Governance

PRESIDENT

Anthony is the Principal of a multidisciplinary law and consulting firm, AGW Lawyers & Consultants specialising in IT and the Digital Economy. He held senior management positions in multinational corporations and government, including as CIO of the Australian Tourist Commission during the Sydney 2000 Olympics and led the development of digital publishing for Thomson (now Thomson Reuters) in the Asia Pacific. Anthony is currently President of the ACS.

VICE PRESIDENT - COMMUNITY BOARDS

Yohan pursued his passion for technology by enrolling in a Bachelor of IT course at University of Canberra in 1999. After graduating with ICT, accounting and finance qualifications, he currently focuses his passion for business improvement and risk management. In recognising how vital ICT education and collaboration is to the prosperity of communities, Yohan has volunteered thousands of hours implementing various national and international initiatives including conferences, workshops and networking sessions for ICT professionals.

VICE PRESIDENT - MEMBERSHIP BOARDS

Currently the Director, Technology Solutions for the Public Safety Business Agency providing ICT (and other corporate) services to the front line operations of Queensland Police, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and providing IT services to Queensland Ambulance Services. Mike is a fellow of the ACS, has chaired the National Audit and Risk Committee and remains on that committee as a member. Mike has also been a member of the Queensland Branch of ACS for over 6 years in roles of Vice Chair, Honorary Secretary and general committee member. He has represented QLD on the Professional Development Board for the past 4 years.

VICE PRESIDENT - ACADEMIC BOARDS

Ian has over 20 years’ experience in the ICT sector and, has led organizations with more than 300 people, delivering products and outcomes that have impacted hundreds of millions of people globally. He has held senior management roles in Europe and Australia as Director for Radio Access Performance at Nokia, Global Head of Sales Partnering (network software) at Nokia Siemens Networks, and then Divisional Chief and Flagship Director at CSIRO. Ian is considered a thought leader in the area of the Digital Economy and is a regular speaker on “Big Data”, broadband enabled services and the impact of technology on society. He has contributed to 6 books and co-authored more than 120 papers which have been cited more than 3500 times. Ian has an MBA from the University of London and a Doctor of Philosophy in Mobile Telecommunications from Sydney University.

NATIONAL TREASURER

Arnold Wong has enjoyed a long and successful professional career in the ever evolving ICT services industry for over 30 years. He has developed extensive strategic leadership, general management, customer service, and business development skills in diverse industries, including technology, education, healthcare, and resources in public and private sectors across Australia, Asia, Europe and Americas. A Fellow of ACS, he serves as National Treasurer on the ACS Management Committee and is a member of the Branch Executive Committee in Western Australia. Arnold is the Director of Information Services at the Department of Justice (WA), and served as a member of the WA Government CIO Council and chaired the Conference Logistic Committee for the World Wide Web (WWW) 2017 Conference.

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

In 1995 Brenda opened the first Internet cafe in South Australia and was instrumental in establishing the SA Internet Association, a group that championed the cause of Internet access for all users and providers. In those early years she presented at various Internet workshops and conferences, provided evidence to Senate Select Committee Hearings and served on the Australian Broadcasting Authority's 1998 Children and Content On-Line Task Force. In 2000 Brenda established the long running ACS PC Recycling Special Interest Group to help bridge the Digital Divide by providing low cost computers to those in the community who otherwise would not have access to one. This SA based group of volunteers has distributed over 5000 computers to where they were needed most in Australia and continues its work today. She served as SA Branch Chair in 1999-2001 and 2005-2006 and as National Vice President for 2002-03 and 2010-2011. In early 2010 she chaired the ACS Ageism Task Force which released its "IMPROVING AGE DIVERSITY IN THE ICT WORKFORCE" report in July 2010. As ACS Vice President Membership Boards, she championed the adoption of the Skills Framework for the Information Age and the implementation of the ACS Certification Program. It was natural for her to take on the role of Chairman of the International Professional Practice Partnership of IFIP (IP3) and has been active participant in the WSIS Forums and the Multistakeholder participation program leading her delegation in Geneva. Brenda is an advocate of life long learning and has a Bachelor of Arts in politics and sociology, a Diploma in Social Sciences and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Science (Computing), and Certificate IV in Security Risk Management and Certificate IV Assessment and Workplace Training. She was made a Fellow of the ACS in 2003 and was awarded an ACS Honorary Life Membership in 2006. In 2014 she was admitted to the Order of Australia and awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for her service to the information and communications technology sector. Brenda is the managing director of a consultancy business in technology to the SME sector.

