Melanie Anderson is the Director of Cryptographic Security and Systems Development, part of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security at the Communications Security Establishment.… Melanie and her team are responsible for Canadian Communications Security (COMSEC) policy and compliance, evaluating the security of cryptographic products, providing cryptographic advice and guidance, including preparations for the quantum threat to Cryptography, and modernizing the Government of Canada’s classified infrastructure. Melanie is an Executive Champion of the Women in Cyber and Intelligence (WICI) group at CSE and CSE’s Co-Executive Champion for Women in Defence and Security (WiDS) in Canada. She is passionate about promoting the well-being of women in the workplace, mentoring and encouraging girls and young women to pursue careers in STEM.
Since joining CSE in 2003, Melanie has served in several positions across the organization, including software developer, technical trainer, and project manager for IT systems used by Government of Canada clients. She spent four years based in the United States as a technical liaison for CSE at the National Security Agency. On returning to Canada, she spent three years in incident management and cyber defense leadership roles. Before assuming her current role in 2020, Melanie was the Manager of Cryptographic Systems Development.
Melanie has a Bachelor of Computer Science from the University of New Brunswick and completed the Senior Executive Fellows Program through the Harvard Kennedy School in 2020.
In addition to her career in cybersecurity, Melanie is an avid singer and musician. She performs locally as a professional opera singer and spent many years teaching piano and voice. She is fluent in French and Italian and enjoys playing basketball, golf and traveling. She is based in Ottawa, Ontario, with her partner, two cats and a corgi. Show more
LEADERS IN CYBERSECURITY
Melanie Anderson
Director, Cryptographic Security and Systems Development, Canadian Centre for Cyber Security
