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Mr Ed Husic MP

Member for Chifley, Member of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications....

Member for Chifley, Member of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications.

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Michael Harte (Group Executive, Enterprise Services & Chief Information Officer, Commonwealth Bank)

Michael is a multi-award winning CIO and business leader who, together with his team, is helping to make the Commonwealth Bank of Australia one of the most respected, ...

Michael is a multi-award winning CIO and business leader who, together with his team, is helping to make the Commonwealth Bank of Australia one of the most respected, customer-focused and technology-leading banks in the world. Michael is spear-heading a major transition at the Commonwealth Bank, where technology and operational excellence is one of the bank’s key strategic pillars. As a result, the Commonwealth Bank is leading the industry with its core banking modernisation project; is delivering world-class platforms; more agile IT infrastructure, and is innovating across its technology portfolio, from payments to internet banking and mobile apps.  An advocate of open systems, cloud computing and on-demand infrastructure, Michael is always looking at what opportunities and challenges lay ahead for the industry. He is fascinated by trends in social media, mobility and big data and regularly participates in industry discussions on these and other topics. On the philanthropic front, he supports a number of organisations which use technology to help make a difference in people’s lives. If he has a personal philosophy, it is to be open-natured and to always be open to possibilities.

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Barry Simpson (Chief Information Officer, Coca-Cola Amatil)

As the group Chief Information Officer at Coca-Cola Amatil Barry has the responsibility of heading the IT organisation as well as delivering the OAisys program (One Amatil information ...

As the group Chief Information Officer at Coca-Cola Amatil Barry has the responsibility of heading the IT organisation as well as delivering the OAisys program (One Amatil information system)  Coca-Cola’s technology refresh program. Before joining Coca-Cola in January 2008, Barry enjoyed a successful 20 year career with Colgate-Palmolive in a variety of roles his last the Vice President for Global IT. He started in 1993 and moved to the USA where Barry led the development and implementation of their first SAP system and global template.  Then moving to Malaysia for four years he led the transformation program across Asia, replacing systems and establishing a regional shared services platform.  Barry established and managed Colgate’s Global Shared Service Centre in Mumbai India.    The first phase of Coca-Cola Amatils systems transformation was successfully completed in Australia during the second half of 2008, with key financial, back-office and equipment service systems operating successfully on the SAP platform.  The second phase of the SAP technology platform was rolled out in 2009 including Supply Chain planning and execution systems, Customer Accounting commencement of the New Zealand Program. CCA has recently completed the third and final wave of the program by replacing all of its market to order systems across all channels in Australia and New Zealand. As part of this program CCA has consolidated its data centers, moved to a managed services model for its communications and replaced its call centre platform with a Telstra hosted CISCO solution. Barry has also played a key role in CCA’s adoption of next generation digital solutions in media, customer and consumer facing apps and web-based self-service. He is now preparing the organisation to roll out the OAisys platform to its business in Indonesia.

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Warwick Hutton (CIO Australia, Coca-Cola Amatil)

Warwick has been at Coca-Cola Amatil for four years mostly in the role of General Manager for IT services. He recently moved into the role of Chief Information ...

Warwick has been at Coca-Cola Amatil for four years mostly in the role of General Manager for IT services. He recently moved into the role of Chief Information Officer for CCA’s Australian operation. Warwick has had over twenty-five years of experience in FMCG companies and more than twelve years of that has been working on major ERP transformation projects. Previously with Colgate-Palmolive Warwick has held various roles outside of Australia, lived and worked in Asia and has extensive international experience. In his time at CCA he has been responsible for implementing a “world class” system infrastructure and architecture to support the company’s extensive IT transformation project OAisys. Recently Warwick has been working with the business units to drive the effective use of digital technologies. In his new role as CIO Australia he will take on a broader portfolio across IT, developing strategies with his business counterparts to open up new growth opportunities for CCA.

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John Burgin (Regional Vice President - Australia and New Zealand, Cognizant Technology Solutions Pty Ltd)

John Burgin, Vice President for Australia and New Zealand, leads Cognizant’s operation in the region. With over 25 years of experience with leading global players in IT services, ...

John Burgin, Vice President for Australia and New Zealand, leads Cognizant’s operation in the region. With over 25 years of experience with leading global players in IT services, software and networking, John has led the delivery of market making IT services engagements to clients in Asia Pacific, North America and Europe. John also has extensive experience in R&D, product development and marketing and has managed business units covering the entire IT services lifecycle including: consulting, program management, enterprise architecture, systems integration, operations management and business process outsourcing. John’s open leadership style has helped in building strong relationships in the region with clients, industry peers and associates. John holds a PhD in The Statistical Modelling of Broadband Packet Networks from Monash University and a First Class Honours Degree in Engineering from the University of Melbourne. John is a keen cricketer and a life member of the Elsternwick Cricket Club. His other major sporting interest is golf where John is continually trying but seldom managing to play to his handicap.

