Governance

Beau Tydd is a distinguished leader with over 25 years of senior executive experience, encompassing roles such as Chief Executive, Chief Information Officer, Board Chair, and Director. He is adept in corporate advisory, strategic planning, innovation, and business scaling, with a proven track record across diverse sectors including emerging technologies, cybersecurity, smart cities, aviation, international development, and research. Beau holds the position of Adjunct Professional Fellow at Griffith University and serves as an Industry Professor at Deakin University. Additionally, he is an Adjunct Professor at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Southern Cross University, and Central Queensland University. He chairs the QUT Science and Engineering Faculty Information Technology Industry Advisory Group and co-chairs the TAFE Queensland Course Advisory Committee for Higher Education Cyber Security. Beau also contributes his expertise to multiple university course and industry advisory boards. A committed community leader, Beau has chaired the Queensland ACS Branch Executive Committee and served on the ACS National Management Committee. He is presently a Director for Feros Care, and Chairs the Regional Information Management Sub-Committee (IM-SC) for the Forum Fisheries Association. Beau holds an MBA (Computing) and a Bachelor of Information Technology and is a certified professional and Fellow of the Australian Computer Society (ACS).

Digital Transformation Catalyst, Trusted Advisor, Educator, Change Agent, Diversity and Inclusion Champion. Rod is a results focussed digital leader with a proven ability to influence complex stakeholder networks and drive transformational change. He an executive consultant with experience spanning over 25 years focused on Construction & Asset Management, Banking & Finance and Education. He is a founding Director of William Bethwey & Associates and an internationally recognised thought leader in strategic and architectural transformation. Rod is a highly motivated catalyst of digital change, he is results focussed and has an inclusive leadership style He is an Industry Fellow at The University of Melbourne where he researches and lectures in Higher Degree programmes. He has authored over 20 publications and a book on Organisational Change. Consequently, he is a sought-after expert for leading companies confronting challenges brought about by disruptive technologies and the need to transform organisational cultures to adopt radically different paradigms of work and the creation of value. Rod is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society, A Fellow of the British Computer Society, former National Director of the ACS Membership Advisory Board and was recognised as the ICT Professional of the year, 2013 in the national iAwards.

Jerome, embarked on his career in the healthcare sector in 2004, as the IT manager for a pharmacy group. In 2010, Jerome founded his own IT company, specialising in supporting primary care and allied health providers, ensuring their IT enables compliance with health regulations, standards, and policies. Jerome was Vice Chair of ACS WA Branch and was later elected as Chair. He works hard to connect members with each other, with the help of the Branch Executive Committee. Jerome also contributes to the community as a management committee member at Cura In-Home Care, an approved not for profit Aged Care Services Provider. Additionally, he dedicates time to mentoring high school students through EdConnect and guiding emerging IT professionals within the ACS.

Roger's career has mostly been in private sector professional, managerial and consultancy roles, interrupted by a decade as a senior academic. His consultancy focus is on disruptive information technologies' strategic and policy impacts and implications, and security and privacy aspects of IT. His Board experience is deep and diverse, and he's held a wide variety of positions within ACS. He also has a long record of public interest advocacy in the privacy and consumer rights areas. He has degrees from UNSW and ANU, has long been a Fellow of the ACS, and is a Visiting Professor in Computer Science at ANU and in Law at UNSW.

Helen is the Immediate Past President of the ACS and an Ambassador to ICT industry championing causes, cohorts, groups as they address the challenges and initiative of our Profession, primarily focused on Women in ICT, Hack-a-thons, Start-ups and Agile and Disruptive Service delivery, Not-For-Profits. My career has contributed to the success of policy strategies in Federal Government Service Delivery Objectives in senior roles advising corporate leaders. I was previously ACS NSW Chair 2021-2023. I have held a number of other positions in ACS as a volunteer including NSW Vice Chair for 3 years and Chair and member of ACS Women NSW for 5 years. Groups I support are: TechGirls, RareBirds, NSydInnovation, Scrum Alliance to name a few.

With a strong focus on strategic member engagement and industry impact, Hari Viswanathan has been a driving force in strengthening the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and expanding its reach. As Chair of the Victoria Emerging Professionals Committee (EPC) and a member of the Victoria Branch Executive Committee, he has led initiatives that enhanced member value and built pathways for emerging professionals. Under his leadership, the Supported Student Membership Program was piloted and refined, laying the foundation for a national EPC model. A seasoned product leader with senior roles at Woolworths and Coles, Hari has delivered large-scale transformations, including a major cloud migration that significantly improved Net Promoter Scores. His priorities include elevating ACS’s recognition programs, driving strategic partnerships, advancing diversity through measurable action, and strengthening feedback loops between members and leadership. Committed to strong governance, Hari is prepared to serve as a Member Advisory Board Director focused on ensuring all members feel heard, valued, and connected.

