Commvault Welcomes Gareth Russell to New APAC-Wide Security Role

Commvault, a leading provider of data protection and cyber resilience solutions for hybrid cloud organisations, today announced the appointment of Gareth Russell as Field Chief Technology Officer, Security for Asia Pacific (APAC). This newly created role reflects Commvault’s commitment to extending its deep technical expertise in data security and cyber resilience to more customers and partners in the region – critical in the ransomware era.

A seasoned cybersecurity veteran, Russell brings years of extensive experience in cyber strategy, risk management, cyber resilience, and digital transformation to Commvault in the APAC region. With a proven track record of helping organisations and governments across Asia Pacific define and manage their cyber risk postures, Russell has extensive experience in implementing, transforming, and operating capabilities, including embedding cyber security into organisational culture.

“I am excited to bring my experience to Commvault, especially at a time when cyber risks are intensifying in our region. My focus will be on enhancing cyber resilience strategies including helping organisations across APAC strengthen their recovery capabilities. These days, when it comes to cyberattacks, it’s not a matter of if but when, and I look forward to working with enterprises to advance their cyber readiness and preparedness,” said Russell.

The recent State of Data Readiness market analysis by Commvault & Tech Research Asia has identified critical lapses in cyberattack recovery efforts across APAC organisations.

According to the report, cyber resiliency awareness is on the rise across ANZ, but maturity levels remain low. The data reveals 50% of organisations have a “very immature” cyber resiliency capability level, and only 4% believe they have a proactive, mature capability. The data also shows that cyberattacks are not abating, with many organisations still vulnerable to significant breaches, especially targeting backup and production data.

Additionally, 62% of Australian and 68% of New Zealand organisations report at least one cyberattack in the last 12 months, and respondents in Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam suffered the most attacks on data environments including production, secondary, and backups. Of those organisations that experienced a cyberattack, only 35% successfully recovered 100% of their data.

A key priority for Russell in his new role is to work with organisations to strengthen their cyber resilience strategy and help them safeguard against this increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber threats.

“We have made significant strides in recent months to assemble a senior team with unparalleled skills and experience. Gareth’s appointment furthers the expertise we can provide to our customers and partners as they work to keep their data safe and secure,” said Martin Creighan, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Commvault.