Prior to his appointment to this role on 16 September 2019, Burgess was director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD).

Burgess was born in England, and immigrated to Adelaide, South Australia in 1973 at the age of seven.

He was the first member of his family to study in higher education, receiving a degree in electrical engineering from the South Australian Institute of Technology in 1988.

[4] In February 2022, Burgess announced that ASIO had foiled a plot by foreign interference that involved an attempt by a foreign government to install political candidates in the lead-up to the coming national election in Australia.

[6] In the 2024 King's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for "For significant service to public administration, particularly national security and intelligence".