ACS QLD State Tech Summit 2023

Director and Founder, Best Case Scenario and Director, #TechDiversity

Luli Adeyemo is the Founder & Director of Sydney-based integrated marketing agency Best Case Scenario and has spent the last 30 years curating content for thought leadership conversations and campaigns in the technology sector. In 2020, Luli was appointed the Director of not-for-profit foundation TechDiversity - an industry alliance committed to amplifying diversity awareness and achieving a culture of inclusion through conversation, collaboration, and action. Luli is dedicated to shifting the technology landscape, ensuring a more diverse and inclusive space for all. 
 

National ICT Channel Manager, nbn

Accountable for leading the implementation of the Business Segment ICT channel engagement strategy across a portfolio of vendors, distributors and channel partners, Andrew Charitou has spent the last 40+ years helping businesses from your local corner store through to some of Australia’s largest Enterprises access the latest networking technology to improve the way they do business. “I always say to our partners that bandwidth facilitates innovation, and this initiative has opened up so much opportunity for our channel partner community to help businesses regardless of their location to access new opportunities for innovation, productivity and growth. I love the fact that I can interact with IT providers in regional towns all the way through to MSPs implementing game-changing Enterprise solutions for Australian businesses to thrive.”
 

Senior Consultant/ Data and Analytics Practice Lead, NRI Australia and New Zealand

Greg is an accomplished Information and Data Management Consultant with more than thirty years’ experience working across technology and business streams within a range of organisations including Health, Financial Services and Utility organisations. He works closely with the client to quickly develop a strong understanding of their systems and data sources to deliver true business value in various information management domains including data warehouses, data migration programs, data quality initiatives and business intelligence roles. Greg is a senior member of the ASG Solutions Practice in Queensland, also performing the role of Senior Practice Leader.

Greg has worked in all aspects of the information supply chain – project management, data migration, data analysis, data quality analysis, testing, solution architecture, BI development (PowerBi, Cognos, Business Objects) and ETL programming (SSIS, SAS, Datastage, custom SQL) on SQL Server, Oracle and DB2 database platforms.

Dean of Research, Griffith University

Paulo is the Dean (Research) Griffith Sciences, Griffith University. With twenty years of experience in industry and research organisations, he has held senior positions in Government agencies, Universities, Consultancy and industry. With an extraordinary ability to build enduring relationships and influencing decisions, he is experienced in developing strategic planning, managing change, directing multidisciplinary efforts and advising executives on how trends in science will impact businesses. Paulo is passionate about translating science into meaningful outcomes for government, business and the community and has deep expertise in research, development, innovation and business development gained by leading challenging initiatives and academic pursuits. With extraordinary adaptive leadership, interpersonal, negotiation and communication skills, he is also internationally recognised and awarded researcher and research manager in a wide area of science. His research interests lie in micro-sensing, and he explores applications of his instruments across different fields of science and in industry, including mining, space, and ICT. He contributed to the design, production, deployment, and operation of a sensor used by NASA onboard two rovers on Mars. Paulo is Fellow of the Australian Computer Society. 

Founder and CEO, Zenva

Founder and CEO of Zenva - a leading education platform that helps individuals and organisations upskill in coding, game creation and digital skills.

Pablo holds a Master in IT Management degree from the University of Queensland, and has a decade of experience building products used by over a million learners worldwide. 
 

Associate Consultant, NRI Australia and New Zealand and Committee Member, ACS QLD Emerging Professionals Committee 

Zachary is currently working as an Associate Consultant in the Data and Analytics space at NRI Australia and New Zealand, an IT consultancy providing Transformative Digital Solutions covering business strategy and consulting through to infrastructure and managed IT services. Having a diverse background of working experience has helped Zac develop strong communication skills and an ability to perceive problems through different lens’. He’s focused on driving value for businesses and putting people first, followed by processes and technology. This orientation has also led to him being in the ACS QLD Emerging Professionals Committee, to help connect and empower those in the early stages of their careers.  

Global Data Analyst, Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis and Member, ACS QLD Emerging Professionals Committee

Abhinav Jain has got a 6+ years of experience in the field of Data Science, Project planning & Controls & engineering in Fortune 500 companies like CBRE, BHP, Komatsu Australia and UnitingCare Queensland. He has also completed a Master of Data Science degree from the University of Queensland and was recently featured in the Talent Guide 2022-23 where his story was one of the 21 talent profiles selected to be interviewed to share his inspiring piece of Talent story & advice.

