Speakers

Nick Abrahams is leader in the technology & innovation community as an entrepreneur, director, investor and advisor. He is the Global Head of Technology & Innovation for Norton Rose Fulbright, a professional services firm with over 8,000 people. In that role he created the world’s first AI-enabled legal chatbot and the world’s first Employment Agreement as a Cartoon Strip.

As a sidehustle, six years ago he founded leading online legal site, LawPath which has completely reinvented the law with its subscription Legal-as-a-Service model. The company has over 100,000 users and recently completed one of the largest legaltech investments in Australia’s history.

He has authored two books on Australian tech: Digital Disruption in Australia and Big Data, Big Responsibilities. His latest book A Brief Future of Almost Everything will be published in 2020. He is a regular contributor to the Australian Financial Review.

He is a director of: ASX300 software company, Integrated Research; global genomics leader, the Garvan Foundation; as well as the Vodafone Foundation and the Sydney Film Festival. He worked as a Creative Executive at Warner Brothers in Los Angeles and is the Producer of the mockumentary Searching for Alison Porchnik, starring Woody Allen and Carol Cane.

Petr Adamek is the CEO of Canberra Innovation Network and has over 20 years of international experience in helping companies innovate and grow.

Petr’s background is in artificial intelligence and business. He co-founded a successful European innovation consultancy and was CEO of a business incubator in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Petr has worked with hundreds of start-up companies in several leading accelerator and incubator programs in Europe, New Zealand and Australia as a mentor and business growth advisor.

Dr Leila Alem has 25+ years of experience in helping businesses transform for the Digital Future. Her expertise includes designing awards winning digital products and new customer experiences leveraging emerging technologies such as AI, Wearables, AR/ VR and MR and using Design Thinking, Lean Start-up and Agile methodologies. Her clients include Boeing, Rio Tinto, Thomson, 3M and many more , as well as Government Departments at both state and federal level. She won the 2013 NSW State innovation Award in R&D for her work with

Boeing and was finalist of The Women Infotech outstanding Career Achievements Award in 2015.

Leila has 10 years of experience in entrepreneurship, building new innovation programs and practices to drive client engagement. Her corporate entrepreneurship experience include government and consulting sector. Currently Leila is the co-founder of ArcSense, a wearable tech start-up in health and wellbeing. She teaches Product Design, Innovation & Entrepreneurship in MBAs in Australia and France and mentors tech start-ups and social enterprises.

Leila is an Adjunct Professor in Human Computer Interaction at UTS and holds a PhD in AI. She was Principal consultant at Thoughtworks, a global innovation consulting firm, for 2 years and Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO for 23 years.

She is a sought after keynote at international conferences on emerging technologies and innovation. Leila has 100+ publications and is the editor of books & international journals in the next frontiers of Human Computer Interaction.

Dr Alex Antic, Head of Data Science - ANU Software Innovation Institute

Alex is a trusted and experienced Data Science Leader, with a proven record of delivering innovative, successful and sustainable projects in government, industry and start-ups, that leverage data and Machine Learning/Deep Learning capabilities to deliver actionable insights.

He has expertise in collaborating with organisations to turn business problems into technical solutions, that meet their strategic needs, by developing and managing high-performance teams.

Alex has over 16+ years' experience developed across a number of industries and domains, including Federal and State government, Insurance, Asset Management (Hedge Funds), Banking (Investment and Retail), Academia and Consulting.

Alex aims to educate, guide, inspire and spur discussion and collaboration in the field of Data Science.

Rebecca is the Deputy Director of AI, Projects and Innovation at the University of Canberra.

She commenced in the role five years ago and has turned her focus to delivering high quality digital initiatives for UC, which improve the student experience, allow business to make better decisions and incorporate digital transformation.

Her achievements include leading the delivery of the award winning UC Student 360 project (leveraging Microsoft Dynamics CRM), the recent release of UC’s new Digital Student Journey platform (powered by Adobe) and ‘Lucy’ the student facing chatbot. Prior to commencing in the role Rebecca worked in the project and advisory space, as a senior consultant, across various federal government clients.

Joanna has a strong background in generalist HR/WHS within a wide range of industries: ASX listed, retail, travel, logistics, shipping & manufacturing, most recently Technology and NFP. She has over 12 years of senior leadership skills in people management, leadership capability, board and governance, change management, building compliance, talent succession, innovative practices and engaging a high performance culture that aligns with organisational goals and strategic direction. Joanna is a board member, an Executive Manager – HR at the Vikings Group, a qualified and certified Australian HR Institute practitioner and was awarded the Australian Rising Star 2016, and finalist for Australian HR Manager of the year in 2017.