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Clive Whincup (CIO Westpac Group, Technology)

Clive joined The Westpac Group as General Manager, Service Delivery  applications in May 2009. Clive was first promoted to Group General Manager in November 2010 and then Chief Information ...

Clive joined The Westpac Group as General Manager, Service Delivery  applications in May 2009. Clive was first promoted to Group General Manager in November 2010 and then Chief Information Officer in November 2011. Clive is accountable for the delivery of all technology services across the Group,  comprising strategy, thought leadership, technology service delivery and vendor management. He is tasked with creating a world-class IT function, across all brands and locations, that is best positioned to enable business performance. Prior to joining Westpac Clive was Director of Service Delivery, Group Infrastructure and IT Operations for Lloyds TSB UK. Clive has held two CIO roles previously - both at Lloyds Bank as the CIO UK Retail Banking and Banca Popolare Di Milano in Italy as the Group CIO. Clive has more than 25 years experience across IT and financial services. During his career he has held a number of senior roles responsible for the improvement and efficiency of IT service systems, infrastructure, architecture and governance of IT investment to business strategy. He brings to Westpac extensive IT experience from several global banks including Lloyds UK, Bank of Scotland and Banca Popolare di Milano, Italy.

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Major General Michael Milford (Director General Information Policy and Plans, Department of Defence – Chief Information Officers Group)

Michael completed his secondary education at Wesley College, Melbourne, and entered the Royal Military College Duntroon in January 1980. After completing a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Chemistry he ...

Michael completed his secondary education at Wesley College, Melbourne, and entered the Royal Military College Duntroon in January 1980. After completing a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Chemistry he graduated in December 1983 into the Royal Australian Signals Corps. He assumed the position of Director of Personnel – Army in January 2004 on promotion, and served as Director General Personnel – Army as a Colonel in late 2005 to May 2006. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2006 Australia Day Honours list for his work in command and as Director of Personnel-Army. In 2006/2007 he attended the National Defence University Washington, where he graduated as a Distinguished Academic Graduate. He returned in mid-2007 to Army Headquarters Canberra as the Director of Strategy and International Engagement. He was promoted to Brigadier on 14 January 2008, and became Director General Information Policy and Plans in the Chief Information Officers Group (CIOG). He is now in the position of Head ICT Operations, CIOG effective 11 February 2011 on promotion to Major General. In addition to his Bachelor of Science, MAJ GEN Milford has a Graduate Diploma of Telecommunications Systems Management, a Master of Business Administration, and a Master of Science in National Strategy Resourcing.

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Dr Sarah Dods (Research Theme Leader, CSIRO ICT Centre)

Dr Sarah Dods leads the Health Services research theme at CSIRO. This multidisciplinary research is focused on Australia’s transition to an ICT-enabled healthcare system, driving innovation to ...

Dr Sarah Dods leads the Health Services research theme at CSIRO. This multidisciplinary research is focused on Australia’s transition to an ICT-enabled healthcare system, driving innovation to realise the value of operational and clinical data in service delivery. Researchers and engineers in the Health Services theme are experts in areas such as clinical terminology (ontology) engineering; database and data integration technology; clustering and analysis of patient data; extraction of quantitative clinical data from biomedical images; delivery of healthcare interventions using mobile computing platforms; telehealth and remote health service delivery; developing systems for medical training and natural language processing of medical records. The theme has an active policy of translating its research innovation into outcomes for patients and healthcare professionals by working closely with some of the best practitioners and hospitals across Australia. Dr Dods has held innovation positions in a wide range of organisations, including multinational mining R&D, high-technology startups, academia, and publicly funded research organisations. Prior to joining CSIRO in 2011, she worked with RMIT University as a Business Development Manager across Health, Engineering and Science, and has run a consulting business around bringing new technologies to market. Sarah spent 13 years in the academic sector, researching optical communications and broadband networks. This culminated in a transition to technology commercialisation and business leadership through Monitoring Division - NICTA’s first spin out company in Melbourne. Sarah ’s technical interests are in the implications of high speed broadband networks: translating the engineering infrastructure investment into value for Australians in their everyday lives.

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Satish Babu (President, SEARCC)

Satish Babu has served as President of both the Computer Society of India (CSI) and the South-East Asian Regional Computer Confederation (SEARCC). He has also been the Director ...

Satish Babu has served as President of both the Computer Society of India (CSI) and the South-East Asian Regional Computer Confederation (SEARCC). He has also been the Director of International Centre for Free and Open Source Software (ICFOSS), Government of Kerala, Trivandrum. Satish has also served in the following roles: Chair, IEEE Kerala Section; Vice President (Technical Activities), IEEE India Council; Asia-Pacific Co-ordinator, IEEE Computer Society; Member Nominations Committee, IEEE Computer Society; and Global Chair, Distinguished Visitor Programme, IEEE Computer Society. Satish is co-founder of InApp Information Technologies, a CMMI Level 5 Company based in Trivandrum, India and offices in US, Japan and Europe. He has over 25 years of experience as programmer, designer, consultant and trainer in the IT Industry.