Anna has a PhD in computer science (health informatics) with a strong research background in health, cross cultural education, access and equity in healthcare, technology policy and governance, industry integration and more recently mental health and neurodiversity in the technology sector. Anna has over 12 years experience as a senior higher education leader both in Australia and overseas. She spent 4.5 years working in Viet Nam followed by 18 months as an independent higher education quality assurance expert who designed and built a QA framework for all of Viet Nam’s medical universities. Anna has significant experience in leading and conducting accreditation for higher education providers and in designing innovative and high performing higher education degrees and certification short courses with industry integration. She firmly believes that modern universities should be the centre of transformative, creative thinking, problem solving and capability building and this can only be achieved through open, integrated and equitable conversations with industry and community stakeholders. Anna is a registered company director, has previously owned her own start-ups and been engaged as a health and higher education consultant with EY.

Michael Hawkins is current Vice Chair of the Canberra Branch. Over his time with the ACS, he has made a sustained, significant and substantial contribution to the Australian Computer Society over the last ten years. His term as Director of the MLMB saw him lead the society to re-brand itself after 40 years, introducing a new look and a new culture to the society nationally. As National Congressional Representative Member of Management Committee, Michael has led significant projects, shifting the ACS website infrastructure to new technology approaches twice, leading the highly successful 50th Anniversary celebrations, and currently leading the Heritage Committee, published a history of computing in Australia. At the Branch level, Michael has been a visionary leader of the branch, delivered successful Annual Conferences variously as chair and key organising committee member for years, and is a driving force in the mentoring program’s operation in Canberra and nationally. Michael is an outstanding ambassador of the ACS across industry and government sectors and exemplifies the Australian Computer Society leadership and ethics of senior executives in the IT industry.

Kevin is an experienced Technology Leader with over 18 years of experience within the IT Industry. He has worked in both the public and private sector in a variety of roles. He has created and managed high-performance teams with a strong emphasis on technical and strategic capability. His experiences have focused on Program Management, Project Management, Digital Transformation, Capability/Capacity Planning and Improvement, Procurement of Goods and Services, Vendor Management, Stakeholder Management and Change/Quality Management. He has always placed a very strong emphasis on Stakeholder Management and Governance in ICT. He also has a strong passion for healthcare, technology, and is always interested in its future, and the subsequent impacts of technology on people and the world. His experiences include both the public and private sector and has a strong focus on technology strategy, digital transformation and management. He’s worked for Fujitsu, KPMG, Infosys, Vault Cloud and Infront as well as government departments such as the ACT Government, Human Services, Defence, Immigration, Geoscience and Health Departments. As an active IT Professional, he’s volunteered his time and expertise with a variety of organisations, such as the Australian Computer Society (ACS), for over 17 years and has mentored students, start-ups and young professionals. He was the youngest ever Chairman of the Canberra Branch of the ACS, and was a Professional Associate (i.e. Adjunct Lecturer) at the University of Canberra. He's also an active member of WIC, AIDH and other Healthtech-related organisations. For his efforts in promoting and supporting diversity in STEM, in 2024 he was nominated for, and won, the annual WIC Male Champion of Change award.

Cindy Chung is a seasoned IT professional with expertise in service management, systems architecture, and data management. She is the 2024 Chair of the ACS NSW Branch Executive Committee, having previously served as Vice Chair in 2023 and Director of the ACS Membership Advisory Board (2021–2022). Cindy has also contributed as Treasurer and member of the ACS NSW BEC, and as part of the ACS NSW Women’s Committee, championing diversity and excellence in the ICT sector.

Richard is program director specialising in PMO project governance (certified in PRINCE2, Agile, and PMP) and with extensive understanding of regulated governance environments having been the General Manager of Transformation for Employers Mutual Insurance; Group Commercial Manager for TransGrid, and EPgMO Executive Director for the NSW Department of Planning and Environment. Each of these roles required the establishment of an EPMO and the integration with new PPM software. Richard has over 25 years experience successfully delivering complex and varied technical programs including regulatory and business projects (Peoplesoft, SAP, Oracle, MinCom-Ellipse and Sage ERPs) for Zurich Financial Services, Employers Mutual, Attorney General and Justice, RailCorp, TransGrid, Metcash, Westons Foods, the Royal Australian Air Force, and the NSW Dept of Transport; amongst others. Richard drives capability enhancement and business process improvement in all of his roles. His skills include: planning, benefits realisation, program governance, vendor management, risk control, and dependency coordination. He has a passion for helping people grow and works as a volunteer coach and mentor through his professional associations.