I am a NED, Co-Founder, Director, Chief Technology Officer and Enterprise Architect with over eighteen years of executive and board-level experience across the public and commercial sectors with particular expertise in information technology, healthcare and defence industries. I am a committee member as a NED. In an executive capacity, I am a Co-Founder, Director and Chief Technology Officer with PhonePass, where I am leading product development and contributing to strategic investment opportunities. I am also Fujitsu Australia’s Enterprise Architect, where I am providing expert technology services and strategic advice to various enterprises and federal agencies and internally. Before this, I was a Senior Consulting Architect with The Architecture Practice, where I led the development of strategic service-oriented architecture across the Department of Defence platforms. I also have experience working with the Board and Executive Leadership Team of Entity Three and its client, where I strategised sales and marketing programs for a multinational company.

Al Blake is Chief Technology Officer for Shared Services within the ACT government where he is responsible for delivering the core technology solutions that underpin service delivery in such diverse areas such as education, health, transport and justice.

Al has over 30 years in executive IT leadership, including the CIO role within the Commonwealth Environment department, where he was responsible for developing and implementing the Department's overall IT strategy. He was also a driving force behind the development and adoption of green IT initiatives within the Australian Government and spent seven years managing Pacific wide information networks, based in the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia.

In addition to government experience Al spent several years as Principal Public Sector Analyst with the tech research firm, Ovum, and is recognised as a strategic IT thought leader. He is enthusiastic about the opportunities offered by as-a-service paradigm shifts and passionate about helping deliver digital services that will make the ACT one of the best places to live, visit and study in Australia.

In his spare time Al is an enthusiastic cave diver.

A confident and engaging speaker with over 15 years as an Executive Assistant supporting CEO & CFO's across the Financial Services, Energy Management & Star-tup Tech space.

She helps Executive Assistants find their voice, disrupt the status quo and identify better ways to do business. ‘I'm passionate about EAs making positive changes to declutter their day, automate the mundane, and focus on the stuff that gets them excited’. Working within large organisations or startup business's to make them understand the true worth of an EA and wy the business partner relationship is so essential + her advocacy in this space is very visible thru her 'Walk n Talk' series and the podcast "Door20a" platform.

My goal when speaking is to engage, challenge and inspire, all whilst having a good laugh. My clients trust me to facilitate connection and foster EA and PA networks within their organisations. The power of an internal network is to build a sense of belonging, to share intel and experiences + break down walls in organisations

As a mentor, I provide a framework for EA’s to be the best version of themselves. I help enable Executive Assistants with the right technology & to not sweat the small stuff but always see the big picture with positive outcomes to support their executive in meeting the business objectives

Adam Bryant bring more than 30 years of multinational experience in telecommunications, with both start-ups and established suppliers. In that time he has worked on all generations of wireless in various roles included R&D, product management, and solution architecture. Previously based in Singapore, Adam was intimately involved in service provider strategy across the Asia Pacific region, coordinating network architecture solutions for customers across the region. Adam is currently the Nokia Oceania CTO responsible for technology strategy across Australia and New Zealand.

An experienced and passionate security professional, with vast experience in both Government and industry, Marianne is known for translating “security” speak into everyday language. Marianne’s career started in the health sector working in IT & risk. Moving from the health sector to communications, she worked with the Federal government to improve the security of telecommunications and industrial control systems. Since then she has worked across a wide range of operational and non-operational security roles in both the public and private sectors. Marianne has been working at the Australian Digital Health Agency since its inception in 2016 in both Cyber Security and Protective Security.

Dorte Ekelund is the Principal Advisor on Smart Cities for SMEC with an emphasis on urban policy and infrastructure. With technology and digitisation becoming all pervasive within society, it is critical that decision makers in the built environment develop a broad and deep understanding of the potential of technology to disrupt as well as contribute to the design, construction and management of more sustainable, liveable, healthy, prosperous and resilient urban systems.

Dorte is an urban and regional planner with extensive experience in landuse and infrastructure planning across various jurisdictions and all levels of government, including as head of the former Major Cities Unit within the Australian Government. She is a Director on the boards of ICON Water, the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia and the Committee for Sydney, where she is also the Chair of their Smart Cities Taskforce.

Alicia is currently the CEO of Discovery Ag T/A Goanna Ag – the leading provider of IoT devices and telemetry in to the irrigated cotton market in Australia. Alicia has proven ability in product development and commercialisation in agriculture. She was previously CEO of Graingrowers Limited and worked with AgTech start-up Agrecon. Alicia has extensive expertise in software development, MPCI, advocacy, market access, business development and stakeholder engagement.

Adam has been working between business strategy, creativity, technology, data, marketing, and digital customer experience for twenty-five years, living and working in the United States, China, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.

He is a pioneering executive in marketing, digital transformation, digital marketing, and technology leading teams to create some of the world’s leading brands, experiences and digital economy programs and that delight the customer and deliver market share.