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Yasas Vishuddhi Abeywickrama

Yasas Vishuddhi Abeywickrama is a professional with significant experiences. In 2011 he was recognized as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) in Sri Lanka. Yasas has a ...

Yasas Vishuddhi Abeywickrama is a professional with significant experiences. In 2011 he was recognized as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) in Sri Lanka. Yasas has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from University of Colombo and a Masters degree in Entrepreneurship & Innovation from Swinburne University in Australia. He has worked in the USA, UK, Sri Lanka & Australia and being trained in the USA & Malaysia. He has worked with clients such as British Telecom, Telstra and Siemens. Yasas is currently the CEO of Lanka BPO Academy, the premiere training organisation for the outsourcing industry in Sri Lanka. Prior to this, he worked for Accenture as well as Virtusa. Yasas has always been actively involved with ICT industry activities. During his time in Australia, he was a member of ACS and went on to become the Director, Young IT (2009/2010) and ACS Congress member. He was awarded with the Young Professional of the Year award in 2009 by Professions Australia for his services. After he returned back to Sri Lanka, he joined hands with the Computer Society of Sri Lanka as an Executive Council member to continue his industry activities. Having organised a few Young IT Conferences himself in the past, Yasas is returning back to speak to you about his journey and show you the way forward. Wait to 'Be Inspired'!

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Liesl Capper (CEO, MyCyberTwin)

MyCyberTwin allows companies to make a software clone of their best customer service representatives. The result is a virtual human, which lives on a web site, or any ...

MyCyberTwin allows companies to make a software clone of their best customer service representatives. The result is a virtual human, which lives on a web site, or any online environment. Cybertwins replace contact centre staff. They are intelligent, consistent, friendly, and every aspect of the conversations with clients can be measured and tracked. Companies have complete control over everything the cybertwin says, and can design their twin to achieve their business objectives. No special skills are needed to build and maintain a twin. Liesl has over 15 years, international experience managing growth businesses. Before MyCyberTwin, Capper was founder and CEO of Mooter. Mooter is a stock-exchange listed company specializing in search and behavioural targeting. While leading Mooter, she raised millions in venture capital, created patents and defensible technology managed the expansion into US and Asian markets, secured deals with major clients including Yahoo! and Fairfax; and prepared the company for listing. Prior to Mooter, while in her twenties, Capper built a multi-national education franchise to 38 branches in four countries.

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Aaron Tait (Director, The Leaders Project)

Aaron has led and developed leaders in some of the world’s most challenging environments. Following active service as a military officer in Iraq as ...

Aaron has led and developed leaders in some of the world’s most challenging environments. Following active service as a military officer in Iraq as an eighteen year old, he has implemented cutting edge humanitarian projects across the globe, which have seen him increase the graduation rate of a secondary school in a Tanzanian slum by six hundred percent, develop a fully sustainable HIV/AIDS orphanage for one hundred Kenyan children, and co-found Spark* International, a not for profit enabling local changemakers in some of the poorest places on the planet. In the last two years alone Aaron has helped establish 25 startups across four continents. Aaron conducts leadership training for organisations across Australia including The Oaktree Foundation, HSBC Bank and the Northern Territory Department of Education. A graduate with distinction from the University of Cambridge and the winner of the 2011 Emerging Leaders for Social Change and Creative Innovation Awards, Aaron is a highly innovative social entrepreneur, a tried and tested leader and an inspiring communicator.

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Gianpaolo Carraro (Developer and Platform Evangelism Director, Microsoft Australia)

Gianpaolo is the Director of Developer and Platform Evangelism at Microsoft Australia. In his role Gianpaolo is responsible for Microsoft emerging technologies and innovation programs, as well as ...

Gianpaolo is the Director of Developer and Platform Evangelism at Microsoft Australia. In his role Gianpaolo is responsible for Microsoft emerging technologies and innovation programs, as well as relationships with Australian developers, IT professionals, startups and venture capitalists.Before joining Microsoft Australia's team, Gianpaolo spent five years at Microsoft corporate, leading the cloud architecture strategy team, a group tasked with understanding how cloud technologies are transforming the technical and business landscape.Prior to Microsoft, Gianpaolo was Founder and CEO of a venture backed Cloud startup.

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Ken Gallacher (Director Technology/CIO, ABC)

After a successful career as a Partner with Australia's premier Management Consulting Practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ken joined the ABC as the Director Technology / CIO responsible for the technologies across ...

After a successful career as a Partner with Australia's premier Management Consulting Practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ken joined the ABC as the Director Technology / CIO responsible for the technologies across all lines of business including Television, Radio, News, ABC Shops, International and Online (abc.net.au). Ken has a demonstrable track record of achievement, with a proven ability to develop and lead high-performing teams and initiatives at the highest level of business in Australia and Asia Pacific. He is well regarded for his relationship management skills and ability to navigate through the differing needs and styles of multiple business line executives. It’s an amazing time of continued change at the ABC and the media industry as a whole with technology playing a key role.