His role at CBRE includes providing client insights for a global product. He uses Tableau, SQL, R- Language and Azure in his current role for the whole Data Visualization process. His role at Komatsu involved development of an NLP classifier to automatically analyse text and then assign a set of predefined tags or categories based on its context. He also has experience using Primavera V6 for project planning and controls for big projects including PRCP rollout at BHP and Installation of digital antennas in Tasmania with Motorola Solutions.
 

Queensland General Manager, Data#3

Ray is an experienced General Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. Skilled in Customer Service, Sales, Business Development and Sales Management. 

Ray has over 30 years in the ICT industry with a strong sales professional background. Ray has a Bachelor's Degree in Biology from Penn State University and Diploma of Education from FAU. Ray is currently enrolled in the AICD program.

As the QLD GM, Ray is responsible for directing and managing the QLD branch and managing the ongoing strategy of the branch within the Data#3 National business. His key objective is to grow the business while building strong relationships with Data#3’s customers and industry partners. 
 

Head of eLearning & Innovation, St John's Anglican College, ACS QLD BEC Member, ACS ICT Educators Committee Chair, ACS MAB 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 ACS representative to the IFIP TC3 Education and the Secretary to IFIPTC3 Executive Committee; member of the ACS QLD BEC, ACS Members Advisory Board, QSITE board; chair of the ACS ICT Educators Committee; and a CSIRO STEM professional. Sharon is a recipient of multiple awards including a 2021 Peter Doherty Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education award; a 2021 finalist for the Queensland College of Teachers TEACHX Innovation in Teaching Award, a 2019 ACS Gold Disruptor award for ICT Educator of the Year; and is a gold medalist of the University of the South Pacific (USP). She is a Queensland Justice of Peace (Qualified) and an international faculty for Haggai International.

Founder, JJP Talent Solutions 

Nicola Steel is the Founder of JJP Talent Solutions, an IT recruitment business based in Brisbane. She has over 20 years IT recruitment experience in both Australia and the UK working with a diverse range of clients. Since 1999, she has connected over 1000 tech professionals with high growth startups, innovative SMEs and visionary corporates. Over 99% of candidates she places pass their probation period and become highly valued team members thus avoiding the pain and cost of a bad hire. Nicola is the Preferred Recruitment Partner to both the Australian Computer Society and River City Labs. One of her passions is helping tech startups to scale and grow and she is also a Mentor at River City Labs. Nicola is passionate about improving diversity within the tech industry as well as building high performing tech teams and outstanding IT careers.

Digital Technology Engineer, Arcadis and Member, ACS QLD Emerging Professionals Community 

I'm currently working as a Digital Technology Engineer in the Automation and Software Development Team at Arcadis in Melbourne, Australia. Arcadis is a global design, engineering and management consultancy, delivering sustainable design solutions for natural and built assets, based in the Netherlands. I'm primarily developing custom plug-ins to existing engineering software packages to address limitations and increase automation of design and delivery processes. 

I've previously completed a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours) and I'm currently completing a Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours) at The University of Queensland. I'm also currently serving as Chair of Young Engineers Australia (Queensland), as well as a Community Member of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) Emerging Professionals (Queensland).
 

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.

CEO, Australian Computer Society

Chris Vein took the role of Chief Executive Officer of ACS in July 2022 after an extensive global search. He joined ACS with a wealth of experience in innovation policy, technology strategy and digital transformation.

A member of ACS since 2018, Chris served as PwC Australia’s Sydney-based Partner for Global Digital Transformation between October 2016 and 2018 after working with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on innovation in aid programs.

Chris has held roles internationally in the public and private sectors, including Deputy United States Chief Technology Officer for Government Innovation at the White House, Chief Innovation Officer for Global ICT Development at the World Bank, and City CIO and Executive Director at the Department of Technology for the City and County of San Francisco.

In his private sector roles, Chris has worked in the consulting and health care sectors.

Chris’ passion lies in boosting the IT sector’s diversity and the use of emerging technologies such as AI, quantum computing, biotechnology and gaming to drive change, transform organisations and build a better society.

Founder and Executive Chairman, Cryptoloc

Jamie’s business, Cryptoloc, started out of an experience he had a decade ago, and has gone on to become one of the world’s most innovative encryption technology companies. Headquartered in Brisbane, with offices in Japan, US, South Africa and the UK, Cryptoloc ensures that businesses and their customers can interact securely, with each piece of data assigned its own separate audit trail, and every user and action verified and accounted for. Cryptoloc was rated by Forbes as one of the top 20 cyber startups to watch, globally, in 2020.
    
