Secretary Nominee
Evan Rowse
Evan is a seasoned professional with over 14 years of experience in leading change, fostering trust, and implementing hands-on Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) process improvements across various industry sectors. He holds 3 certifications from ISACA including, CISM, CGEIT and CISA.
Evan has been a board member on our Chapter team for the past 6 years. He has demonstrated his capability in various roles, from web administration and not-for-profit status management to internal systems improvements and event hosting.
Motivated to serve as the secretary of the board, Evan aims to leverage his understanding of the chapter and is dedicated to ensuring that the board operates smoothly, maintains clear and effective communication, and adheres to best practices. His goal is to foster a collaborative environment where the board team can effectively support our mission and drive innovation for the benefit of our members.
Treasurer Nominee
Jacob Samuel
As the Treasurer for the ISACA Auckland Chapter for the last three years, I have been instrumental in steering the financial health of our community. As a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), coupled with my credentials as a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA), I have been able to bring a unique blend of skills to the table.
My responsibilities have included managing our financial assets, overseeing bank transactions, filing tax returns, maintaining business licenses, and ensuring that our chapter has adequate insurance coverage. I have handled these duties with utmost care, precision, and integrity, understanding that any financial discrepancies could have serious consequences for our chapter and its members.
I am seeking re-election as I am confident in my ability to further enhance the financial prosperity and transparency of our chapter. With a decade of membership in the ISACA Auckland Chapter, I am committed to leveraging my skills and experiences to foster digital trust in our community of IS/IT professionals. My goal is to continue to uphold our chapter's financial stability and contribute towards making the digital world safe, secure and inclusive for all our members.
Immediate Past President
Jason Wood
Jason Wood, MBA, CA, CPA, CISA, CITP, CIA, CFF, CDPSE, has been the Chair and President of ISACA Auckland for the past four years, chairing the Governance & Strategy Committee and the Membership & Sponsorship Committee. Dedicated to ISACA globally for over 20 years, he has contributed to writing CISA exam questions and previously served as President of the ISACA Central New York chapter. Jason looks forward to guiding the next generation of ISACA leaders as the Past President of ISACA Auckland.Jason is an accomplished auditor and consultant with over 27 years of international experience in complex assessments and compliance with laws, regulations, standards, and frameworks. He is a people-focused leader, providing supervision and coaching that foster individual growth, and a client-focused leader, adept at managing clients' needs and expectations. Jason authored the book “IT Auditing and Application Controls for Small and Mid-Sized Enterprises” and published an article on cloud computing with the American Accounting Association. His deep expertise in IT domains, including security, change management, operations, and business continuity, is complemented by extensive experience in controls assurance engagements, particularly SOC2.
Committed to governance and leveraging global business acumen, Jason has provided leadership to boards, offering objective, independent insights that drive high-thriving cultures. With a strong background in accounting, IT transformation, digital assessments, and regulatory compliance, Jason excels in bridging academic theory with real-world application, fostering critical thinking and practical understanding in learners. He is the Managing Director of Triple Ledger Limited, continuously dedicated to delivering world-class education and support to future leaders.
Board Member Nominees
Rishad Smartt
Rishad is a highly experienced professional with over 17 years of industry and consulting expertise in major banks and financial institutions in Auckland, New Zealand. In his role as the Head of Risk & Compliance for the AA, he focuses on enhancing organisational maturity in various disciplines of Risk & Compliance.
As Past President of the ISACA Auckland Chapter, Rishad played a pivotal role in organising CACS 2019, Auckland's largest conference dedicated to Technology, Cybersecurity, and IT Governance. Rishad has been on the Board of ISACA Auckland for over 10 years and is his role as Secretary, President and Past President is largely responsible for the strategic direction of the Chapter over the last 10 years.
Rishad is an APMG accredited trainer for ISACA qualifications, including the Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE) and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA). Additionally, he holds the ISO 22301 (Business Continuity) Lead Implementer certification and is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) through the Institute of Internal Auditors. Rishad attained his BBA Honours in Business Management from the globally recognised Lancaster School of Management (LUMS).