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Philip Takken (Audit and Assurance Senior Director, Deloitte)

Philip is an Audit and Assurance Senior Director in Deloitte’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications (“TMT”) practice in Sydney. In this role he is responsible for providing audit ...

Philip is an Audit and Assurance Senior Director in Deloitte’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications (“TMT”) practice in Sydney. In this role he is responsible for providing audit and audit related services to telecommunication, media and technology companies in Australia. Prior to his move to Australia Philip was part of Deloitte New York and served several of the major cable and telecommunication companies in the USA as well as start-up entities in the TMT space in the New York Tri State area. Also he worked with global telecommunication companies to assess US GAAP and US SEC issues for those entities which are associated with US capital markets and was involved in public offerings of both US and non-US companies to US capital markets. From 2006 to 2008 Philip was seconded from Deloitte New York to Deloitte Singapore/South East Asia to work for various telecommunication and technology companies in the Asia Pacific region including SingTel.Before his move to Sydney, Philip was chairman of the Broadband Financial Committee of the Wireless Communications Association International in Washington D.C., USA, a member of the AICPA Information Technology Executive Committee and a board member of the Netherland America Foundation Inc.

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Paul Ducklin (Head of Technology Asia Pacific, Sophos)

Paul Ducklin joined Sophos from the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (similar to Australia's CSIRO) in 1995. He has held numerous senior technical roles in Sophos ...

Paul Ducklin joined Sophos from the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (similar to Australia's CSIRO) in 1995. He has held numerous senior technical roles in Sophos over the years, variously heading up software engineering, global technical support, and even — for a few admittedly temporary weeks of vertiginously enormous budgetary power — IT. Paul moved to Sydney in 2001 to join Sophos Australia, which hosts one of the company's four global R&D labs. He is now Head of Technology, Asia Pacific. In 2009, he won the inaugural AusCERT Director's Award for Individual Excellence in Information Security. Paul is one of the world's leading security experts, and loves to share his knowledge about viruses, spam, spyware, encryption, data loss and related security issues. He is an entertaining and sought-after presenter world-wide.

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Joy Cottle (Operations Manager, Institute of IT Professionals New Zealand)

Joy Cottle is the Operations Manager of the Institute of IT Professionals New Zealand, based in Wellington. Joy holds a diploma in computing and management and has a ...

Joy Cottle is the Operations Manager of the Institute of IT Professionals New Zealand, based in Wellington. Joy holds a diploma in computing and management and has a strong background in hosting services, being a founding director and General Manager of one of New Zealand’s largest and most successful hosting companies before selling it to a NZ Based ISP 3 years ago. Joy has over 17 years experience in IT at a senior executive level in Infrastructure, shared services, cloud services and software development. Most recently Joy’s expertise has been integral to the development of New Zealand’s CloudCode, the first disclosure based Code of Practice in the world to be developed specifically for Cloud Computing.

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Pierre Legrand (Director, PwC)

Pierre leads PwC’s Infrastructure Solutions Practice across Asia-Pacific covering three main disciplines: Data Centre Technology Services; IT Service Management (ITSM); and End User Computing and Communications. Infrastructure ...

Pierre leads PwC’s Infrastructure Solutions Practice across Asia-Pacific covering three main disciplines: Data Centre Technology Services; IT Service Management (ITSM); and End User Computing and Communications. Infrastructure Solutions is one of the fastest growing practices in the Technology and Projects Advisory Portfolio. Pierre also co-leads PwC’s Global IT Infrastructure Community of Interest and is a global thought leader for the firm in this practice. Pierre manages a multi discipline and multi-regional team supporting clients such as the four major Australian banks, BHP Billiton, Telstra, AMP, Qantas, IAG, Leighton Holdings, Liberty Insurance, First Data Corporation, ING Europe, Maybank of Malaysia, Standard Bank of South Africa, Harvey Norman, and Queensland Investment Corporation and other large multi-nationals. Leading in critical roles on complex transformations costing individually up to $1.5bn, Pierre is seen as a key senior client advisor given his practical experience of running 24/7 operations in a private cloud environment and his previous accountability of delivering major transformation programs greater than $250m in size. Pierre joined PwC from Barclays Bank PLC in April 2010 after having spent eight years in various roles. At Barclays, Pierre was responsible for IT Infrastructure Services for Europe operating a $200m IT BAU and project delivery organisation across seven countries with over 300 staff, and eight service desks. Pierre has 16 years of successful experience in driving major transformational change, directing large scale change programs, running 24/7 IT operations, and delivering innovative IT solutions including the implementation of one of the 1st private cloud implements in Europe.

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Dr Marcus Bowles (Chairperson, The Institute for Working Futures Pty. Ltd)

Marcus is chairperson of the Working Futures Foundation, part of the company he started in 1992. He has worked with large organisations, governments, and industry bodies in Australia ...

