Governance

Beau has over 20 years’ experience in senior leadership, advisory, and consultancy roles in the technology sector in Australia and the APAC region. Having spent many years living and working in the Pacific, Beau has seen how technology and innovation can change lives. Along with his roles on several ACS boards and committees, Beau is also the Treasurer for the Australian Smart Cities Association (ASCA) and a founding independent review member for the Internet Society Foundation. Beau is also on several University advisory boards. He is passionate about how technology can change lives and mentoring the next generation of tech leaders.

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.

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.

Chris has over 45 years of extensive experience in business and technology, having held senior leadership roles across industry, government, university, and charity sectors. He excels at strategic, tactical, and operational use of data to inform decision making, fostering collaboration and mutual benefit, empowering staff and partners to deliver greater value and services to clients and the community. With nearly 30 years as an ACS certified Professional contributing to improved use of technology to benefit society, Chris is committed to enhancing member outcomes and promoting quality standards (ISO/IEC), continuing to volunteer in various ACS leadership positions for more than 13 years.

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.

Mathias Gaertner is a publicly accredited and sworn in expert witness for IT, Vice President at NIFIS e.V. MACS Snr CP (Cyber Security), IP3P Lecturer at the University of Applied Science in Darmstadt/Germany, Information and Computer Science.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

With over thirty-years in IT and Telecommunications, Josh has broad experience across the Australian technology sector. He has held senior C-level and Director roles at leading national organisations including Metronode Data Centres and Optus Business. During his career roles he’s been committed to talent development, strategic execution, and visionary leadership with a focus on building the nation’s IT capabilities, particularly in bringing together business, government, and representative associations.