ACS Queensland State Tech Summit - Emerging ICT Professionals

Learning and Development Consultant, ACS

Lisa Syrek is a Training and Development Leader with extensive experience working across a range of industries including ICT, with small to large organisations including corporate and government organisations. Her work for ACS extends to support our members and partner organisations in the implementation of SFIA through Skills Profiling and bespoke professional development and career development opportunities.

Lisa's expertise includes working with organisations to implement successful learning and development programs that align with the business plan of the organisation and the individuals professional development plan; assuring the programs are of the highest quality and are value for money by ensuring funding opportunities are sought if appropriate; client relationship and consulting services to stakeholders for learning and development support including Federal and State/Territory governments, Registered Training Organisations and other Professional Development providers. Lisa has extensive knowledge of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector including all nationally recognised qualifications.

Her previous roles in assisting organisations to develop a learning and development culture within an organisation has seen me work and liaise with numerous businesses within the ACT including ACT Government Directorate’s; Federal Government; Private organisations and Industry associations.
Lisa holds a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, Certificate IV in Employment Services and is a SFIA Accredited Consultant.
 

President, Australian Computer Society 

Nick is ACS Vice President and has recently been elected President for 2022/23. He has 45 years’ ICT experience, including 20 years in Cybersecurity, 16 years as a CIO/Head of IT at two London banks and the University of Queensland (UQ) and 11 years as head of the Australian Computer Emergency Response Team (AusCERT), which dealt with cybersecurity incidents nationally. He is co-author of “A Director’s Guide to Governing Information Technology and Cybersecurity”, an AICD published book and has 20 years’ experience as a Company Director in both Australian and US companies. He is an Adjunct Professor at UQ, and has a PhD in Cybersecurity. 

Telecommunications Technician, Defence Force Recruiting

CPL Belinda Barrett is a Telecommunications Technician within the Royal Australian Signals Corp and has been in the Army for 19 years, in both part time and full time capacities.

CPL Barrett conducted her military training at 1 Recruit Training Battalion in Kapooka and her trade training at the Defence Force School of Signals in Macleod, Victoria.

She has spent her career working within Army Signals with postings, training and exercises all over Australia and a deployment to the Middle East.

CPL Barrett is currently posted to Defence Force Recruiting as part of the Cross Functional Services Team, mentoring candidates for ICT Specialist.

Professor and Acting Head of School, Information Systems, QUT

Alistair Barros is a professor and Acting Head of School, Information Systems, at QUT. He has held academic and industry leadership roles including Global Research Leader at SAP, Project Leader on EU Framework program 6 funded projects, and Consultant on whole-of-government projects. His focus is on the design and interoperability of enterprise systems in contemporary Industrial Internet-of-Things and Blockchain platforms. His work previously applied to service industries in banking and public sector, and has extended to cyber-physical domains including construction, manufacturing, and supply chains. His key contributions include the widely adopted process modelling standard, BPMN 2.0.  

CEO, BOP Industries

The tech-head prodigy behind BOP Industries, Scott Millar is a young entrepreneur taking the world by storm. Compared to a young Steve Jobs after turning a year nine business project into a thriving business, Scott is a 21-year-old CEO that has taken an alternative career pathway, turning down scholarship offers after finishing high school to run his company full time, now with a growing presence around the world. As Queensland’s Young Small Business Leader and one of Australia’s top 30 CEO’s under 30 years of age Scott is on a mission to inspire the next generation, showing them the exciting things they can do regardless of their age, postcode or skillset.
 

Chief Information Officer, Bundaberg Regional Council

Mitch Miller is the current CIO of Bundaberg Regional Council in Queensland, after almost 10 years in education he re-joined local government at the beginning of 2019. With a focus on automation and agility that was required to do more with less in education he has brought a fresh approach and pivoted the team to be improvements focused. Cloud technologies have been key to let the team get on with real challenges rather than dealing with traditional scope and scale issues.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Digital Twinning Australia

Genéne sits on the IEC panel creating the International Standard for digital twinning. She is also a panellist for Standards Australia, is advising on a proposed new ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre and is an inaugural member of the Digital Twin Consortium. 

Genéne has become a recognised global authority on multi-domain interoperability.  Building on extensive deep applied knowledge and experience Genéne is working with Global and National standards and research teams defining digital twinning, digital engineering, and digitisation.

She also walks the talk as Founder and CEO of Digital Twinning Australia.
 

A/Deputy Director-General at Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport

Lea Diffey is the acting Deputy Director-General, Innovation in the Queensland Government’s Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport. The Innovation portfolio is responsible for leading supporting innovative practice across government and leading the Advance Queensland initiative to foster innovation and entrepreneurialism, capitalise on our natural advantages, and help raise Queensland’s profile as an attractive investment destination.

Prior to this Lea led the Science Development for the Queensland Government. She has a long history in sustainable land management, working across portfolios for agriculture, natural resource management, the Great Barrier Reef and environmental management. Lea aims to bring together science and innovation, with policy and outcomes for business.
 