Damien Charles is the Regional Manager for NEC Australia in the Northern Territory, with over 25 years of experience delivering ICT services. Having started in the Industry on the NTG’s Service Desk in the mid 90’s, Damien has progressed his career through all levels and multiple roles, and is now responsible for delivering service to NTG across a number of managed services contracts. NEC is the largest non-government ICT employer in the Northern Territory and under Damien’s local leadership has been named as the NT’s Employer of the Year for 2018 and 2019. As a long term Territorian with a keen interest in helping others to achieve success in the ICT industry, and also to develop the industry in the North of Australia, he has invested considerable time and effort in supporting the local university and students and is an active member of a number of the local associations and ICT Committee’s. He is a passionate advocate for the ACS and its role in providing guidance and support.

Dr Khalid Khan is a Senior Lecturer in Education-Mathematics at the Faculty of Arts and Society at Charles Darwin University in Australia. He has a strong track record of research publications and presenting papers on topics ranging from Differential Geometry to Data Literacy, Questioning, 21st-century Skills, Sense-making in Mathematics, and STEM Education. His work in pure mathematics has been cited in a World Scientific monograph on Wrapped Product Manifolds. He serves on the editorial boards of several journals and as a referee for numerous research periodicals. His most recent work is a chapter (Rethinking Learning in the Era of Artificial Intelligence) in The Handbook of AI in Higher Education (In Press -Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd -UK). Khalid is also the Honorary Treasurer of the Northern Territory Branch of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and the State Representative of the Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA). His research focuses on digital technology, mathematics, questioning formulation, educational challenges in the post-truth world, data Literacy and sense-making in STEM.

Nick is a senior technology executive and director with a successful career in large, diverse, customer-focused organisations. He has significant technology and leadership experience, which includes the successful implementation of numerous Award-winning innovation initiatives and corporate technology transformation programs. Nick has been the Chief Information Officer for a number of leading, technology-focussed organisations, including BDO in Australia, Brisbane City Council, the global GHD Group and Virgin Blue Airlines, during which time the airline achieved numerous technical and innovation successes. He has also worked with a number of other leading technology vendors, and has founded, sold and worked with several technology startups. Nick holds a Bachelor of Science and a Graduate Diploma in Information Systems, and has been appointed an Adjunct Associate Professor at both Griffith University and CQUniversity. He is a member of the Queensland BEC, the Industry Advisory Board and Cyber Studio Industry Reference Group for the School of ICT at Griffith University, and the ICT Course Reference Committee at CQUniversity. He is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Managers and Leaders, a Member of the Australian Institute of Project Managers, and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Mathew brings over 20 years of experience in the ICT industry, specializing in delivering ICT strategy and planning for large global enterprises across multiple industries. Recently, he has focused his career on supporting local Queensland businesses and currently serves as the CIO for a national recruitment company. As the former Chair of the ACS QLD Branch Executive Committee, Mathew is passionate about fostering the growth of the local ICT sector and creating pathways for future workforces. He actively mentors students and is spearheading the development of a Gold Coast Innovation Group, comprising local business ICT leaders, to elevate the profile of ICT on the Gold Coast. His dedication to developing local talent aims to position Queensland as a global leader in the ICT industry.

Mustafa Kadir is the founder of Visgrow, a business specialising in career coaching, internships, and skills workshops. He is deeply passionate about helping students and graduates enter the competitive Australian job market and build successful, fulfilling careers. With over 15 years of experience across a range of industries—including IT, manufacturing, FMCG, services, and education—Mustafa has held diverse leadership and technical roles such as IT Engineer, Industry Consultant, General Manager, Vice-President, and Managing Director. This breadth of experience has given him a strong understanding of industry expectations and workforce trends. Throughout his career, Mustafa has built an extensive network of industry connections and has mentored hundreds of graduates, supporting them to succeed in the job market. He is known for helping individuals harness the power of personal branding, optimise their resumes, develop strong LinkedIn profiles, prepare effectively for interviews, and navigate the hidden dynamics of competitive recruitment processes. In addition to his work at Visgrow, Mustafa serves as an Executive Committee Member of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and sits on its national Memberships Advisory Board, contributing to the growth and development of Australia’s professional technology community.

Jo has 30 year's experience in the IT field some of which were spent as CIO in the Utilities and as Group CIO in the Tourism space, and with significant experience in the Information Security arena including as CISO in the healthcare sector. She underpins her information technology and security background with her qualifications in education and management. She specialises in consulting in risk and technology issues with a particular emphasis on governance and security in both the commercial and operational areas of businesses. Jo provides strategic advice to organisations across a number of industry sectors including banking and finance, utilities, manufacturing, tertiary education, retail, healthcare and government. Jo has extensive board and committee experience internationally, regionally and locally.

