Chair

Karen Cohen aka “blockmum” is the Founder and Director of Emerging Tech HUB, a company that helps humans connect to Emerging Technology. She is the Founder of Women in Emerging Tech and Previous Deputy Chair for Blockchain Australia. She is the Community and Events Manager for Stables. She is the 2022 Blockies award winner for Community Champion. Karen is the previous program manager for Inspiring Rare Birds where she ran the Prime Minister and Cabinet Office for Women mentoring scholarship program. She also ran females in Fintech program for Stone and Chalk sponsored by LaunchVic . She founded and ran AlgoHUB the Developer and Student Community Hub for Algorand Foundation.

Vice Chair

Stefano Tempesta works at Microsoft in the Azure Confidential Computing product group to make the Cloud a more secure place for your data and apps. Additionally, as advisor to the Department of Industry, Australia, on the National Blockchain Roadmap, his current focus is on helping people gain and own their digital identity. Stefano is also a technology advisor to Carbon Asset Solutions, a climate action and sustainability network with a mission to slow carbon dioxide emissions and remove excess atmospheric CO2 by using regenerative agriculture technologies.

Member

After graduating from UNSW, Ambarish has held positions as a visiting researcher in Italy and Taiwan, worked for industry in United Kingdom and the United States of America and for the past nine years has been working in the Australian Public Service.For the past 17 years Ambarish has led the development of five international standards under the auspices of the International Standards Organization (ISO) popularly known as JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). He is the recipient of the ISO/IECcertificate for contributions to technology standards. Ambarish is highly active in the area of international standardization and voicing Australian concerns in the area of JPEG and MPEG (Motion Pictures Experts Group) standardization. Recently, he initiated an effort in the area of standardization relating to Privacy and Security in the Multimedia Context both within JPEG and MPEG standard bodies.In 2015, Ambarish was the recipient of the prestigious Neville Thiele Award and the Canberra Professional Engineer of the Year by Engineers Australia. Ambarish currently works as an IT Architect within the Australian Taxation Office. Ambarish currently also serves as a committee member on the ITEE College Board, the ITEE Canberra Branch committee of Engineers Australia and is also served as Vice-Chair and Treasurer for the IEEE Canberra Section.

Member

Member

Christy leads Data Visualisation Research Lab at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), whose research interests focus on Data Visualisation and Visual Analytics Science Technology. She was a recipient of UTS University Medal with First Class Honours, Capital Markets CRC scholarship and Australian Postgraduate Awards. She had global appointments, including IBM Australia in Strategic Data Analysis, and Peking University in Visual Analytics Research. Her Honours research contributed to stock market surveillance work, and her doctoral and later research has substantially contributed to the fundamental research in information visualisation and visual analytics. Her research has been widely applied to the other domains, including blockchain, finance, food safety, bio-medical, smart city, and social media. She owns 4 intellectual properties. She has lead as chief investigators in a number of multi and trans-disciplinarily collaboration with Australian government, domestic and international industry and academic partners. She develops and coordinate a number of new enterprises and educational learning online courses, including short courses, micro-credentials in data visualisation field.

Member

Danielle Marie is a seasoned Blockchain Educator, Crypto Enthusiast, and Community leader who was awarded Australian Blockchain Leader of the Year 2023. She is the founder of the Women in Digital Economy initiative fostering female empowerment and a founding member of ALL THINGS BLOCKCHAIN a non-profit association focused on growing the local blockchain ecosystem.

Member

Member

Scott Waller is a technology professional with over 20 years’ experience supporting businesses implementing digital and transformation agendas within finance, capital projects, supply chain and manufacturing environments. Scott’s passion is in the use of technology to drive business model innovation and ensuring technology risk is effectively managed. Scott leads EY’s Oceania blockchain business that is focused on supporting clients with blockchain solution development and digital assets related trust services. Scott brings an entrepreneurial spirit to solving corporate technology challenges and is a co-founder in a number of Web3 start-ups.

Member

Member

Expertise: 23+ years of experience in ICT as a developer/architect/CTO/CISO/CIO in Federal Government, Healthcare and commercial sectors. Experiencing managing ICT environments ranging from micro (300 staff) to large (23,500 staff). Recent experience developing and parenting blockchain technology and distributed applications. Networks and Spheres of Influence: Well-connected across multiple industries and globally. Currently particularly active in the social sector and investigating the impact blockchain can have on communities not services by current technologies. Accountable: Extensive experiencing successfully delivering large complex programs of work in Australia and internationally. Currently ACS' Blockchain representative to Standards Australia and ISO. Commitment and Passion: Currently a AACS and have been in attendance at every possible ACS/SA/ISO meeting on blockchain over the past 1.5 years. Leadership Capabilities: As per above.

Member

I'm applying for ACS Board /Committee membership following a strong recommendation from Danielle Marie, whose insights into the Society's impact and vision have inspired me to apply. My expertise in ICT, particularly in blockchain technology, complements my network within tech and education sectors. Committed to ACS’s mission, I am ready to contribute to committee goals, deliver detailed outcome reports, and actively participate in meetings. I am not an ACS member yet but am eager to join and have no conflicts of interest. My resilience, strategic thinking, and communication skills will serve the ACS community well.

Member

I am excited to put forward my nomination for the ACS Technical Advisory Committee. My journey in the ICT domain, particularly in blockchain technology, has been immensely fulfilling and continuously drives my passion for the field. As the current Chair of the Blockchain Community of Interest in Victoria, I have had the privilege of orchestrating events that draw esteemed entities like ANZ Bank and ASX which draws large audiences, both physically and virtually. My past events have featured the award-winning artist Eskimo Joe NFTS, presentations on DLT technology from the ASX and ANZ with the creation of the A$DC (Australian Dollar Digital Coin), exemplifies the vibrant and impactful initiatives I am committed to delivering to the membership based. My expertise is grounded in a deep-seated belief in the transformative power of technology, underscored by my experience and a solid educational foundation in ICT. My network, nurtured through years of collaborative efforts and strategic partnerships, is a testament to my dedication to fostering growth and innovation within the industry. Introducing the Emerging Women in Tech to ACS remains one of my most cherished contributions. This initiative, especially during the Digital Innovation Festival, highlighted women's prowess in Blockchain and AI reflects my belief in inclusive growth and empowering underrepresented voices in technology. I am deeply aligned with the ACS's vision and strategy. My leadership style is personal and inclusive, adaptability, and strategic thinking. My ability to articulate complex ICT concepts into actionable insights is a skill I am eager to bring to the committee. In submitting this nomination, I am offering my skills and experiences, my genuine enthusiasm for the ICT industry, blockchain technology and my commitment to contribute positively to the ACS Technical Advisory Committee. Thank you for considering my nomination, and I look forward to contributing to our shared goals.