 

Software Engineer, Queensland Government and Content and Engagement Lead, ACS QLD Emerging Professionals Committee

Olivia is a software engineer at the Department of Manufacturing, Regional Development and Water in the state government. She is also the Events and Stakeholder Lead at ACS QLD Emerging Professionals Committee. Prior to her IT career, Olivia has 5 years of digital marketing experience in international consultancies. 

With her IT and marketing background, Olivia is passionate about problem-solving to create positive social impacts.
 

Head of Software, Electrical, GNC and Avionics (SEGA), Gilmour Space Technologies

Kody Cook is the Head of Software, Electrical, GNC and Avionics for Gilmour Space Technologies, which is launching Australia's first sovereign orbital launch vehicle from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in QLD, Australia this year. A multidisplinary engineer, Kody has over a decade of experience in developing, operating and managing various space and aerospace programs. He has worked at the Australian Space Agency, as well as in pioneering NewSpace start-ups and a multinational prime. Kody has a Master degrees in Mechatronic Engineering from the University of Queensland (UQ), and Space Engineering from the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
 
 

Deputy Chairman, Springfield City Group

Bob joined the MUR Group (Springfield City Group) in 1985 as a Director and shareholder and moved to Queensland when the group relocated its head office to Brisbane.  During the last 36 years, he has been involved in all the major sectors of the property development industry, including tourism, retail developments, residential subdivisions, commercial and industrial projects.  

In 2003 he was appointed Managing Director of the MUR Group with responsibilities across all groups companies/projects. As Managing Director of Springfield Land Corporation, Bob oversees the activities of Springfield Land Corporation in South East Queensland. Bob was appointed to Deputy Chairman this year.

Bob was also elected as President of the Ipswich Branch of the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) in November 2007.

Bob’s formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA). Bob is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management (FAIM)

As Deputy Chairman of Springfield City Group, Bob oversees the activities of the Company with responsibilities across all groups companies/projects.

President, Australian Computer Society

Dr Nick Tate is President of the ACS. He has nearly 50 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 has taught at Leadership Institutes in Australia and South Africa and was Director of the Future Leaders Institute at the ACS. 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. Nick is an Adjunct Professor at UQ and has a PhD in Cybersecurity. 

CIO, Virgin Australia

David Hogarth is Virgin Australia’s Chief Information Officer, championing the Technology function and delivering an ambitious IT program to enable the airline’s vision to be Australia’s most loved airline. He joined Virgin in 2019 just prior to COVID. Having emerged from voluntary administration (Chapter 11) in private equity ownership, David has transformed Virgin’s IT cost base, rebuilt its capability, and is modernising the airlines technology platforms.

Prior to joining Virgin, David was an IT Executive at Aurizon (Australia’s largest heavy haul railway) for 11 years overseeing IT strategy development and execution, IT operations and project delivery. During his time there the company transformed from a government organisation via IPO to a highly profitable publicly listed company. David provided IT leadership for a number of strategic initiatives which include Queensland Rail and Aurizon demerger ($26bn asset), Aurizon IPO, modernisation of the railway’s IT platforms, and world leading condition monitoring.
 

Managing Director, Springfield City Group

A solicitor by trade, Raynuha holds Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law degrees and also a Masters in Business Administration. 

In February 2013, Raynuha was appointed Managing Director of the Springfield City Group. Over the years, Raynuha has been closely involved in the building of the Greater Springfield City, now the fourth fastest growing statistical local area in the country. 

Greater Springfield is an award winning project encompassing six suburbs. 

Over the years, Greater Springfield has won numerous State and National awards. 

 In November 2019, Greater Springfield received the UDIA Qld Awards for Excellence 2019 - Queensland’s Best Development of last 25 years (25th anniversary award).
 

AI and Digital Products Director, PwC

Rob Kopel is an AI and digital products Director at PwC with deep experience in software engineering, system design and data science. He leads a diverse end-to-end product team, designing and developing AI powered platforms for PwC’s clients and firm. He currently holds a strong focus on Responsible & Ethical AI developments and their forthcoming impact on digital trust. 
 