With a profound passion for Governance, Risk & Compliance, Rishad's team was honoured with the 'Excellence in Governance' Award from the Financial Services Council, winning in 2022 and becoming a finalist in 2023. Members of his team are also consistently recognized in industry awards for efforts in advancing the Governance of Enterprise IT (GEIT).
On a personal note, Rishad enjoys family time with his wife and three kids and enjoys dedicating his spare time to martial arts practice. He is also an active leader for the Captain Musick Air Scouts, Kea Section, in his local community of Half Moon Bay, actively participating in #giving back initiatives.
Nelson Mendonca
Nelson is an experienced IT Professional with over two decades of expertise across various geographies, primarily in the Banking and Financial Services Industry [BFSI]. In addition to a Master’s degree in Information Security and Digital Forensics from the Auckland University of Technology, he is a CRISC since 2016 and a bronze member of the ISACA Auckland Chapter.
He was an active volunteer at the ISACA Bangalore (India) Chapter conducting training sessions for CRISC aspirants, up until 2020 before moving to New Zealand.
In his current role as the (Acting) Head of Technology Risk at the Bank of New Zealand, he is committed on uplifting the maturity of Technology teams by supporting them to make data-driven risk-based decisions and enhancing their understanding of Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC).
He is skilled in IT Risk Management, Application Development & Management, IT Project Delivery and IT Service Management. These skills have contributed to his success in various roles and most recently, have been instrumental in winning the Chevron award at BNZ for exceptional performance.
On a personal note, Nelson enjoys spending time with his family, playing tennis with his boys, going on long cycle rides and wherever possible, volunteering in tree plantation drive across Auckland.
He would like to share his experience and give back to the professional community at ISACA Auckland Chapter – supporting as well as challenging the Executive Committee to do more and enhance the experience of the ISACA Auckland Chapter members.
Akarsha Palle
I, Akarsha Reddy Palle, am a Security Consultant in Auckland, New Zealand. I aspire to join the board of ISACA to help improve cybersecurity governance and give back to the security community. With a strong background in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), I have a deep commitment to strengthening organizational security.
As a Technology Risk Analyst at Southern Cross Health Insurance, I lead efforts to improve vendor security, ensuring they meet security standards. I have also worked with Grant Thornton New Zealand Limited, handling security frameworks such as PCI DSS, SOC2, and ISO27001. My proactive approach to security assessments and audits demonstrates my ability to anticipate and prevent cyber threats.
I am currently working towards the ISACA Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) certification, committed to continuous learning and aligning seamlessly with ISACA's mission to empower cybersecurity professionals worldwide. I actively participate in industry events and share my knowledge on LinkedIn to foster a cyber-resilient ecosystem and raise security awareness.
After being a volunteer with ISACA for more than two years being involved in the events that we do and also hosting few at Grant Thornton - I believe my diverse expertise, dedication, and strategic insight make me a valuable addition to the ISACA board. I aim to contribute towards shaping the future of cybersecurity governance and supporting the security community.
Richard Lockwood
Richard Lockwood, GM Cyber Security and Technology Risk at ASB.
ISACA CISM, Microsoft Azure Cloud, Lean Six Sigma and Cisco CCIE certifications.
I have over 25 years' experience in Cyber security and 12 years in Technology risk. I have worked for a number of organizations included Cray communications, Logical networks, IBM and ASB and built up a wealth of knowledge that I am keen to pass on.
I’m passionate about building up the knowledge base of the NZ risk community and supporting ISACA through assisting in organizing events as well as hosting events myself. In my role at ASB I have access to both facilities and security/risk professionals that are also eager to share their knowledge, with the recent ISACA event on AI risks and opportunities as an example.
I’m looking forward to continuing to serve on the ISACA board to deliver on our mission of the advancement of Digital trust by empowering IT professionals to grows their skills and knowledge.
Danielle Domingo
This is Danielle, I am this year's ISACA Auckland SheLeadsTech Liaison following the footsteps of Abby Zhang and Sandra Whitehead. I wanted to send in my application to be one of ISACA Auckland's Board Members.
My main motivation in applying for this role is being able to pay it forward. Being one of the past scholars of ISACA Auckland, I think and feel that it is appropriate for me to express my appreciation and gratitude by volunteering my time and commitment into helping ISACA Auckland thrive as a chapter in supporting the industry through events and trainings.