ACS Summit: Industry 4.0 - Empowering your Future

Recruitment consultant with Searson Buck

Amanda has a strong background in ICT, Marketing and Sales providing business solutions for both the government and corporate sector. She has been a successful local business owner, and is a casual presenter and local comedian.

Amanda is vibrant and engaging. She thrives on working collaboratively her candidates and clients in order to effectively partner with them. Specialising in ICT recruitment, Amanda prides herself on providing permanent, temporary and contract recruitment solutions to her clientele. 

Commercial Portfolio Manager at Hydro Tasmania

Delivering ICT, complex projects and corporate shared services in a pragmatic manner which creates and supports business value has been a common thread throughout a career which spans 25+ years.

I have worked across a wide range of private industry organisations in sectors including Manufacturing, Tourism, Mining, Retail, FMCG, Transport, Forestry, Gaming, Hospitality, Memberships & Financial Services, Emergency Services (Tasmanian Public Service) and now the Energy and Utilities sector.

As a volunteer and director for a number of Not for Profit organisations I have also broadened my leadership experience and gained an insight into the Health, Education, Sports Administration and Community sectors.

Building upon my technical background in IT, I have continually broadened my scope through new roles, projects, formal education (MBA and AICD Company Directors Course) and a number of professional development courses including the Tasmanian Leaders Program (TLP).

As a lifelong learner I have a passion for pushing my boundaries and exploring the possibilities. I have successfully combined innovation and entrepreneurship with a very practical approach to team building, leadership, customer service and problem solving. This combination of skills and the teams that I have worked with have enabled the consistent delivery of positive outcomes for my stakeholders.

My specialties include:
- Corporate Governance
- Service Management
- Strategic Vendor Management
- Strategic planning & reviews
- People & Change Management
- Commercial & Legal
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Corporate / Shared Services
- Project Management
- Business Analysis
- Process Improvement
- Team Building
- Problem Solving
- Information Technology (IT)
- Vendor management
- Innovation 

Silvana Smillie
Manager Application Development

Silvana is an experienced professional who has spent over 20 years in the IT industry across verticals such as; operations, service, infrastructure, enterprise systems, projects, and software development. She is a UTAS graduate holding a Bachelor of Computing (B.Comp.) with double majors in mathematics and computer science and a Master of Business Administration (MBA). She currently has the role of Manager Application Development for the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management (DPFEM) within the Tasmanian State Government.

Silvana draws on her experience and successes within the IT sector and is focussed on openness and finding new ways of thinking to expand her professional and personal growth. This is achieved by identifying and challenging patterns of resistance and focussing on forward momentum to help build the resilience required for innovation and success within the workplace today.

She is a passionate leader, devoted to promoting and encouraging diversity within the IT sector. She is very enthusiastic about encouraging young professionals to accelerate their career progression within the IT industry by helping them to unlock their courage and potential so they are able to promote their unique values and communicate with confidence.
 

Stuart Mcilwraith
Practise Manager, DXC Eclipse – Platform Solutions for Microsoft

As a goal-directed and results-driven ICT Management professional with solid experience gained from 22 years in the field I have delivered effective and efficient ICT infrastructure solutions for Line of Business systems that ensure ROI. Adept at assessing and analysing the specifics of the strategic and operational requirements in order to develop and implement tailor made technology solutions that meet the critical business demands necessary to take the organisation forward.

I lead cross-functional teams utilising strong analytical, strategic, planning, interpersonal and communication skills to drive team cohesiveness in order to maximise productivity. In addition, I can adroitly manage multiple transformation and collaboration projects from conception to completion including meeting the organisation’s end-objectives with excellence. My management skills incorporate the full spectrum of IT, from Data Centre/Infrastructure deployment to Line of Business solutions including technology deployment, security measures deployment and Project Management scenarios.

I am tenacious, resilient and work well under pressure, I’m proactive in applying a creative and innovative approach to problem-solving, and I am exceptionally attentive to detail to ensure that nothing is overlooked in the design and development of ICT solutions to business requirements. I have strong interpersonal and communication skills and work well across all levels of an organisation, and am able to build strong and sustainable relationships. 

Punam Panta
Customer Success Consultant, Senior Project Manager, Business Analyst, Intuit Technologies

I am a Consultant with over 25 years of experience in Networking working closely with key Customers in a range of various Industries including Service Provider, Banking & Finance, Manufacturing, Education, Health, Government and Retail to design and deliver technical solutions to complex business problems.