Head of Technology

Emma Taylor is Head of Technology at Virgin Australia. Over the past two years at Virgin, Emma has been building leading-edge foundational IT capabilities across digital, automation and integration. Emma established a new Architecture practice at the airline bringing governance and decision making transparency to the technology transformation Virgin is undertaking. Emma is also a passionate and active member of the Gender and Generations Network at VA, championing women in IT and supporting programs to assist women to enter or return to the IT workforce.
 

Product Advocate, Five

Pranoy Sarkar is Five's product advocate. Five is an Australian low-code company headquartered in Brisbane. Pranoy wrote his first line of code when he was 12 years old. He also graduated from the University of Queensland with a degree in Software Engineering. When not developing web applications using Five's low-code code environment, he likes to code in JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS and C# to build full-stack applications. Examples of applications he has recently built with Five: a full-stack web application retrieving data from the Google Maps API, in 110 lines of JavaScript and 5 lines of SQL. 
 

Co-Founder, CEO and Head of Growth, Tribu

Lucas is a visionary entrepreneur and tech enthusiast with a passion for innovation, fitness, and travel. As Founder and CEO of CROFTI, he specializes in business innovation, streamlining processes, and leveraging technology to help businesses thrive. Lucas is also the CEO of Tribu, an Artificial Intelligence IT Support tool revolutionizing the MSP industry, and the CTO of both Run With and Pivot, which are transforming the running club and racket sport sectors respectively.

With 18 years of experience in the MSP industry, Lucas co-founded Tribu, which integrates Microsoft Teams, Datto Autotask, ConnectWise, and HaloPSA to solve common IT support requests, elevating customer service and efficiency. He advises and invests in tech startups through CROFTI, helping founders reach their goals faster.

Run With and Pivot are close to Lucas' heart, as they combine his passion for fitness and innovation. Run With fosters a global community of runners and running clubs, while Pivot enhances connections and experiences in the racket sport industry.

Lucas thrives on advising, investing, sales, marketing, and connecting people. He's always looking for opportunities to solve real-world problems with innovative solutions. If you're looking to step up your game, connect with Lucas for authentic collaboration and a win/win partnership.

Lect. Cybersecurity Governance, Policy and Leadership Design Thinking, Business School & UQ Cyber, UQ 

Ivano is a researcher, consultant, author, and speaker whose work focuses on the managerial and business implications of Cybersecurity.

A Lecturer in Information Security, Governance and Leadership with the UQ Business School and a member of UQ Cyber, Ivano helps business leaders and executives make evidence-based decisions in cybersecurity. With a professional background in risk and security management, Ivano's work bridges the gap between technical cybersecurity and its repercussions across organisations. He has advised ministers, policy-makers, board members, and senior executives on strategies, governance structures, policies, and training programs for effective cybersecurity management. Ivano is also an experienced facilitator in the fields of Design Thinking and Design-Led innovation, having run since 2015 more than 50 design-led workshops and longer projects for public and private sector organisations.
 

Director – Cybersecurity, NTT

Dirk is a technology leader with a track record of building high growth business units in several of the largest technology companies around the world, including NTT and Accenture, where he was a Managing Director in the Health and Public Sector vertical. Dirk is currently a Director of Cybersecurity at NTT. With global annual revenues exceeding $USD110Bn, NTT is a powerhouse in technology, telecommunications and security. NTT’s cyber capability includes over 2,000 professionals spread across over 50 countries, multiple Security Operations Centres and several Research and Development labs in Japan, Europe and the United States. Whilst Dirk’s experience ranges across the Banking, Insurance, Retail, Health, Government and Defence sectors, the common thread that binds it together is his specialisation in complex program design and delivery, particularly in the field of cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is a broad and fast changing domain, and Dirk has been able to remain at the forefront of it ever since his first role at the Defence Signals Directorate over 20 years ago. He’s done this by growing high performing teams that are innovative, adaptable and have a collective passion for solving wicked problems.
 
 

Chief Growth Officer, Xceptional

Aron is one of the founding team at Xceptional, an award winning social enterprise dedicated to creating meaningful careers for neurodivergent people. Identifying as neurodivergent himself Aron has a deep drive to correct an unbalanced system of traditional recruitment. 

Aron understands the importance of using his voice and platform to raise awareness. Aron has been interviewed by News Limited, Australian Financial Review, ABC and contributed to podcasts and countless forums.

Prior to Xceptional Aron had a 20 year commercial career with Salmat, Experian & Australia Post where he was responsible for product launches, market development and commercial growth through Asia Pacific. 

Aron is an Adjunct Industry Fellow at Griffith University, he holds a Bachelor of Social Science and a Graduate Diploma of Business Management. 
 

