Technical Advisory Board
The Technical Advisory Board plays a pivotal role in shaping the technological landscape of Australia. With the installation of technical committees the board is comprised of esteemed professionals and experts from various domains within the realm of information and communication technology (ICT). Their collective expertise spans a wide array of specialties, ranging from software development and cybersecurity to artificial intelligence and data analytics.
The primary objective of the ACS Technical Advisory Board is to provide strategic guidance and insights on emerging trends, advancements, and challenges within the ICT sector. Through collaborative efforts these boards formulate recommendations and best practices that help inform policy decisions, drive innovation, and promote excellence across the industry.
Members of the TAB are selected based on their proven track record of accomplishments, depth of knowledge, and commitment to advancing the field of ICT. Their diverse backgrounds and perspectives foster dynamic discussions and ensure a comprehensive approach to addressing complex technological issues facing Australia.
By serving as trusted advisors to the ACS and other stakeholders, the TAB plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of technology in Australia. Through their collective wisdom and foresight, they help steer Australia towards a future where technology empowers individuals, organizations, and society as a whole.
The TAB is comprised of 5 committees and 2 working groups:
The board is steered by David Cook – Vice President of Academic Boards and Mathias Gartner – Director of the Technical Advisory Board. Together with input from the Chair and Vice Chair of each committee, the TAB guide and advise each group on where to focus effort.
FACS CP
Dr David Cook
Vice President - Academic Boards
Technology advocate dedicated to advances and the progression of Human Computer Interaction (HCI), and cyber security, combined with research and academic engagement in six main areas, Business, Information Technology, International Relations, Security, South-east Asia, and Governance. Fluent in South-east Asian languages.
MACS CP
Mr Mathias Gaertner
Director - Technical Advisory Board
Mathias Gaertner is a publicly accredited and sworn in expert witness for IT, Vice President at NIFIS e.V. MACS Snr CP (Cyber Security), IP3P Lecturer at the University of Applied Science in Darmstadt/Germany, Information and Computer Science Member Technology of the Steering Committee of the “Initiative IT-Sicherheit in der Wirtschaft” of the German Federal Minister of Economics and Technology Vice Chairman Global Information Security Forum, Diplomatic Council Vice Chairman of the National Initiative for Information Security, NIFIS e.V. Technical advisory panel Tripoli Rocketry USA CCIE #11220 since Mar. 2003, emeritus since 2015.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathias-gaertner-macs-snr-cp-cyber-8297582/
AACS
Ms Aurelie Jacquet
Chair – AI Ethics Committee
Aurélie is an independent consultant who advises ASX 20 companies on the responsible implementation of AI, and she also works as Principal Research Consultant on Responsible AI for CSIRO-DATA61. She is a member of the NSW AI Assurance Committee, of the UNSW AI Institute Advisory Board, and the co-chair of Australia Computer Society’s AI Ethics Committee.
She leads multiple global responsible AI initiatives with ISO, WEF and the OECD, shaping emerging AI standards, certifications and AI governance best practices/frameworks. She also worked for the European Commission as an expert as part of their international outreach initiative on sustainable and trustworthy AI.
AACS
Mr Louay Ghashash
Chair – Cyber Security Committee
Louay is a Director with over 22 years' experience in Information security across number of industries. He has also acted as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) across number of customer engagements including Non-for-Profit and Retails and FSI. Louay has been providing advisory services for number of industries sectors: Banking & Finance, Transport, Government, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing and Gaming sectors. He has solid experience in providing security advisory for senior managers and Board of Directors. Louay has completed and lead number of large and medium security transformation programs across industries including Finance, Emergency, Utilities sectors, Fast food, City Councils, e-commerce and others. Louay has a solid technical background in technology and security technical solutions and controls. Louay holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master Degree in Networking Systems Engineering. He also holds the following industry certifications: CISA, CISM, CRISC, QSA and ISO27001LA.
MACS Snr - CP
David Norris
Vice Chair – Cyber Security Committee
David is an accomplished professional in information technology and passionate about cyber security. He has a bachelor's degree in computer science and a master’s degree in cyber security. He has qualifications from vendors, including Microsoft, Oracle, and Blackberry Cylance. He has recently completed the ACSC Essential Eight Assessors course. David started his career at Westpac as a programmer. He then moved to IBM as a programmer, finishing as a Team Leader. In 1992, he started his own technology business, Nortec IT, and has worked there since.
The Australian Computer Society has recognised him as a Senior Member. David has also participated as a mentor in the ACS mentoring program. He writes a weekly technology column for two Western Sydney Publishing Group newspapers.
David's commitment to nurturing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals is unwavering. He is a regular presence at industry conferences, seminars, and educational forums, where he generously shares his insights on cybersecurity trends and emerging technologies. His passion for mentoring has inspired many aspiring individuals to pursue careers in this critical field, demonstrating his dedication to fostering talent and supporting others in their professional journeys.
