IT graduate powering ahead in industry

A commitment to creating new career opportunities in cybersecurity for First Nations people is just one of the many admirable achievements of Charles Sturt University graduate and award-winner Craig Ford.

As a so-called ‘ethical-hacker’, Craig has worked as a security engineer, cybersecurity journalist and novelist over a 20-year career focused on the pursuit of a safer and more equitable information security landscape.

Craig is currently the Chief Technology Officer at Baidam Solutions, an First Nations-owned and operated information technology business that delivers cybersecurity services to private, public sector and not-for-profit clients. Since joining Baidam three years ago, Craig has embraced the company’s mission to bridge the gap for First Nations peoples by contributing to the launch of the company’s Security Operations Centre, the first in Australia to be First Nation co-designed.

In 2023, Craig was awarded the Charles Sturt Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Creativity Award for his contributions to producing accessible information and learning tools in cybersecurity.