Marcus is chairperson of the Working Futures Foundation, part of the company he started in 1992. He has worked with large organisations, governments, and industry bodies in Australia and internationally. He currently is dedicated to unravelling how to build regional and enterprise ICT capabilities to better compete in the Digital Economy. This work is being done at the Australian Maritime College, a specialist Institute at the University of Tasmania, Australia. Marcus has a focus on capability development and knowledge capital and how they are captured, transferred and enhanced at an organisational, functional, regional and national level. He is especially interested in the deployment of collaborative methods and information and communication technologies that can enable and sustain how people and businesses attain shared futures.

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Dr Nick Tate (National President, Australian Computer Society)

Dr Nick Tate is Director of the Australian Government’s Research Data Storage Infrastructure project (RDSI), based at the University of Queensland, where he is also an Adjunct ...

Dr Nick Tate is Director of the Australian Government’s Research Data Storage Infrastructure project (RDSI), based at the University of Queensland, where he is also an Adjunct Professor of IT and Electrical Engineering. RDSI is a $50 million project which aims to transform the storage of research data throughout Australia. Dr Tate holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, a Master’s degree in Computer Science and a PhD in IT security. He has over 16 years’ experience at CIO level and was the Chair of the World Computer Congress in 2010.

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Alan Patterson (CEO, Australian Computer Society)

Alan Patterson is a dynamic senior executive with experience spanning private and government health sectors, and standards and testing. His leadership is highly focused on business strategy, organisational ...

Alan Patterson is a dynamic senior executive with experience spanning private and government health sectors, and standards and testing. His leadership is highly focused on business strategy, organisational change and development; always in the context of driving profitable growth and innovation. Alan’s professional career spans Australian and international markets, including the UK, UAE and the Gulf, USA, Singapore, China and Japan in technical infrastructure; delivering products and services that enhance business performance and shareholder value.

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Xavier Desdoigts (Director of Technical Operations, Animal Logic)

Xavier Desdoigts began his career in 1981 as an IT analyst for Alstom (France). From there, he moved to computer and software sales and marketing before moving to Australia ...

Xavier Desdoigts began his career in 1981 as an IT analyst for Alstom (France). From there, he moved to computer and software sales and marketing before moving to Australia in 1986, where he ran his own small business for five years. Xavier joined Animal Logic in 1992 as Financial Controller. In this role, he was also involved in the management of software sales and software development contracts. He was promoted to the role of Director of Technical Operations in 1995, where he is now responsible for the teams running Animal Logic's technical operations. His role includes the planning and budgeting of all capital expenditure required to fulfill the variety of Animal Logic’s projects and the long-term ambitions of the company. Xavier is part of Animal Logic’s Executive Team and has helped over the years to shape the direction, vision and strategies of the company. He was directly involved in helping steer Animal Logic’s spectacular growth to a world-class animation studio. Recent credits include, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, Academy award winning Happy Feet, LEGO® Star Wars®: The Padawan Menace(TM) & 300. Current projects in production include The Great Gatsby (2012), Walking with Dinosaurs (2013), LEGO: The Piece of Resistance (2014)

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Anna Sparkes (Executive General Manager, Enterprise Services, Financial Services & Risk Management Human Resources)

Anna Sparkes is the Executive General Manager responsible for all the Human Resources as well as people and culture needs of the Enterprise Services, Financial Services and Risk ...

Anna Sparkes is the Executive General Manager responsible for all the Human Resources as well as people and culture needs of the Enterprise Services, Financial Services and Risk Management teams at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Anna’s focus is on recruiting and supporting talented people to join the Commonwealth Bank and maintaining the Bank’s reputation as one of the great places to work in Australia. Her focus is on creating an innovative, sustainable, flexible culture capable of adapting to the changing landscape. During Anna’s ten year career with CBA, she has held many senior roles and moved between several business units, including Business Development - International Financial Services, Group Finance, and HR as well as being the Executive Advisor to CEO Ralph Norris. Before joining the Group, Anna built a significant career in corporate finance at Chase Manhattan Bank and Ernst & Young. Anna grew up in Sydney and has a strong interest in creating a work environment that is engaging, productive, challenging and fun.

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Miriam Hochwald (Director, Girl Geek Coffees)

Girl Geek Coffees (GGC) is a meet and greet open discussion group for women in ICT and related Science, Engineering and Mathematics. Chapters and start ups of GGC ...

Girl Geek Coffees (GGC) is a meet and greet open discussion group for women in ICT and related Science, Engineering and Mathematics. Chapters and start ups of GGC can be found at universities around the world including in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, India, Pakistan and others. Students and early career graduates proudly independently run the GGC, with the support of Academic and Industry Ambassadors. The GGC observes a flat open structure, which is expressly tech, company and education neutral. This enables women from all different walks of life and experience levels to chat casually and 'be themselves'. The group may engage in forum discussions, industry insights, and faculty advice. The greatest emphasis is on forming 'connection' and 'support' amongst females in a relaxed and comfortable personal environment.

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Josh Stinton (Executive Producer Failcon Sydney)

Josh Stinton is a passionate entrepreneur specialising in projects that bring people together to share ideas and drive progress. He has produced, participated and co-managed events of all ...