MACS
Ms Karen Cohen
Chair – Blockchain Committee
Karen Cohen aka “blockmum” is the Founder and Director of Emerging Tech HUB, a company that helps humans connect to Emerging Technology. She is the Founder of Women in Emerging Tech and Previous Deputy Chair for Blockchain Australia. She is the Community and Events Manager for Stables. She is the 2022 Blockies award winner for Community Champion. Karen is the previous program manager for Inspiring Rare Birds where she ran the Prime Minister and Cabinet Office for Women mentoring scholarship program. She also ran females in Fintech program for Stone and Chalk sponsored by LaunchVic . She founded and ran AlgoHUB the Developer and Student Community Hub for Algorand Foundation.
MACS - CP
Mr Stefano Tempesta
Vice Chair – Blockchain Committee
Stefano Tempesta is a technologist working at the crossroad of Web2 and Web3, to make the Internet a more accessible, meaningful, and inclusive space. Stefano is an ambassador of the use of AI and blockchain technology for good purposes. A former advisor to the Department of Industry and Science, Australia, on the National Blockchain Roadmap, he is also a technology advisor to Aetlas, a decentralised climate action and sustainability network with a mission to source Verified Carbon Units for liquidity and carbon asset monetisation. Stefano is a lecturer at RMIT University on courses about AI and blockchain technology, and he has co-authored the book "Blockchain Applied" for Taylor & Francis.
MACS
Mr Tom Zorde
Chair – IoT Committee
Tom Zorde leads purpose driven communities to future-proof Australia for a changing digital world. He convened and lead volunteers to deliver a free-to-use wireless Internet of Things Communications Network for Western Australia which now enables entrepreneurs, academia, industry, rural and city councils. His efforts were recognised by the Australian Computer Society awarding the project the 2018 Digital Disruptor award for transforming skills of work teams 21 to 200 staff. In addition to launching the world’s first certified internet of things practitioner accreditation in compliance with ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 standards, Tom is a respected leader nurturing collaboration across industry, government and academia, and is a sought-after advisor for organisations embarking on digital transformation. Twitter: @TomZorde.
MACS Snr CP GAICD
Mr Peter Runcie
Vice Chair – IoT Committee
Peter is an independent consultant assisting organisations with the development and implementation of digital and data technology solutions. Current focus areas include natural hazards, resilience, sustainability and smart cities. He is the Natural Hazards and Smart Cities Lead for the NSW Smart Sensing Network. Peter has had previous technical management roles at CSIRO’s Data61, National ICT Australia, Avaya USA, Bell Laboratories, Woolworths, GIO Australia and several SMEs including as the CIO of a technology based retail startup. Peter is an inventor on 29 granted interational patents in voice and video communications, data networking and biometrics, civil engineering and data analytics. Peter holds an MBA (Exec) from the Australian Graduate School of Management and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Peter is a member of numerous committees including the NSW Government Smart Places Advisory Council, City of Parramatta Smart Cities Advisory Committee, Australian Network for Structural Health Monitoring and Standards Australia Sustainable Cities Technical Committee IT-268.
MACS Snr - CP
Dr Graeme Port
Chair – Data Sharing Committee
Dr. Graeme Port has been an innovator and leader in enterprise software product development and data architecture for over 30 years. Graeme has been a thought leader and architect in multiple major government information sharing projects, particularly in the area of sharing sensitive information for child protection decision making. In 2015, seeing the challenges and opportunities for sharing data across government, private and public sources, Graeme co-founded Factil with the mission to provide advanced solutions for information modeling and data integration. Factil has been directly involved in multiple major government information sharing projects, and developed innovative technology of data modeling, data integration and data matching. Previously, Graeme was co-founder, head of engineering and CTO at ManageSoft, which built market-leading products in application development, application deployment and business intelligence. Graeme received his PhD from the University of Melbourne in the field of Logic Programming.
MACS
Mr Abhinav Jain
Vice Chair – Data Sharing Committee
Abhinav has got 8+ years of experience in the field of Business Analysis, Data Science and Project planning & controls in fortune 500 companies and state government departments like Queensland Health, CBRE, UnitingCare Queensland, Komatsu Australia, BHP and Motorola Solutions to name a few. His leadership experience includes working as a Board member for Adopt-a-beast, Advisory committee member for Minervai 4.0, Chair of ACS QLD Emerging professionals committee and ACS Technical Advisory Board member in Data Sharing Committee. He in a Masters of Data Science graduate from University of Queensland and was recently featured in Talent Guide 2022-23 where his story was one of the 21 talent profiles selected to be interviewed to share his inspiring talent story and advice. He has recently been invited as a speaker to share his experience in Data Science & Data Sovereignty in events like ACS QLD State Tech Summit 2023, Think Tank Tasmania 2023 and Griffith Technical Association. His role at Queensland health as a Principal Business Analyst includes leading the BA activities for statewide implementation for new rostering payroll solution for nurses & midwiferies. His role at CBRE includes leading the data analytics platform for a global product and providing client insights for better tenant experience using Tableau, SQL, Python and Azure. His role at Komatsu involved development of an NLP classifier to automatically analyze text and then assign a set of predefined tags or categories. His role at UnitingCAre Queensland in the senior leadership team included reporting and providing stats for Bluecare and included forecasting, benchmarking, etc.