickly become operational, regulatory, government, commercial and reputational challenges.
The firm brings together advisers and practitioners with real-world experience leading organisations, responding to incidents, building security capabilities and operating at senior levels of government and industry.
The addition of Seisma means that advice can increasingly be carried through to execution.
O’Connell said the ambition was not to create another large, generalist consulting firm.
“We want to retain what makes a specialist adviser valuable: independence, judgement, discretion and personal accountability, while giving our people the technical depth and scale to solve much larger problems.
“That means being able to sit with a Board or CEO and help them understand the problem, help them decide what to do about it, and then have the capability to actually do it.”
Australian and New Zealand capability
The combined business will remain Australian-owned and focused on building sovereign capability in Australia and New Zealand.
Noble said maintaining strong domestic cyber security capability was increasingly important as cyber threats, geopolitical uncertainty and emerging technologies placed greater pressure on governments, businesses and critical infrastructure.
“Resilience is partly about choice. Australia needs a strong and diverse cyber security industry, with Australian-owned organisations capable of responding when the country and its institutions are under pressure.”