Josh Stinton is a passionate entrepreneur specialising in projects that bring people together to share ideas and drive progress. He has produced, participated and co-managed events of all shapes and sizes around Asia Pacific including FailCon Sydney, TEDx Macquarie University, various sector specific conferences in digital media, education, energy, aviation and more. He moved to Australia in 2005 to complete his bachelors and masters degrees at Macquarie University where he currently holds a position as Board Director. Before moving to Australia, Josh was a regional sales manager in a large, fortune 300 retailer in North America. He tweets @joshuastinton

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Deborah Hadwen (Chief Executive Officer, Tata Consultancy Services)

Deborah Hadwen was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Australia and New Zealand business in April 2011. In this role Deborah is responsible for all operations ...

Deborah Hadwen was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Australia and New Zealand business in April 2011. In this role Deborah is responsible for all operations of TCS in the region. Previously Deborah led the banking and financial services business. In this role she led teams that acquired a significant portfolio of key clients and delivered a wide range of complex technology services. Deborah joined IBM Australia upon graduation and worked for IBM and Goal Systems (acquired by Legent Corporation) in technical roles. Deborah then spent nine years with Compuware Asia Pacific, while based in Singapore as Sales Director, Software & Services, and prior to that based in Melbourne and Sydney in various management roles. Deborah is skilled in business management, leadership and complex technology delivery. She has a depth of experience in leading and developing high performing teams. Deborah received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts (Merit) from University of Sydney, her Master of Commercial Law from Macquarie University and completed executive management education at Harvard Business School. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. In 2011 Deborah was NSW finalist for the Telstra Business Woman of the year awards.

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Alan Noble (Director of Engineering, Google, Australia & New Zealand)

Alan Noble is an IT entrepreneur and executive with 25 years of international technology leadership and management experience, in Australia, the United States and Japan. Since ...

Alan Noble is an IT entrepreneur and executive with 25 years of international technology leadership and management experience, in Australia, the United States and Japan. Since Feb 2007 he has lead Google's research and development operations in Australia, one of Google's fastest growing engineering centres. He joined Google from NetPriva, a networking software company he founded in 2005 which was acquired by Expand Networks. From 1982 to 1986 he lived in Japan where he worked for Daiichi Kaden and NEC. From 1986 until 2002 he lived in California, where he worked for Schlumberger, the world's largest oilfield services company, for 8 years. In 1996 he founded NetMind, which developed the Internet's first change detection service. NetMind was acquired in 2000 by Intellisync (now part of Nokia) where he remained as VP of Engineering until returning to Australia in 2002.  Alan is also a national director of the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), a cofounder of SA Angels and an advisor on five Australian University advisory boards (NSW, Queensland, Adelaide, ANU and CMU). He is a graduate of Adelaide University and Stanford University and an adjunct professor at Adelaide University. He has been granted seven patents and has several others pending. 

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Jenny Bhuiyan (Head of Women as Entrepreneurs, Sydney)

Jenny Bhuiyan is a keen technologist who is passionate about innovation, entrepreneurship and startups. She has a background in IT&T, R&D and the banking ...

Jenny Bhuiyan is a keen technologist who is passionate about innovation, entrepreneurship and startups. She has a background in IT&T, R&D and the banking industry. She heads the Sydney chapter of Women As Entrepreneurs, a platform that provides female entrepreneurs with tools, inspiration and support network to establish their own startups. Her interests in innovation, technology and meeting other young entrepreneurs are what drew her to become involved with the startup community. Regardless of the industry, she strongly believes that collaboration is the key to building successful startups. With the goal to empower budding entrepreneurs to hatch their startup dreams, Jenny has over the years put on and managed many technology and startup events in Sydney. She has managed events for TEDxMacquarieUniversity and Australian Computer Society, co-produced The FailCon at Vivid Sydney, and also the inaugural Global Service Jam Sydney 2012. She has launched her own startup and also mentored in startup events such as Social Startup48, Launch48 and Lean Startup Machine. She is also the co-founder of CluedUp @ CBA, an initiative to foster, connect and showcase up and coming, innovative women across CBA.

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Jeevan Gnanam (Director/CEO, Orion City)

Jeevan is the visionary behind Sri Lanka’s first operational IT park – Orion City, which houses some of the leading global IT firms. Today the park houses 3,500 employees ...

Jeevan is the visionary behind Sri Lanka’s first operational IT park – Orion City, which houses some of the leading global IT firms. Today the park houses 3,500 employees and since its inception in 2008, Orion City has been growing at a steady pace with a goal to reach 3,000,000 sqft by 2020.Providence Network Solutions is a web application development company founded by Jeevan and his brother in 2007. This has now grown to include Providence BPO which has seen phenomenal growth and continues to venture into new markets. His latest venture SAKS (SA Knowledge Services), incorporated in 2012 now offers customized and flexible outsourcing solutions in financial services, research & analytics and legal process outsourcing.

