About us

Established in 2021, PrivSec Consulting is committed to helping organisations do what they do best in the most secure manner possible. PrivSec aim to provide concise, accurate, and right-sized cyber security and privacy advice to your organisation.

Who are We?

We differentiate ourselves from the pack by our focus on working with you to meet your needs and ensuring our services are tailored to deliver the right security outcome for your business.

Our consultants hold qualifications such as CISSP, CCSP, CISA, CISM, CRISC, CCSK, PCIP, OSWE, OSEP, CA and OSCP.

PrivSec Consulting are Approved Suppliers within the AoG Consultancy and Professional Services Marketplace panel for the for the following services:
  •  Information Security Risk Management and Assessment
  • Information Security Governance and Strategy
  • Information Security Assurance
  • Source Code, Application Review and Technical Testing

Our Principles

We are here to help you. Our key principles include:
  • Pragmatism - If there is an easier way to get to an outcome we will suggest that.
  • Simplicity - We want you to understand the work we are doing. We keep away from technical jargon in our deliverables when it doesn't need to be there, to make your life easier.
  • Honesty - We call a spade a spade. If there are issues you need to be aware of, we will highlight these to you as soon as possible.
  • Being the Experts - We are easily approachable, eager to share knowledge, and up skill regularly to ensure we are at the forefront of our field.

Our Team



Peter Jakowetz
Managing Director and Principal Consultant

With experience in risk, audit, privacy and technical testing, Peter brings professionalism and pragmatism to all engagements, with an in depth technical knowledge. Peter demonstrates experience in a wide range of technologies and systems and has worked in both government and commercial organisations through New Zealand in a range of roles.
Before starting a new adventure with PrivSec, he was involved in building and managing a security function within a large NZ Government agency. Prior to this he worked as a principal security consultant providing assistance to a large number of Government agencies and private organisations.
During this time he had a particular focus on assisting organisations to meet All of Government security requirements for services including IaaS and TaaS.
He has also held roles as a penetration tester and security architect, rounding out his skill set.

Jim Rush
Senior Consultant

Jim is an offensive security consultant and researcher with a strong background in software development. He has worked on several high profile sites and web applications and enjoys learning about and hacking a broad range of old and new technologies. He holds a Bachelor in Computer Science and is an Offensive Security Certified Professional and is currently studying towards several other certifications.

Tomais Williamson
Senior Consultant

Tomais is a Senior Penetration Tester at PrivSec Consulting.  Tomais brings a wide range of testing capabilities to the team, including internal penetration testing, segmentation scanning, physical compromise of embedded systems, web application and cloud configuration reviews.
Tomais has a background in development before becoming a security consultant, and as such brings experiences as a developer to his consultancy practices.

Julius Staufenberg
Consultant

Having graduated with a BSc(Hons) in Computer Science, Julius is now specialising in Cyber Security. He has a large interest in technology and enjoys the challenge of the fast paced Cyber Security environment. Through his passion for IT, Julius is always looking to extend his knowledge and apply his skillset to provide quality results. He holds an ISC2 CC certification.
In his spare time he enjoys getting out into the outdoors, keeping fit, and learning new skills.

Bo Wood
Associate Consultant

Bo is an Associate Penetration Tester at PrivSec Consulting. Bo has 2 years of experience working within security consultancies, strengthening their technical skillset through intern roles. On top of upskilling in these roles, they have worked on small development projects such as a Proof-of-Concept Windows ransomware in Rust. Bo enjoys tackling the challenges that come along with Penetration Testing and is interested in learning more about the field of offensive security, as well as gaining more industry experience. In their spare time, Bo likes to play Tabletop RPGs like Pathfinder and narrative video games.

Yannick Devos
Principal Consultant & Practice Lead

While his academic background was initially in telecommunications, Yannick quickly shifted to network security and then information security, being part of the core team at the first information security dedicated consultancy in France in 2002. Over the last seven years, Yannick held a variety of roles in New Zealand Government agencies and security consultancies, focusing on risk management, assurance and security governance. His most recent position in the Government Chief Digital Officer’s security team allowed him to demonstrate a delivery mindset, ensuring the right outcomes for customers were delivered while respecting the service provider’s constraints. His key achievements being the successful implementation of security assurance processes over the Marketplace and annual audit assurance for TaaS suppliers.
When he wants to reset and refocus, Yan is either transmitting morse code with his HAM radio peers over the world, or enjoying shifting winds and tight lies on a golf course around Wellington.