DIRECTOR - MEMBERSHIP ADVISORY BOARD

Rod is an experienced consultant with over 25 years’ experience. His professional experience includes Director of William Bethwey & Associates, founded in 2002 and is an internationally recognised thought leader in Information Strategy & Architecture and Managing Change with global experience. His academic background includes: Industry Fellow at The University of Melbourne for over 15 years; lectures in Higher Degree programmes including Organisational Change for IS Professionals, Enterprise Architecture, Knowledge Management, IS Strategy; is a sought-after expert in ‘Disruptive Technologies and Change’, and; is author of over 20 publications and a book on Organisational Change.

DIRECTOR - PROFESSION ADVISORY BOARD

Steve is IBM’s CIO for Australia and New Zealand. His business career has spanned over 30 years, performing local, regional and global roles, while living in Australia and in the USA. He is passionate about engaging with leaders and users from across the business; to understand their dynamic and challenging business needs; to share his transformation and digital agendas; and to solicit feedback for growth and continuous improvement. He is committed to leading his team to utilise Agile and Design Thinking principles and practices to deliver capabilities that enable people to perform their work anytime, anywhere, and on any device.

DIRECTOR - TECHNICAL ADVISORY BOARD

Michael is currently the Head of School, Software in the Faculty of Engineering & IT at UTS. He comes from Griffith University in Queensland where he has accumulated over a decade of experience in leadership roles including portfolio Dean (Research) of the Sciences Group and Head of the School of ICT. Michael has been ACS Gold Coast Chapter Convener and a Board Member of the Queensland Branch Executive Committee and has served on the Australian Research Council's (ARC) College of Experts on the Engineering, Mathematics and Informatics (EMI) panel. In 2009, Professor Blumenstein was named as one of Australia’s Top 10 Emerging Leaders in Innovation in the Australian’s Top 100 Emerging Leaders Series supported by Microsoft.

Michael have brought his experience and knowledge built from over 30 years working in ICT to support the growth and change of the ACS for the future. He has been involved at the Branch level in Canberra, as Chair and Secretary, and lead the branch through change to support its growth to becoming the 3rd largest branch of the society. He has been the Director of the MLMB for the last 4 years and helped drive the modernisation of the society through projects such as the re-branding and new website. He continues to be involved at the highest level of the society to ensure it continues to meet and support the needs of its members.

Michael has had a diverse professional career spanning 35 years of teaching, ICT and business management. His ICT experience was primarily in public sector agencies in Canberra and Sydney progressing from software engineering through team leader to CIO positions at the National Film and Sound Archive and the National Archives of Australia. Michael graduated from the University of Sydney with a BSc (Mathematics) and Diploma of Education. He later graduated from the University of Canberra with a Grad Dip in IT.

As Chair of the ACS NSW Branch, Richard is passionate to continue the expansion of ACS services to all NSW members and the growth of professional standards development in the NSW Branch. Richard is a Fellow of ACS, Fellow of AIM, and a Bachelor of Economics from Monash University. He has an extensive background in information technology systems management as a CIO in the public and private sectors, ICT strategic consulting, application systems development, ICT service delivery, and data facility operations in Australia and overseas.

Brendan is excited about the future of the ICT profession in Australia and is passionate about creating opportunities for those looking to enter and advance through the industry through his involvement as past NSW Chair of Young IT, Deputy Director Young IT, and co-chairing the YITCon conference. He currently works in the federal government sector. Brendan sits on the NSW Branch Executive Committee and is a NSW Congress Representative. He holds a B.ICT from the University of Wollongong, and an M.Bus and M.ProjMgt through the University of New South Wales.

Benjamin has maintained an avid interest in technology since a very young age. When commenting to the media, regarding Benjamin having just won the 1993 Australian Super Nintendo Championship, his mother explained that rather than a rattle when in his pram, she would hand him a calculator to allow her to shop in peace. His parents ongoing encouragement of his interest in all things technological fuelled his youthful endeavours to self-educate and learn IT. This passion for technology has translated to Benjamin being an active member of the IT Industry, both in South Australia and the Northern Territory, for the past 18 years. He has previously operated an IT Consulting firm, held technical and leadership roles in both Government and Defence and is currently the Account Manager for NEC’s Consulting & Business Solutions division in Darwin. In Adelaide, whilst working for the Australian Submarine Corporation, Benjamin was responsible for project outcomes to deliver ICT requirements to the new Air Warfare Destroyer Shipyard in Osborne – this resulted in a state-of-the-art ICT environment being delivered to a Greenfields site ahead of occupation by staff, for the nation’s biggest ever defence project to date. Since moving to Darwin, Benjamin was the Project Sponsor for a Desktop OS Upgrade Project which ultimately won the Australian Institute of Project Management Award for best ICT Project in the Northern Territory for 2014.

