We are delighted to welcome Matt O’Keefe, Josh Simonis and Jonty Butler to Wotton Kearney’s new Cyber, Data and Technology (CDT) Advisory practice.
Matt recently joined as Head of Advisory – Cyber, Data and Technology, bringing more than 25 years’ experience advising boards and executive teams across Asia Pacific, and is joined by Josh as Director, and Jonty as Consultant, both formerly part of Deloitte’s cyber practice.
The team brings deep experience across cyber strategy, risk governance and regulatory compliance – having advised organisations across financial services, government, healthcare and education. Their arrival marks an exciting new chapter for WK, expanding beyond legal services to support clients across the full cyber risk lifecycle, from preparedness and strategy through to incident response.
In this Q&A, the team reveal the cyber trends flying under the radar, what it looks like building a practice from the ground up, and a few fun facts about themselves!
What does building WK’s CDT Advisory practice from the ground up look like? What is the plan for WK Advisory?
Matt: In the first instance, WK Advisory is responding to client demand, where clients need hands-on support beyond legal advice, particularly around cyber readiness, governance and remediation. Our first challenge is extending our brand beyond legal, through a consistent and practical message on why WK can and should assist.
Our key differentiator in the market is the integration with WK’s highly regarded Cyber, Data and Technology legal team, allowing us to bring together legal, regulatory and operational cyber expertise in one place. Very few law firms have the scale and experience of WK’s CDT team, and to build on that established position is a great platform for the Advisory practice.
Longer term, I’m excited about building a strong team culture with people from diverse backgrounds, because that mix of perspectives is what ultimately allows us to provide our clients with the best, practical, well-rounded advice.
What are the cyber trends that organisations are struggling with at the moment?
Josh: One trend I’m seeing across organisations is the rapid adoption of AI tools without clear governance, guardrails or monitoring. Many teams are experimenting with AI to improve productivity, but there is often limited visibility over what data is being entered into those systems or how outputs are being used.
Additionally, “Shadow AI” (which is just the next evolution of “Shadow IT”) is exploding in organisations, and often means that the few controls an organisation has put in place for their known AI tools, aren’t actually reducing their risk.
Additionally, Quantum computing was the “next big cyber challenge” back before AI took over the conversation, but it remains highly relevant. Even though it’s not at the top of our minds now – quantum hasn’t gone away. Once mature, quantum capabilities will fundamentally undermine how we safeguard ourselves and keep our data safe.
Everyone talks about cyber resilience – but what does it look like when clients are actually prepared?
Jonty: Practice makes perfect! Organisations that are genuinely cyber resilient regularly simulate responding to incidents. Not necessarily just through board or executive tabletop exercises, but simulations that involve multiple teams across the organisation.
Ultimately though, no organisation can ever be fully prepared for a cyber incident. The threat landscape evolves constantly, so true resilience is less about perfection and more about building the capability to respond and recover when something unexpected happens.
What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?
Matt: Whilst a late comer to both sports, I must admit to having a ski addiction, being both snow and water. I love the challenge of continuous development and improvement, along with the motivator to not fall off the side of a mountain or drown!
Josh: I only first went overseas for personal travel last year (and visited 6 countries!).
Jonty: I spent a couple of years living in Belgium, where I learnt how to speak Dutch (at a somewhat decent level).
Looking ahead, what’s a professional or personal goal you’re excited to pursue?
Matt: Being a tech nerd, I am learning more about AI and really diving into it – like all new tech, I think we are at the ‘early and confusing’ phase (where it all seems negative), and I want to jump to the ‘understanding and using’ phase quicker. I have a little tech website project I am then going to use AI on (also a pretty good way of learning).
Josh: I’m currently learning Brazilian Portuguese, and have a goal to be conversationally fluent by the end of the year (ajude me!!).
Jonty: I’ve always had a dream of travelling through South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe – currently saving and might look to head over in 2027. Professionally, I’m fascinated by cyber security’s impact on critical infrastructure, and am keen to develop my knowledge in this space.
Connect with the Team
If you would like to find out more about how WK’s Cyber, Data and Technology Advisory practice can help your organisation navigate cyber risk and technology challenges, please reach out to Matt O’Keefe, Josh Simonis or Jonty Butler.