TrendAI™ appoints Auckland-based Richard Harrison as Global VP of AI Security

Auckland, New Zealand – 23 July 2026 – TrendAI™, the global AI security leader and enterprise business unit of Trend Micro, has appointed Richard Harrison as its Global Vice President of AI Security. Based in Auckland, Richard will work closely with the global AI security leadership team and an extensive product team to help TrendAI™ customers optimise and manage AI deployments, while reducing risk exposure, governance gaps and operational complexity.

This is the first time TrendAI™ has appointed a global executive role based in New Zealand, reflecting the significant expertise Richard brings to the role and the company’s ongoing commitment to the ANZ market.

Richard most recently served as the CISO of Foodstuffs South Island, one of New Zealand’s largest retail cooperatives with operations spanning 200+ sites and 14,000 people. Prior to this, he led Accenture's NZ Cybersecurity Practice and also served as CISO of healthAlliance, formerly New Zealand’s largest public sector shared services health organisation.

With more than two decades in the cyber security sector, Harrison brings a wealth of first-hand experience and a deep understanding of the challenges organisations face in defending against modern cyber threats. He knows what CISOs need to achieve both day-to-day and over the long term, how to bridge the gap between security teams and senior leadership, and which product capabilities and outcomes deliver the greatest value to customers.

Unlike many global executive roles that are typically based in larger markets, Harrison’s unique position in the ANZ region gives him a practical understanding of the TrendAI™ Vision One platform and how it serves a real need while eliminating challenges facing local organisations.

Richard said: “I am thrilled to have joined the TrendAI™ team at such an exciting time for our cyber security industry. AI adoption is accelerating faster than security, governance, and risk models can keep up. The gap is widening between fast evolving threats and defenders’ ability to respond. Closing that gap and doing it in a way that builds real trust in AI is my key focus, and I am keen to utilise my real-world experience as a CISO to help organisations successfully achieve this goal.”

In one of his first key engagements in the role, Harrison will be joining the line up for the upcoming TrendAI™ Spark conference series in New Zealand. Themed ‘The Intelligence Shift’, Spark 2026 will explore how organisations are navigating the realities of AI at scale. The conference will be held across 90+ cities globally, with the local editions featuring case studies with ANZ-based organisations, executive-led panel discussions, technology demonstrations and presentations from industry leaders.

The full list of upcoming events in ANZ can be found below, or on the TrendAI™ website:

• Wellington, New Zealand: July 28, 2026
• Auckland, New Zealand: July 29, 2026