Adland guru Adam Ferrier has taken to LinkedIn to call out the sexist treatment that Optus’ Ceo Kelly Bayer Rosmarin has experienced during the data breach fallout.
On September 22nd, Optus announced that over 9 million customers had their data stolen. Data that was stolen included everything from email addresses, birth dates and passport numbers.
Optus is headed up by Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, and Optus’ CMO is Melissa Hopkins. Naturally, people were outraged to hear their data had been leaked.
However, interestingly, SMH has reported that Telstra Chair John Mullan recently defended Optus and said: “It is easy for third parties to be critical of companies who have suffered devastating cyberattacks such as happened recently to Optus.
“Let me be blunt, however, and say that it is easy to be critical when it isn’t you in the firing line, and we should all avoid hubris because no one can be complacent, and no organisation can ever be 100 per cent sure that it is completely protected and safe.”
Amongst the backlash, Ferrier has also raised an interesting point about the language directed at the big dogs of Optus.
Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin breaks down over cyber attack “I’m sorry, it should not have happened” @9NewsSyd pic.twitter.com/eIG48lqk72
— Sophie Walsh (@sophie_walsh9) September 23, 2022
In a fiery post, Ferrier wrote: “The Optus data breach commentary has been particularly vitriolic and weird.
“I was talking to someone at the footy about it when it first happened, and he suggested it was driven by misogyny.
“After 10 minutes of fossicking around in social media, and looking at the language used, I have to agree.
“The early politicisation of the breach and the misogyny expressed have got a touch of the Christine Holgate’s about it. Large chunks of Australia still have issues with women in power.”
Ferrier is an industry leader and thinker, so it’s always exciting when he calls stuff out.
