Katja Feldtmann

Cyber Security is no longer a nice to have; it’s a necessity for New Zealand businesses. University of Waikato alumna Katja Feldtmann is at the forefront of security assurance, compliance, risk and audits.

The founder of Cybershore, a cyber security consultancy based in Whanganui, Katja is on a mission to improve the security posture of New Zealand.

“Many New Zealand businesses see their cyber security requirements as a burden, but it’s an area of operations that can help a business add value and increase efficiency,” explains Katja.

I’ve approached cyber security with a business mindset, so the focus is on working with businesses to enable them to strike the right balance between risk and benefits.

A highly-respected IT auditor and cyber security consultant with more than 11 years of experience in information security audits, governance, risk and compliance, and digital business, Katja is also passionate about uplifting the quality of security consulting work in New Zealand and encouraging more women into the profession.

“It’s a profession that enables me to help organisations and people be secure online and to protect the information of New Zealanders," she says.

"I have the opportunity to work with different clients from different professional and cultural backgrounds and take a strategic approach to ensure an organisation’s security priorities align with business goals. It’s a career that has a lot of variety and never gets boring.”

Integral to Katja’s career success is her Master of Digital Business from Waikato Management School, a qualification she completed online while working back home in Germany.

It was such a great mix, diverse topics and working with people from all walks of life. I liked the flexibility that meant I could often leverage work I have previously done as part of working in the industry to complete assignments.

"I learned quite a bit about new technologies, like Bitcoin, and even the agile manifesto, areas I didn't know much about before."

Post-study on her return to New Zealand, Katja worked as a senior consultant at Quantum Security and as an IT Security Manager at Vector, prior to founding Cybershore in 2021.

“Working internally enabled me to see how security is done hands-on in an organisation rather than just having the birds eye consultant view," says Katja.

“The future of cyber security here in New Zealand is exciting. We’re a small yet responsive economy so any practical and actionable cyber security advice that organisations adopt can have immediate impact on their people and their processes."

"It’s a dynamic industry that’s continually evolving and requires me to stay at the forefront of learning and development in this space. It’s an industry I see so much potential in and am excited to see where it goes in the future.”

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