Aaron Sanson
Principal Consultant

Aaron Sanson is a Principal Consultant at PrivSec Consulting. His is an experienced and passionate security practitioner with 30 years of experience in the IT security industry.
Aaron has provided services to a range of NZ organisations in his previous roles through the private and public sector, with a strong understanding of the security requirements in both of these domains.
He likes to understand the underlying issues and requirements of clients and offer pragmatic, fit for purpose, security advice. His approach is to work to identify alternative and pragmatic solutions when confronted with issues or problems.

Sriram Jayaraman
Consultant

Sriram is an offensive security consultant with experience in performing penetration testing and security reviews for a wide range of NZ businesses in both public and private sectors. He is an avid learner and enjoys the satisfaction of finding a good bug while helping clients achieve better security outcomes. Prior to his security journey, he had been a web application developer providing him with a solid understanding of best practices from the other side of the fence. Sriram holds a Master's degree in Cyber Security and is currently pursuing his OSCP. Outside of work, Sriram is always down for a game of football. He also likes being active whether it be a walk, a run or a session at the gym.

Tom Williams
Operations Manager

Tom joins PrivSec Consulting after 15 years in the hospitality industry, across a range of roles including project management, business optimisation, people management, and IT. Tom enjoys broadening his knowledge, especially by getting to see "behind the scenes" and is excited by the opportunity to gain deeper understanding of the world through working in Cyber Security and its related fields.
Outside of work Tom enjoys music, gardening, games, and travel

Matt Dekker
Senior Consultant & Technical Testing Lead

Matt is a security consultant with a background in penetration testing, code review, host and configuration reviews. Prior to his time working as a consultant he worked as a software developer which has shaped his focus on application and mobile security. Matt has a Masters in Cyber Security, and also holds OSCP, OSEP and OSWE certifications.

Sashi Douché
Senior Consultant

After graduating from Victoria University, Sashi started her career in the IT industry at the Service Desk. From incident management to leading a few services desk teams, she developed and interest for Cyber Security and enterprise risk management. Sashi has come to us from 2 year of consulting in this industry and have led several engagements in both NZ Government and the commercial sector. She has a passion for undertaking risk assessments and information security audits. She’s known for working with her clients to apply business context and a pragmatic lens when it comes to advising security gaps and taking a risk-based approach to remediations.
In her spare time she spends her time painting minis, canvas abstracts and sketching with some good horror shows and movies

Kent Wolstenholme
Consultant

After completing two years at Victoria University working towards his BE in Cyber Security, Kent has joined the team to gain some real-world work experience. He is passionate about the industry and is looking forward to new experiences. By thinking out of the box, Kent has proven to be a real asset in all the engagements he has been involved in.
Outside of work, he spends his time building, tuning and racing cars and motorcycles.

Jake Dalton
Associate Consultant

Jake is an Associate Consultant at PrivSec Consulting. He is currently working towards a BE in Software Engineering at the University of Canterbury, specialising in Cyber Security. Jake loves to solve puzzles and to understand how things work, so he is in his element when hunting through a client's application for vulnerabilities. In his free time, he loves hiking out to the high places of New Zealand.

Georgia Stewart
Admin Assistant

As the administrative assistant at PrivSec, Georgia ensures the smooth running of day to day operations. In this role, she not only contributes her administrative skills but also seizes the opportunity to delve into the world of information security, gaining valuable insights from our team of experts along the way.
In her spare time, Georgia enjoys getting outside, traveling to new locations, hitting the gym, and time at the beach.

Quinn Simmons
Associate Consultant

Graduating with a BSc in Computer Science with a specialisation in Cyber Security, Quinn has taken his passion for the industry into the role of Associate Consultant at PrivSec. His interest in technology and passion for problem solving has led him to pursue a career in Cyber Security, where he is looking to apply his skills and grow professionally. Outside of work, Quinn enjoys trips around Aotearoa with friends and spending rare sunny afternoons on the golf course.”

Sponsorships and Events

PrivSec proudly support a number of security events throughout New Zealand. We have recently sponsored: We welcome expressions of interest from organisers of security events that aim to uplift New Zealand’s maturity in privacy and cyber security.

Advisories and Presentations

Advisories: Recent Articles: Presentations we've done:

Want to know more? Contact us now.

[email protected] | 0800 150 805