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Ben Rennie (Founder 6.2)

In 2008, Ben Rennie said adios to corporate Australia and created a new kind of company. An innovation lab called 6.2. Since 2009, 6.2 has worked with more than 60 organizations in 4 countries ...

In 2008, Ben Rennie said adios to corporate Australia and created a new kind of company. An innovation lab called 6.2. Since 2009, 6.2 has worked with more than 60 organizations in 4 countries in some of the world’s largest cities including New York, Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong and London with some of the worlds largest and most innovative companies. Along the way, Ben founded uncluttered white spaces, an online magazine about good ideas with over 450,000 readers, the IF Talks, a series of forums across Australia and a conduit for solving complex problems and the Black Report, an iPad Magazine sold in 15 countries. Ben is driven by a need to rethink how we run our companies and organisations by looking closer at real human motivation and delivering a more effective path to high performance and happiness. Ben lives on the NSW south coast and is married with 3 children.

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Ben Gilchriest (Digital Transformation, Social/Mobile/Online)

Ben is focused on Digital Transformation; defining the strategy, vision, experience and operating model for companies responding to the new digital customer. He has run consulting businesses and ...

Ben is focused on Digital Transformation; defining the strategy, vision, experience and operating model for companies responding to the new digital customer. He has run consulting businesses and multiple projects and programs across these domains both in Europe and Asia-Pacific. He currently leads Capgemini’s consulting practice for Australia and New Zealand and leads the Digital Transformation offer for the region. He writes on, discusses, and explores all digital transformation topics.

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Abigail Thomas (Director, Deloitte Digital)

Abigail is a Director in the Deloitte Digital practice and is a specialist in the digital area, covering online, social media, mobile and online video. She has 15 years’ ...

Abigail is a Director in the Deloitte Digital practice and is a specialist in the digital area, covering online, social media, mobile and online video. She has 15 years’ experience in the television, film and digital media space in Australia and the UK. Abigail’s focus is on developing digital strategy and defining user experience across the media and financial service industries.

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Louis Cremen (Technical Director of Guardian Software Development, DDLS)

Louis has been an iOS developer since day one of the release of Apple iPhone SDK, and since then he has been involved in dozens of applications being ...

Louis has been an iOS developer since day one of the release of Apple iPhone SDK, and since then he has been involved in dozens of applications being developed for companies all over the world. When he's not programming, he is travelling around Australia teaching enterprise and university students how to developer iOS applications through a three to five day course through DDLS and other institutions.

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Dr Suresh Sood (Advanced Analytics Institute, University of Technology, Sydney)

Caught a case of social media diphtheria? Feeling a bit like Fred Flintstone? Synaptic overload? If one more person talks about the "Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus tech buzz ...

Caught a case of social media diphtheria? Feeling a bit like Fred Flintstone? Synaptic overload? If one more person talks about the "Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus tech buzz or business jargon are you going to look for a big fat analog rock and hide under it? Well, Suresh brings a rare blend of over two decades of practical hands on experience with a passion for executive education, creating real business change and innovative technology know how to support key clients as trusted advisor. Today, his primary focus is innovative analytics integrating traditional business information sources with big social media data. Suresh is a key instigator leading the embracement of new technologies in business curriculum development and executive education at the University of Technology in Sydney (UTS) since 1995. He writes numerous thought leadership articles and presents at a variety of local and global conferences helping shape markets and convey new ideas. Initially, he graduated in Physics from London University and holds a MBA from UTS. His PhD converges storytelling, social media interactions and marketing culminating in delivering software algorithms to commercial clients wishing to track human emotions during social media interactions.

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Imran Kunalan (General Manager Talent Division, Multimedia Development Corporation)

Imran is the General Manager for the Talent Division at MDeC. He has more than 16 years experience in human resources practise as a HR Generalist and Specialist. His ...

Imran is the General Manager for the Talent Division at MDeC. He has more than 16 years experience in human resources practise as a HR Generalist and Specialist. His HR span of experiences ranges from being a HR operations practitioner to HR consulting practice. He has a diverse HR practitioner experiences from big multinationals in the F & B industry, manufacturing, financial sector, shared services and outsourcing service firms as well as the ICT industry. He held senior leadership roles in renowned organisations such as HSBC, British American Tobacco and KFC to name a few. He has assumed Managing Consultant roles focusing on Human Capital Advisory services at KPMG and Accenture, providing the full spectrum HR advisory consulting services to a myriad type of clients in both the public services sector and private sector. He also has obtained formal training on Human Capital Metrics & Benchmarking from PWC Saratoga Institute in the UK. He was conferred the Global HR Excellence Award 2009 by the Asia Pacific HRM Congress in Bangalore, India.

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Tim Hobart (Lead Tax Specialist and Certified Financial Planner, CXC Financial Partners)

Tim is a fully qualified accountant and certified financial planner, with over 10 years’ experience helping clients minimise their tax and achieve their financial goals. Tim’s key focus ...