Immediate Past President, Australian Computer Society

Dr Ian Oppermann is the ACS Immediate Past President, NSW Government’s Chief Data Scientist and Industry Professor at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).  Ian has 25 years’ experience in the ICT sector.  These include senior leadership roles in Europe and Australia’s the Director for Radio Access Performance at Nokia, Global Head of Sales Partnering at Nokia Siemens Networks, and then Divisional Chief and Flagship Director at CSIRO. Ian is considered a thought leader in the area of the Digital Economy, a champion for the NSW Smart Places Strategy, and a regular speaker on big data.
 

CEO, Australian Computer Society

Rupert Grayston is the ACS CEO.  Following an 11-year stint at Engineers Australia as the Executive General Manager of Professional Standards and Practice, Rupert held roles at the Office of Professional Standards Council and the Australian Property Institute.  Rupert holds a degree in Civil Engineering and a Masters in Engineering Management.
 

Founder, JJP Talent Solutions

Since 1999, I have connected over 1000 IT professionals with leading startups, SMEs and corporates in both Australia and the UK. Over 99% of candidates I place pass their probation period and become highly valued team members thus avoiding the pain and cost of a bad hire.My passion is connecting tech start-ups with software experts. A major barrier to growth for start-ups is finding the right balance of exceptional technical skills with the right cultural fit. Over the last 20+ years, I have gained a thorough understanding of what kind of person thrives in the fast-paced and rapidly changing world of start-ups. Based on my expertise with start-ups, I have been selected as the Preferred Recruitment Partner for ACS QLD and River City Labs. I am also a volunteer mentor at River City Labs to advise and help start-ups grow and succeed.

Data and Analytics Manager, HBF Health Ltd

Cassidy Kruger is the Data and Analytics Manager for  insurer, HBF Health Ltd. As an accomplished data professional, Cassidy has more than 8 years’ experience specialising in data science, strategy, and advanced analytics. With a proven ability for developing modern data-driven solutions across numerous industries, Cassidy’s leadership and strategic advice is highly regarded amongst his peers. Finalising his Master of Data Science at the University of Queensland, Cassidy is a passionate mentor and a coach for other data professionals    
 

Lead Data Management Analyst, BOQ, Advisor, ACS QLD Emerging Professionals Committee

Dulitha is a Data Analytics professional with experience in various roles such as Business Analyst, Data Analyst and a Data Solution Analyst, currently working at Credit Union Australia as a Data Solution Analyst providing data driven solutions to business related problems.He has always been passionate about data driven insights and using those insights to solve business problems and drive growth. He is also an energetic extrovert who highly believes in professional networking to gain knowledge and expand network. He currently represents the Australian Computer Society (ACS) as the Practice Lead of Queensland Emerging Professionals Community    

Product Owner, Tabcorp

Ankita is a management professional with 8+ years’ experience in leading teams to deliver on strategic goals, senior stakeholder management. Her top skills include senior stakeholder management, strong communication skills, analytical bend of mind, business analysis & process analytics. Ankita’s professional career spans founding and running boutique digital marketing, public relations & advertising agency. Her passion remains in solving real world customer problems through deploying best practices in analysis, innovation and technology. She has been working with Suncorp since 2017 and held various positions across marketplace, Insurance PMO & Digital Labs.
 

Founder, EZOZ (Australia No.1 International Student Online Platform)

Brayan is a 23 years old Entrepreneur in Brisbane, Australia motivated to help make international students and foreigner's life easier in Australia. Bayan is a keynote speaker and technology enthusiast. He likes to travel, explore and takes on adventurous journeys that can challenge and improve himself. He calls himself a problem solver in his professional career.

Graduated in 2019 from QUT with a Distinction in Information Technology Degree (major in Information Systems). Former head of conversion specialist at Fintech Worldwide (London). Team leader of Malaysia national team and represented Malaysia for IoT device design competition held in Switzerland in the year of 2017.

Bayan founded EZOZ-Australia No.1 Online International Community Platform, to Assist International Transitions in Australia, while studying as a year two international student in QUT, partnered with more than 15 students associations and service providers around Queensland. EZOZ (Easy-Aussie) is an online open blogging platform for international students and travellers to share their experience while studying, travelling or working in Australia. EZOZ actively run workshops with partners to provide guidance and advice for international students. 

Director and Co-Founder, Corematic

Scott is the Director of Engineering at Corematic Engineering and co-founder along with Jonathan Legault. A world leader in certain aspects of engineering, he brings extensive experience in control systems and robotic welding systems predominantly relating to automation. With an exceptional array of technical skills, a vast understanding of industry solutions, and a heart committed to his community, Scott Hansen exemplifies what Corematic Engineering aspires to be for the Australian business landscape. Corematic has one of the most impressive trajectories of success in Queensland thanks to his entrepreneurial leadership and undeniable technical expertise. 

