ACS Panel Session: Creating the future, building on the past. Celebrating 15 Years of the South Coast Chapter

Anthony is the Managing Director of AGW Lawyers & Consultants, a multidisciplinary legal and advisory practice in many areas of law and technology, technology development and deployment, digital disruption and transformation, intellectual property and commercialization, contracts and licensing, data governance and  privacy, regulatory and data compliance, cybersecurity, and the emergent and disruptive risks and issues arising from 4.0 Industrial technologies including the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Cloud and Blockchain, 

He is an experienced non-executive director, Chair and CIO with over fifteen years of international executive and board level experience across the public, commercial & not for profit sectors with particular experience across the startup, education, tourism, insurance, financial services, media & publishing, business services & consulting, and the data and digitisation industries.

Anthony chaired the NSW Government ICT Advisory Panel and was a member of the Australian IT Industry Innovation Council. He is a Fellow, Honorary Life Member and Immediate Past President of the Australian Computer Society (ACS). 
He has also held senior management positions in multinational corporations and government. His multi-disciplinary career traversed legal practice, multinationals in both IT vendor and customer capacities, including with Philips (Dutch), as CIO of the Australian Tourist Commission during the Sydney 2000 Olympics and led the digital transformation of Thomson in the Asia Pacific.

Anthony graduated with double degrees in Computer Science and Law from Monash University, Master of Laws in Media, Communications and IT from UNSW and a Master of Intellectual Property from UTS. 

He is a regular commentator and presenter on topical issues on various print and online media, radio and TV, and speaker at various national and international forums.

Omar Khalifa is the CEO of iAccelerate, and is driven by fuelling new ideas through innovation and collaboration. Omar has a passion for entrepreneurship particularly in the in the social enterprise and sustainability space and is driven by the possibilities that the interception of creativity and technology can deliver to innovation. Omar’s vision for iAccelerate is to create a place where artists, students from all disciplines, researchers and the community can rub shoulders and get exposed to new ideas to create sustainable businesses in the Illawarra. Omar has had a diverse career working with many businesses undergoing transition and growth, delivering new products and services in digital and technology-driven sectors including Apple Computer; Hewlett Packard; Optus; Telstra BigPond; Citigroup; and the Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Adam Zarth comes from an extensive career in government, politics and communications; most recently at Newgate Communications in Sydney, where he advised a range of clients in the mining, tourism, property and agriculture sectors.  

Formerly a long-standing chief of staff in the NSW Government, Adam brings a deep understanding of government and policy across a range of policy areas, including three years with the former Minister for the Illawarra.

During his time in government he managed highly complex issues in the health and social service systems and drove national policy reform that required engagement at all levels from around the COAG table to community organisations.
 

Ingrid is a passionate believer that the combination of people, processes, data and technology can enable not just business, but it has the power to change governments, organisations and entire economies. She is a leader focused on achieving great outcomes while, constantly fostering a positive client experience. Ingrid has Masters degrees in both business and IT and has spent most of her adult life commuting from the Southern Highlands of NSW to Sydney to practice her craft in information management and technology. Ingrid believes that the Illawarra needs more people like herself to enable the business of the region.

Willy Susilo is a Senior Professor in the School of Computing and Information Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences in University of Wollongong, Australia. He is the director of Institute of Cybersecurity and Cryptology, School of Computing and Information Technology, University of Wollongong. Willy is an innovative educator and researcher. Currently, he is the Head of School of Computing and Information Technology at UOW (2015 - now). Prior to this role, he was awarded the prestigious Australian Research Council Future Fellowship in 2009. He was the former Head of School of Computer Science and Software Engineering (2009 - 2010) and the Deputy Director of ICT Research Institute at UOW (2006 - 2008).  Willy obtained his PhD from the University of Wollongong in 2001. He has published more than 500 papers in journals and conference proceedings in cryptography and network security.  In 2016, he was awarded the ”Researcher of the Year” at UOW, due to his research excellence and contributions. His work on the creation of short signature schemes has been well cited and it is part of the IETF draft. He has served as the program committee member of several international conferences. He is currently an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing. Previously, he has served as an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security. He is the Editor in Chief of the Information journal.
 

Cheryl Mack is currently the NSW State Manager at the Australian Computer Society, dedicated to supporting the growth of technology talent in Australia. Prior to this she was the CEO of StartCon, which she built from the ground up into an international events & entertainment company in the tech industry. She hosted the largest startup event in Australia, with 4000+ attendees and the largest pitch competition in APAC with a $1M prize. Cheryl has hosted over 400 interviews with high-profile founders, investors, and industry experts. She is an advisor for programs within the City of Sydney’s Tech Startups Action Plan, an active mentor for young entrepreneurs, and a strategic advisor for several startups.