I am a self-starter who proactively works to achieve individual and team goals and enjoys dynamic work environment. My key strengths include exceptional interpersonal as well as verbal and written communication skills, multiple technology exposure, passion for my work and ability to influence. I am an expert at being able to develop a trusted advisor relationship with customer stakeholders, partners, and executive sponsors to drive adoption and ensure they are leveraging a solution to achieve full Business Value.

I have a unique career graph where I have both a strong technical and a leadership background that allows me to lead projects to define overall network support strategies to manage complex and non-standard opportunities from identification stage through qualification, solution creation and execution. I get excited about bridging the divide between business and technology while providing thought leadership for internal and external stakeholders.

Grant Taylor
GM Information Services at Federal Group

Experienced senior manager in a wide range of industries, including SaaS, Casinos, Utilities, Engineering, FMCG, Manufacturing and Media/Advertising. Track record in managing and motivating large teams and delivering profitable growth.

Results oriented leader who specialises in business management and the establishment of new organisational capabilities, marketing and strategic business development, growth strategies and the alignment of technology to business needs.

Experienced delivery executive with expertise in complex program management and governance for the end to end delivery of complex projects in challenging environments.

Expert in turnaround management and remediation of complex business and technical issues.

Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management (FAIM). 
 

Tony has been successfully working in the IT industry in Tasmania & Melbourne for more than 30 years. During this time Tony has developed skills in project management, data modelling & analysis, technical advice, training & high level multi-language programming. He has an in-depth knowledge of an extensive number of development environments. With a determination to deliver program implementations both on time and within the specified budget, Tony has fulfilled various major projects: Challenger International: Financial planning client management software Tote Tasmania: betting system connectors Westpac: Data Conversion, File Processing Engine, Data Integration Health Insurance Commission: Medicare Smartcard Kiosk Federal Group: GMS Integration His proven ability to effectively deal with Internet based financial systems on client servers has positioned him as a much sought after industry specialist. For the last 20 years, Tony has been involved in training, mentoring and supporting people in various corporate bodies. Tony received a key contributor award in designing & developing the Australian patented Prepayment Risk System. Specialties: Integration of complex data systems and protocols. Fully conversant in C/C++, C#, Fortran, XML, SQL, multiple assembly languages & protocols, RFID. Training of developers in correct development techniques & approaches

I am a Geologist, Co-founder at Geoneon, and Research Fellow at the Centre for Energy Geoscience at the University of Western Australia.

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✔GEOHAZARDS

Since 2010, I am extensively involved in the development of several offshore and onshore energy projects worldwide. My expertise covers the scoping of geophysical surveys and geotechnical site investigations focusing on geohazard assessments; and the management and interpretation of multifaceted datasets to assess the potential geohazards and associated risks to the projects and help develop mitigations.

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✔GEOLOGICAL RESEARCH

I am a published scientist with strong creative thinking and interpretive skills demonstrated by the development of novel study approaches and innovative stratigraphic and tectonic models. 

Information Analyst
Hobart City Council

Fascinated by the advances in AI and the transformative effects on society, Yolanda co-founded the AI Collaborative Network in 2018 to foster the Australian AI ecosystem. The AICN supports AI practitioners and data scientists, bringing together businesses, universities, government and industry to collectively leverage the power of AI technology responsibly in Australia.

With a background in mechatronic engineering and finance, she has worked in mining, utilities, construction, government, and currently works in innovation and technology. 

Saskya Hunter, Digital Innovation Lead (Water) , AquaLAB Director

Saskya is a chemical engineer with 22+ years’ experience in the water industry.  She has worked in Australia and the UK in consulting roles as well as across public and private sector utilities.  For the past decade or more, Saskya has been satisfying her curiosity and natural tendency to want to do things better by augmenting her water work with a variety of activities focused on innovation.  This has led to her making a number of career shifts, the latest being from traditional engineering into GHD Digital where she leads the digital water service offerings.  She has also been instrumental in the creation and development of GHD’s AquaLAB which fosters collaboration and co-creation of leading edge digital solutions in the water sector.  For this work, she has been named amongst Engineers Australia’s Top 30 Innovative Engineers for 2019.  Outside of work, she is a mother to three “tweens” and as a result has a keen interest in the future of work and how education shapes and readies our future generations for what lies ahead.