Head of eLearning and Innovation, St John's Anglican College, ACS Queensland Branch Executive Committee Member, ACS ICT Educators Committee Member 

Sharon Singh is the Head of e-Learning & Innovation at St John’s Anglican College, Australia. She is an international educator, proactively providing thought leadership and commentary on technology education and computer science for educators globally. She is the Australian Country Member Representative to the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Technical Committee 3 Education and the Secretary to IFIP TC3 Executive Committee; a board member of ACS BEC and QSITE; and a CSIRO STEM professional. Sharon is a recipient of a 2019 ACS Gold Disruptor award for ICT Educator of the Year. She is a QLD Justice of Peace (Qualified) and an international faculty for Haggai International.

Director, Dialog Information Technology and Treasurer, ACS Queensland  

Bob Tisdall graduated from the University of Wales with a degree of Bachelor of Science (Eng) in electronic engineering in 1972 and moved to Australia two years later. He quickly established an IT services company, A I Pty. Ltd., which merged with Dialog in 1987. He became an executive director and shareholder of Dialog, positions he still holds.

Bob is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and has been the National Vice President of the society. His contribution to the ACS was recognised with an honorary life membership.
 

Project Manager, Queensland Government

Matthew Jorgensen is the Project Manager for the Queensland Government-supported Gateway to Industry Schools Program. The ICT GISP connects schools to tech industry leaders to provide experiential learning and promote careers in ICT. He has been a Primary School Teacher and Microsoft Teacher Ambassador, and prior to joining ACS was the Director of eLearning at Saint Stephen’s College.

Director at Gravelroad Group; Member – ACS IOT Committee; Smart City & IoT Expert 

Matthew Schultz is a Director at Gravelroad Group and an Executive leader with expertise in all facets of next-generation connectivity including 5G, digital infrastructure, Smart City & Internet of Things, and data-driven digital strategy and delivery within high-profile operations. Matthew is skilled in collaborating within organizations and industry to achieve business, financial and service delivery objectives.

Matthew is also Co-Chair of the G20 Global Smart Cities Digital Infrastructure Taskforce, Past National President of the Australian Smart Communities Association and the Chair of the newly formed Standards Australia 5G Committee.  He is also an inaugural Board Director of Open Data Australia, a member of Standards Australia IT­042 Internet of Things Standards Development Committee and Standards Australia JT-001-01 Smart City Standards Development Committee.
 

Talent Acquisition Manager, Octopus Deploy 
 
Rachael Goodenough is the Talent Acquisition Manager at Octopus Deploy. Rache has over 15 years of experience in the tech recruitment industry and loves hiring fabulous people who go on to do awesome things! She champions Diversity, Equality & Inclusion and is always reading and learning more on what she can do to play her part to create an equal society.

In her day to day, she strives to build recruitment processes that enable candidates to feel comfortable and put their best foot forward during interviews. Her favourite place to be is organising and speaking at community events such as women who code, tech conferences or falling over at roller derby.
 

Smart Cities and Places Lead, GHD Digital

Harman is the Smart Cities and Places Lead at GHD Digital, where he pursues his passion of developing innovative solutions for Smart Cities, Precincts & Buildings. He brings with him 20 years of global work experience with various technology-related businesses in USA, Dubai, India and Australia. Harman is a Certified Smart Cities Practitioner and a regular speaker on smart technologies, applied innovation and digital transformation. 

In the past, he served as the Chief Innovation Officer at Brady Family of Companies, USA, where he led the organisation to be awarded the “Most Innovative Workplace” in North Carolina in 2017. He also led the development of an IoT platform for smart buildings, Building Clarity, built on world leading SAS Analytics technology. Harman holds an MBA from London Business School and currently serves on Standards Australia’s committee for Smart City Systems with the goal to foster the development of standards in this evolving space.
 

 
Chair, ACS Queensland Branch Executive Committee 

Beau is an experienced company director, chairman and chief executive, CIO/CDO of companies in a wide range of industry sectors operating in the private, not-for-profit and research sectors. He has over 25 years’ of corporate advisory, strategy, innovation and scaleup experience in cybersecurity, smart cities, aviation, international development and research sectors to drive new business growth through digital transformation and organisational change, with a major focus on new and emerging digital technologies.

Beau is a Senior Member of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and a certified professional, Fellow at Griffith University for Business Strategy and Innovation (BSI), Adjunct Professor at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Chair of the QUT Science and Engineering Faculty Information Technology Industry Advisory Group, Member of the Healthcare Innovations Advisory Board at Bond University and Member of the Central Queensland University (CQU) ICT Course Reference Committee.   
He also Chairs the Oxfam Australia Philanthropy Advisory Board and is Chair the Queensland ACS Executive Committee and a member of the ACS Management Committee. 

He has also been invited to be one of ten (worldwide) independent grant reviewers for the Internet Society Foundation grants program and recently undertook a role in the Digital Advisory Group for the Queensland Government Department of Community, Housing and Digital Economy to advice on implementation of the Queensland Governments Digital Workforce Strategy. 

He is also Co-CEO of Forticode, an Australian company who developed Cipherise, a Next Gen identity management and authentication solution.