ACS Summit: The ICT counter culture

AJ Kulatunga having built an award-winning career disrupting the status quo, AJ approaches Innovation, Change and Growth through the eyes of an Entrepreneur. When he was 7 years old he started a neighbourhood newspaper; at 14 he started a website development business and at 23, AJ ran away from a bad boss to pursue a lifelong dream of running his own consulting firm.

After growing the business to 13 staff members and winning several industry awards, AJ decided to pursue a bigger dream – to become a professional speaker and inspire others to awaken their Entrepreneurial Mind. Originally from Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia, some of AJ’s other notable achievements include:
•    Setting up the NT’s first Technology Training Centre for small business owners – the first of it’s kind in Australia.
•    Serving as the youngest board member of the Business Enterprise Center Darwin, NT Chamber of Commerce and Lifeline Topend
•    Creating Young Entrepreneurz Day , a one-day training program that teaches non-academically gifted teenagers how to start and run their own business.

As a result of his Entrepreneurial activities, AJ won The Young Achiever Awards and was recognised as the NT Young Achiever of the Year in 2008.

AJ has a Bachelor of Business Systems Degree and a Graduate Certificate in Business (Banking and Finance) from Monash University and travels globally to speak.

Using his professional experience and constant drive to achieve the impossible, AJ will create a sensational experience for your audience that lasts long after your event is over. Book him as your speaker and watch audiences come alive with excitement!

Sara is a senior consultant based in Noetic Group’s Canberra office. She takes a multi-disciplinary systems approach to solving complex and diverse problems with clients across government. 
Sara’s experience spans various management consulting firms (KPMG, Apis Group, Accenture), with a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) from the Australian National University (ANU). Consulting provides Sara the opportunity to combine clear, logical problem-solving with simple communication of complex ideas to create positive, high-level change.

Sara is passionate about diversity and inclusion, and education. She is Chair of Noetic Group’s Diversity and Inclusion Working Group, and volunteers for MeriSTEM, an ANU STEM education initiative. 

Kristyn is a strategic design consultant with Apis Group. She works across Commonwealth Government agencies to conceptualise, design and advise solutions to Australian social services, including for health, aged care, education and employment. 

Before consulting, Kristyn undertook a PhD in services management, researching how people with Parkinson’s disease could better manage their health. Today, on top of working as a consultant, she tutors management and marketing at the University of Canberra.

Day to day, Kristyn’s job changes – one day, she might be conducting user research or sketching a new service model, and the next presenting future strategic designs to clients.

With experience in large scale government implementation reform, Claire has spent the past 5 years at the forefront of delivering projects transforming access to aged care services. Her experience ranges from troubleshooting complex problems, incidents and defects; stakeholder engagement, change management, process management, and system delivery. Over the past year, Claire has been Design Lead for an IT enhancement project with operating costs of approximately $25 million per year that supports services reaching over 1.3 million Australians. 

Brad Tucker is an Astrophysicist/Cosmologist.  Brad received Bachelor’s degrees in Physics, Philosophy, and Theology from the University of Notre Dame and a PhD in Astrophysics and Cosmology from Mt. Stromlo Observatory at the ANU.  He’s leading programs using the NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope and TESS to understand why and how stars blow up. He’s also building a network of ultraviolet telescopes in the upper atmosphere. a search to find Planet 9, as well as a new mission to capture and mine an asteroid.

Brad frequently gives talks to school groups and the general public about Astronomy and chatting with the media about Astronomy news and events.  Brad has also developed a series of Astronomy coins with the Australian Mint and consulted on science fiction movies.  He is currently in the process of writing his first book.