Officially a member of ACS since 1983 but joined in Sydney around 1972 when I worked for IBM. Past Branch Chair of ACS Tasmania and a past Vice President (Academic) on Management Committee. Member of the ACSW Board responsible for producing recent Gender Equity paper. Current member of Tasmanian Branch Executive. Retired lecturer in Computer Security (University of Tasmania).

A seasoned professional with a passion for building sustainable business structures, Joel Harris excels at delivering strategic outcomes by aligning strategy, people, processes, and technology. With a strong foundation in strategic planning and execution, he is committed to creating environments where teams are empowered, operations are optimised, and technology drives transformative change. Joel brings a holistic, integrated approach to problem-solving, recognising that true business success comes from harmonising all elements of an organisation. Their work consistently focuses on developing practical, sustainable strategies that balance innovation with long-term resilience. With a deep interest in partnering with forward-thinking organisations, Joel seeks out opportunities to support companies that are committed to making a positive impact in their industries. By promoting sustainable business practices and strategic alignment, Joel helps organisations thrive in complex and evolving business landscapes.

Jeffrey is a current CEO/Managing Director and former CIO and has practical knowledge and experience in governance, cyber security, and business transformation with international enterprises. His personal understanding of neurodiversity helped him create and manage world-class teams of high-performing individuals and reinforced his passion for education and helping people discover their best way to learn. Jeff holds a Master's in both Business and Cyber Security, is a graduate of the AICD, and uses this mix of experience and knowledge to bring a high level of entrepreneurial business thinking to ACS. He is the first Regional Ambassador appointed by the ACS and works with ICT educators and professionals in regional and rural to increase awareness of, and improve, the ICT profession.

Rohini Balapumi is a higher education professional whose journey has been shaped by curiosity, creativity, and care. She has extensive experience in teaching, designing, and leading learning experiences that equip both students and educators to thrive in a rapidly evolving, technology-driven world. Her work focuses on integrating Generative AI and emerging technologies into teaching and curriculum design, with a strong emphasis on critical thinking, ethics, and responsible innovation. Rohini is particularly passionate about supporting students and educators to engage meaningfully with AI—not only as users, but as thoughtful creators and contributors to society. With a background spanning academic leadership, curriculum transformation, research, and cross-institutional collaboration, she believes education should foster confidence, creativity, and a deep sense of responsibility toward the wider world. Rohini continues to explore ways to shape more inclusive, human-centered learning environments and remains open to new conversations, collaborations, and opportunities that advance the future of education.

Olivia van der Kroon is a self-taught IT professional who later formalised her expertise with a Master’s degree, bringing a unique blend of practical experience and academic insight to her work. She is known for her ability to make sense of complex, messy systems, navigate challenging transitions, and remain calm under pressure. Early in her career, Olivia independently developed skills in areas such as SharePoint automation and IT project management—driven not by necessity, but by a genuine passion for problem-solving and big-picture thinking. She has since led cloud migrations, transformed operational workflows, built robust data processes, and supported complex technology rollouts across government and social impact sectors. Olivia excels at bridging the gap between technology and people, whether through interpreting data, facilitating communication across teams, or designing processes that are both effective and user-friendly. Currently, Olivia is focusing on AI, strategic innovation, and business analysis—areas where her curiosity, critical thinking, and drive for impact come together. She is deepening her expertise in AI strategy and data-driven decision-making to complement her strong instincts with advanced capabilities. A values-driven and change-oriented professional, Olivia is known for questioning the status quo and seeking smarter, more efficient ways of working. She brings initiative, integrity, and creative, outside-the-box thinking to her work, along with a talent for developing practical automation solutions.

Dr Prins Ralston brings more than 30 years of senior leadership experience to his role as ACS Chief Executive Officer, including 18 years as a CEO across public, private and for-purpose sectors. He has founded and listed an ASX company, served as a Partner in national law firms for over seven years, scaled Australia's largest allied health provider threefold and built a $500M international human services company backed by banking syndicates and private equity. He has led a $1 billion local government with $9 billion in assets through major crises and transformation, delivering significant economic growth while managing complex stakeholder relationships across government, business and community. His governance and financial expertise spans board directorships, funds management and critical infrastructure. As previous ACS President, National Councilor, SEARCC President across 14 nations, and IFIP Vice President and Publications Chair—earning IFIP's Silver Core Award—Dr Ralston has championed ICT professionalism at the highest national and international levels for decades. His combination of transformational executive leadership, legal and governance expertise, and deep global ICT standing makes him uniquely equipped to lead the ACS team and deliver outstanding outcomes for its membership and the Australian community.