Tim is a fully qualified accountant and certified financial planner, with over 10 years’ experience helping clients minimise their tax and achieve their financial goals. Tim’s key focus is to help clients with all their tax, superannuation, insurance, estate planning, finance and investment needs. Tim consistently provides clients with the peace of mind that they have all the strategies in place to ensure they are maximising their probability of achieving their financial objectives.Tim is a qualified Financial Planner™, SMSF Specialist Adviser, Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning and B.Com -Accounting and Finance

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Lizza Gebilagin (Chief Subeditor, Cleo Magazine)

Lizza Gebilagin is a social entrepreneur who believes in creating social impact through innovation and creativity. She first got a taste of magazines, pop culture, and the power ...

Lizza Gebilagin is a social entrepreneur who believes in creating social impact through innovation and creativity. She first got a taste of magazines, pop culture, and the power of storytelling by working for Rolling Stone. Since then she’s freelanced for music publications in Toronto, dabbled in politics, and currently works as Chief Subeditor of Cleo magazine. Lizza started social enterprise Corker Media Pty Ltd in 2007 to help promote the work of Australian creatives. She won the Project Achievement Award at the School for Social Entrepreneurs in 2012.

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Richard White (CEO WiseTech Global/CargoWise Founder)

Richard White is the CEO and founder of a software business that focuses exclusively on system solution for International Trade and Transport providers. Since its inception in 1994, CargoWise ...

Richard White is the CEO and founder of a software business that focuses exclusively on system solution for International Trade and Transport providers. Since its inception in 1994, CargoWise has developed a large global client base with over 2000 installations and 50,000 users in 66 countries. Today, CargoWise and its International subsidiaries, have revenues approaching 40 Million AUD, a growth rate of over 50% per annum. It supplies software to some of the world’s biggest freight, Customs Clearance and Import / Export companies such as Geodis, DSV, OHL, UPS, DHL, TNT, Woolworths, Johnson & Johnson to name a few. CargoWise sponsors, supports and belongs to a number of Industry associations and participates in Industry to Government forums in numerous countries Richard's skills combine a unique 20-year understanding of the international trade and logistics industry combined with over 30 years in both software development and business management. He has an extensive IT and software skillset and deep knowledge in e-Commerce and combines this with a strong commercial grip on industry issues. In 2010 CargoWise rose to the position of the No. 2 supplier in the world in revenue terms and holds the largest market share of any provider in installed licenses on a single product.

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Sheila Mistry (Organisation Change Management Specialist, Capgemini Australia)

Sheila is an organisation change management specialist currently leading the People & Change practice within Capgemini Australia and New Zealand. Sheila provides change management advisory for senior executives ...

Sheila is an organisation change management specialist currently leading the People & Change practice within Capgemini Australia and New Zealand. Sheila provides change management advisory for senior executives across multiple sectors and industries. Sheila is currently focussed on leveraging change management concepts to support organisations as they head into the digital era.

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Simon Roller (Managing Director and Principal Consultant, ADAPS)

Simon is an IT Executive with local, regional and global experience. Throughout his career, Simon has focused on helping organisations integrate IT with the business, and he is ...

Simon is an IT Executive with local, regional and global experience. Throughout his career, Simon has focused on helping organisations integrate IT with the business, and he is as comfortable inside the Board Room as he is in the Data Centre. Simon’s career started in the UK, where he worked in IT Operations and Data Centre management for fortune 100 companies, focusing on the Financial Services industry. On moving to Australia, Simon joined Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) as an expert in Data Centre automation, Infrastructure and IT best practice (ITIL). Within a couple of years, Simon was responsible for the Management Software business within South Pacific (now part of Compaq), and managed to triple the business whilst consulting to corporate customers and managing complex integrations. Simon moved to a regional HP Services role when HP acquired Compaq, and in 2 years grew the Consolidation, Security and Service Management solutions to a $200M business. Most recently, Simon has become a SFIA accredited consultant and trainer, adding to his ever increasing list of certifications!

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Rebekah Campbell (Founder & CEO posse.com)

Rebekah Campbell is an ex band manager turned tech entrepreneur. Her first venture was in Wellington's Civic Square. Aged nineteen, she organized a music festival to raise awareness ...

Rebekah Campbell is an ex band manager turned tech entrepreneur. Her first venture was in Wellington's Civic Square. Aged nineteen, she organized a music festival to raise awareness of New Zealand’s youth suicide epidemic. Rebekah moved to Sydney the following year and within three months signed the band George for management. Two years later, George hit #1 on the ARIA Album chart and sold over 200,000 copies of their debut album Polyserena. Rebekah opened her own management company ‘Scorpio Music’ in 2002, which grew to become one of Australia’s largest and most successful management companies and represented artists such as Evermore, Lisa Mitchell, Operator Please, Alex Lloyd, Matt Corby and several others.  In 2009, Rebekah came up with the idea for Posse.com while promoting a tour for Evermore. She raised money from investors and the site launched in August 2010.  Rebekah has spent the past two years trialing various models and techniques to engage users at Posse. Then she had a brainwave. What if she applied the same techniques used to break artists to develop a tech product?