DNV appoints director of cyber security

Ms Roll Richardsen joins DNV from Norway-based Watchcom Security Group, where she has served as chief executive for the past five years. 

Ms Richardsen will lead a fast-growing business unit dedicated to enabling companies in Nordic industrial sectors – including maritime, energy, and manufacturing – to identify their cyber security vulnerabilities, build effective measures of defence, and demonstrate their security posture to stakeholders. 

DNV said it has placed cyber security at the heart of its growth strategy. It is building a significant cyber security risk management business through acquisitions and partnerships, and by recruiting top-tier cyber security experts.

In early January, DNV suffered a cyber attack on its ShipManager software that affected 70 of its customers and some 1,000 vessels. Two months later, in mid-March, the company reported that its dedicated ShipManager server environment had been rebuilt, with all users back online, although it said "work to resume the full scope of service is ongoing". Norwegian police are still investigating the attack.