IT Manager, Gilmour Space

Pavel Chmelar is a 20-year veteran in the IT industry who is passionate about Cyber Security, AI, Crypto developments, and technological challenges that require creative thinking and problem-solving. Pavel developed an e-commerce platform at the age of 18, lead multiple IT business transformations, and successfully executed several global system merges and business acquisitions. He is currently the IT Manager at Gilmour Space Technologies, leading the IT department and its operations since 2020.
 

Chief Information Officer, The Lottery Corporation

Loren is the Chief Information Officer of The Lottery Corporation, an ASX50 company that ranks as one of the highest-performing lottery operators in the world. She is accountable for end-to-end lottery platforms, Keno platforms and charitable gaming, as well as infrastructure, cyber security and corporate systems. She was named in CIO Magazine’s Top 50 CIO list for 2021 and is recognized widely as a collaborative and engaging ICT and digital specialist. A curious and passionate leader, Loren has a strong focus on customer experience, innovation and team culture. 

Prior to joining The Lottery Corporation, Loren’s career spanned multiple industries and geographies, ranging from digital strategy and transformation to IT delivery, operations and advisory services, including holding senior technology leadership positions at Youi, Rio Tinto and Gartner. 
 

Founder, Privacy 108

Jodie Siganto is a privacy and cyber security lawyer and consultant. Over her career, she has held in-house counsel roles with Tandem Computers, Unisys Asia and Dell. She co-founded data networking and security firm Bridge Point Communications and more recently Privacy108 Consulting.

Jodie has held leadership roles with industry groups including AISA and is an experienced company director, holding positions with government-owned corporations and private businesses.
 

Director, ACS Innovation Labs

Pauline Fetaui is the Director of Innovation for the Australia Computer Society, which includes Technology Innovation Hubs; River City Labs (Brisbane), Bay City Labs (Melbourne), Harbour City Labs (Sydney) and technology trade mission brand Startup Catalyst. Co-Founder of Something Fest and Something Tech. Queensland’s Digital, Innovation and Technology Festival, Co-Founder Seven Sisters Foundation.  Prior to joining the emerging technology and startup ecosystem,  Pauline spent 20 years leading and delivering Digital, Tech Transformation and Regulatory Change for Global and national large organisations across Banking, Superannuation, Insurance and Government and was Co-host of Podcast, Splash of Colour, Founder of CheeHoo (Personal Assistance Platform for the busy people). 
 

Managing Director and Group CEO, Ubidy

Dr Evan Shellshear is the Managing Director and Group CEO of Ubidy, an innovative global recruitment marketplace connecting employers to specialist agencies, and an expert in artificial intelligence with a Ph.D. in Game Theory from the Nobel Prize winning University of Bielefeld in Germany. He has almost two decades of international experience in the development and design of AI tools for a variety of industries having worked with the world's top companies on all aspects of advanced analytical solutions from optimisation to machine learning in applications from HR to oil and gas, and robotics to supply chain. He is also the author or coauthor of three books including the Amazon best seller, Innovation Tools and AI in medicine.
 

Minister for Transport and Main Roads and Minister for Digital Services
 
Mark Bailey is Queensland’s Transport and Main Roads Minister in the Palaszczuk Labor Government and the local member for Miller.

His portfolio oversees Australia’s largest state controlled road network (at over 33,000kms), along with 19 state-owned ports and Queensland’s urban and freight rail network. Mr Bailey was elected to the Queensland Parliament in January 2015.

Since being elected, he has delivered transformative record road and transport budgets for Queensland, with major projects including the largest jointly funded road upgrade program in the state: the $12.6 billion Bruce Highway upgrade program, the government’s Olympic-bid winning Cross River Rail project, more than $5 billion to upgrade the M1 and build the second M1, Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3 to Burleigh Heads and the $7 billion Queensland Train Manufacturing Program.

Mr Bailey has also delivered major innovations in transport and roads, with record investment in bike, active transport and pedestrian safety upgrades, the creation of the largest electric vehicle charging network in the Southern Hemisphere: the Queensland Electric Super Highway and the statewide rollout of a $371 million smart ticketing system for public transport.

The Minister recognises the significance of his portfolio as a key facilitator for economic development across Queensland, especially as the state’s population booms and, in the lead, up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with $27.5 billion in investment over the next four years and estimated to support an average of 24,000 direct jobs, including more than 16,000 for regional Queensland.