Peter is Senior Business Systems Analyst/Senior Project Manager with the Department of Mines and Energy, Northern Territory where he has identified/analysed existing business needs/issues for a new enterprise wide solution and is currently involved in the selection and subsequent implementation process. Peter is the Immediate Past ACS NT Branch Chair and has recently been appointed to the Ministerial ICT Advisory Council providing advice/guidance to the Chief Minister on all ICT matters.

Nick Tate is a CEO and Company Director and has considerable experience at the level of CIO in two London banks and at the University of Queensland (UQ). He is co-author of “A Director’s Guide to Governing Information Technology and Cybersecurity”, a book published by the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and has 16 years’ experience as a Company Director in 11 Australian and 2 US companies. He is Chair of the Council of ICT Associations (CICTA) and chaired the World Computer Congress in 2010. He was the National President of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) in 2012/2013. Nick is also an adjunct professor in IT and electrical engineering at (UQ) and has written and presented widely on cybersecurity, cloud computing and big data. He worked on the development of antimissile systems and real-time air traffic control systems before spending 20 years working for investment banks in both London and Australia. He is the Chair of the Queensland branch, a National Congressional representative on the Management Committee and the President of SEARCC. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, a Master’s degree in computer science, and a PhD in Cybersecurity. He is both a Fellow and Honorary Life Member of the ACS.

Paul has been an owner of technology companies spanning information technology, software development and information architecture since 1984. Paul is the Principal of Cogentia, a consultancy providing strategic direction in ‘digital disruption’, digital economy transition, IT procurement and project design & initiation. Paul is a Director of Outback Touring, a company developing geospatial apps for Grey Nomads. Paul was also the Executive Officer of the industry body that on behalf of Queensland IT associations advised the Queensland Government on governance, procurement and industry development policy.

Jo has over 25 years’ experience in the IT field some of which were spent as CIO in the Utilities space, and 18 in the Information Security arena. She underpins her information technology and security background with her qualifications in education and management. Jo specialises in consulting in information security issues with a particular emphasis on governance 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, automotive manufacturing, tertiary education, retail and government. Jo is actively involved with the Australian Computer Society, at state and national level, and she is currently serving as an Elected Director on ISACA’s international Board of Directors and is Chair of its global women’s leadership initiative.

Chris has over 38 years ICT experience working collaboratively and innovatively across the Private, Public and Non-for-profit sectors. Currently he is Associate Director of SANT DataLink, a collaborative venture authorised to provide access and use of linked privacy protected data from the Northern Territory and South Australia. Chris specialises in unlocking public value from data, supporting innovative research, planning, monitoring, evaluation and analysis for increasing the value from organisation and government resources. Chris specialises in information security, data governance and privacy protection protocols.

Chris is a Senior Software Engineer who has a great passion for technology and likes getting his hands dirty. He has extensive knowledge in mining, manufacturing, transport, emergency management, tourism, accommodation and gaming areas. Chris studied at the University of Tasmania and in his spare time he runs various technology user groups in his home state of Tasmania.

Jonathan has worked in highly performing teams for over twenty years in tourism, government, education and the property industry. Currently Jonathan is contributing to mobile, web and integration projects as Principal Consultant for Infoasis.

Jo has spent 12 years in the tertiary sector in roles including eResearch, Marketing and eLearning at Victoria and Deakin universities, and the University of Melbourne. Jo specialises in collecting and presenting information online, with her most recent experience in Web and Business Analytics. She is currently the Research Analysis and Reporting Manager at Deakin University. Jo is currently the ACS Victoria Branch Treasurer and the Victorian representative on the ACS National Management Committee. Jo holds a degree in mathematics and a Master of Multimedia.

Maria has been an active member of the ACS over the past 9 years. Her commitment to the ICT profession and the desire to help promote the roles that women play, saw Maria join the ACS Victorian BEC in May 2015. She is currently Chair, actively making connections between ACS, industry and other organisations, who are passionate about gender diversity.

David is a technology advocate dedicated to the progression of computing and HCI, combined with research and academic engagement in six main areas: Business; Information Technology; International Relations; Security; South-east Asia; and Governance. David lectures in the School of Science at Edith Cowan University.

George is truly passionate about improving the ICT Profession. A dedicated volunteer with the ACS since 2012 he is currently Vice Chair of the WA Branch Executive Committee. As an Academic Manager for a Private Training Organisation, with a background in both education and technology, he has a drive to develop future professionals to achieve successful employment and professional outcomes.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Andrew has extensive senior management experience servicing both the higher education and vocational education and training sectors, including membership based professional associations. His career has seen him work in a diverse range of markets across the Asia Pacific region and includes developingaccreditation and certification frameworks. In his time at the ACS he has delivered significant growth results in the workforce planning and development, SFIA and education markets, all while improving member engagement, particularly among professional partners. Mr Johnson holds a Master of Arts in Technology Policy and Management. He is an ACS Certified Professional and an accredited SFIA Consultant.