WPP AUNZ has now appointed Adam to the newly created role of executive director, marketing technology. Adam is leading the WPP AUNZ Group agencies to access the best inbreed technology, marketing cloud services, creative content, automation, CX and programme delivery capability for clients in Australia and New Zealand.

Dr. David Haley is the Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Myriota, the global leader in low-cost, low-power, secure direct-to-orbit satellite connectivity for the Internet of Things. David is an inventor and entrepreneur with extensive prior startup experience, growing Myriota’s world class patent portfolio and translating deep tech into product.

Guy has over 25 years working in Risk, IT and Technology across the Finance, Telecommunications, Pharmaceutical and Software industries. He has managed risk, compliance, audit and technical delivery teams during this time.
Guy has been thinking of better ways for Atlassian to manage IT Risk and Compliance since Sept 2013. Atlassian is an Australian company started 17 years ago that builds software to help teams work better together – products include Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket, Trello, Statuspage and Opsgenie

Harini is the global Head of Technology at Antler, an early-stage VC and startup generator program. At Antler, she leads the effort to create a data-driven platform to drive the investment decision process and also tech advisory role for founders and startups. Prior to joining Antler, Harini was the VP of Data Engineering at BlackRock in New York for 9 years, where she built large scale distributed products, architected innovative data platforms in FinTech space and lead engineering teams globally.

Harini is passionate about Women In Tech initiatives and mentoring junior developers. In her spare time, she enjoys analysing tech trends, start-ups and filmmaking.

Ben has over decade of experience in data and analytics specialising in the detection of fraud and non-compliance. Leading both large and specialist teams across several federal government departments, he has successfully established, enhanced and delivered data driven fraud and non-compliance detection capability. He is currently a Director and the Lead Data Analyst within the National Disability Insurance Agency’s Scheme Integrity Branch.

Dr. Ian Oppermann is the NSW Government Chief Data Scientist and until December 2019 was also the CEO and the NSW Data Analytics Centre (DAC). With a solid track record of entrepreneurialism, business transformation and business growth through partnerships, coupled with a hands-on, “can do” attitude and a deep understanding of the innovation process, Ian has a rare mix of skills. Ian has almost 30 years’ experience in the ICT sector and has led organizations with more than 300 people, delivering products and outcomes that have impacted hundreds of millions of people globally. He has held senior management roles in Europe and Australia as Director for Radio Access Performance at Nokia, Global Head of Sales Partnering (network software) at Nokia Siemens Networks, and then Divisional Chief and Flagship Director at CSIRO. He has worked in the fast growth private sector running a start-up, and as CEO of financial market data company RoZetta Technology as well as a strong track record in innovation in the University sector leading a major research centre, the CWC, in Oulu Finland.

Tom has over 20 years' experience in senior executive roles across multiple industry verticals and geographies.

He is an accomplished leader in the ICT industry, for the last 7 years, with Telstra and now Optus and was also the co-founder and CEO of a “profit for purpose” tech start-up.

This has given him a unique perspective on all things tech, with a focus on the consumer and SMB segments and in particular, connection to the National Broadband Network.

Over recent years he has dedicated himself to bridging the digital divide, in Regional, Rural and Remote Australia.

This dedication has driven him to become a translator of the power of technology in being able to unlock happiness, connectedness, transformation and user ease, with a laser focus on kids in the bush.”

How can we unify and collaborate to bridge this divide and at pace, while demonstrating ROI? Something he is looking forward to exploring with you all.

Emma is a Policy Director at the Australian Banking Association with extensive experience in banking and governance. Her policy responsibilities include digital banking, conduct and remuneration, culture and corporate responsibility. Emma has led teams which have delivered many firsts into the Australian banking market, including the launch of the first online no-advice managed fund in Australia. She also has extensive governance experience with NGOs and is currently completing her PhD at the University of Sydney Business School. Her research focusses on global governance impacts on national business practices.

Richard is a patent-holding former cardiology executive and engineer, currently reinventing how people travel in metropolitan areas around the world. He co-founded Adiona, the world's first award-winning, AI-powered logistics Optimisation SaaS (OaaS) platform that is helping organisations like Coca-Cola Amatil, JCurve, and Salmat to reduce costs and environmental impact while simplifying their operations. Adiona is an alumni of the exclusive Telstra muru-D programme and the winner of the 2019 Supply Chain and Logistics Association of Australia (SCLAA) Environmental Excellence Award (Highly Commended).

An expert in industrial AI and how tech disruption is changing the future of work, Richard has been quoted in publications such as Create Magazine (Engineers Australia), IEEE, Boston Business Journal, and CNN.com. He previously co-founded two high tech spinouts with partners including the CSIRO and the University of California (Berkeley), award-winning Not For Profit "YHES" in Boston, and a 6000+ member social network just for "Engineers Looking For Stuff" (ELFS). Richard is also actively involved in the medical device community as a mentor and advisor.