Dr Marilyn Wells has made a distinguished contribution to ICT by overcoming the challenges and demonstrating the benefits and practicality of providing localised face-to-face teaching and learning opportunities to tertiary students of ICT courses who lived in regional and remote areas. Her approach included industry integrated learning and professionals, which provided visibility of industry expectations, career opportunities, and employment outcomes. This increased student enrolments, engagement, and retention. As the Foundation Head of the College of ICT at Central Queensland University, she was instrumental in making it the most geographically diverse College/School of ICT in Australia. She was also a driving force in the restructuring of the Centre for Machine Learning, Network and Educational Technology (CMLNet) at CQUniversity which created opportunities for students and academics to work with industry partners, leading to global recognition for their research capability and output.

Jackie O’Dowd has made a distinguished contribution to ICT in Australia by developing unique data-driven techniques that enable visualisation of large and complex datasets. These techniques reveal hidden patterns and relationships that enable better understanding of disjoint information, and lead to models that have far-reaching strategic impact. Jackie’s work has benefited society with outcomes in sectors including engineering, civil infrastructure, government, and the judiciary. Jackie’s work for the Government of Western Australia addressed the analysis of a fragmented and complex dataset comprising over 94,000 documents, ultimately delivering valuable insights to the judiciary. Her groundbreaking work modelling the Kwinana Industrial Complex set global standards in circular ecosystems, work which has been recognised by the World Economic Forum. She continues to lead innovation in data visualisation and enterprise architecture through her boutique consultancy, conducting research with both Australian and European universities, and through the mentoring of emerging ICT professionals.

Dr Rajib Rana has made a distinguished contribution to ICT in Australia by translating his leading research in deep learning into practical, life-saving solutions in emergency response and mental health services. His innovative algorithms for recognising voice emotion have enabled emergency services to prioritise emergency service calls with 80% accuracy. It recognises mental health relapse up to two weeks before clinical onset. In addition, his work with natural language processing has quantifiably improved the speed and accuracy of the documents developed by a clinical psychologist and their client, leading to better-tailored management plans. He holds a patent for rechargeable wireless sensor networks, greatly enhancing the locations in which these can be deployed. He has also played a pivotal role in driving digital transformation regionally in his role as Chair of the ACS Queensland Downs and South-West Chapter.

Neil Wood has made a distinguished contribution to ICT in Australia through his extensive cyber security leadership in the Australian Defence Force, significantly protecting Australia’s interests overseas and domestically. Neil is a Governance, Risk and Compliance specialist, and has developed a successful career planning, deploying, securing and defending classified computer networks and systems. He has deployed on a number of operational tours in challenging active service environments in cyber security and electronic warfare roles, has led multiple active cyber readiness teams concurrently across different countries and threat situations, and conducted stakeholder engagement on a multi-national force deployment level. He has ensured confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Australian highly classified sovereign networks, mitigating cyber security risk, and ultimately saving lives and protecting Australia. Neil has been the ANZAC representative in multi-national Defence Force cyber and military exercises and has worked with the Australian Signals Directorate, Telstra Cyber Security Centre and the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

David Rudduck has made a distinguished contribution to ICT as a catalyst for change in cybersecurity, incident response, privacy risk management, and breach quantification particularly in the area of insurance and regulated entities. He enabled access to enterprise-grade incident response for small and medium businesses, a previously underserved segment. David developed a pioneering machine-learning platform for breach impact analysis and notification, which became a global standard in insurer-backed response workflows. This elevated cybersecurity from a technical function to a board-level governance issue, influencing strategic decision-making across sectors. David’s mentorship and advocacy have fostered a more inclusive and ethically grounded cybersecurity workforce. These impacts are systemic, measurable, and enduring, shaping both operational and cultural dimensions of ICT. David is a passionate advocate for mental wellbeing, drawing from his own journey and experiences, and is committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment within the cybersecurity industry, nurturing the next generation of talent and promoting mental wellness for all.

Damon Fealy has made a distinguished contribution to ICT in Australia through his ability to combine deep technical understanding with strategic business insight. He has guided Australian enterprises, both commercial and not for profit, through significant digital transformation and enabled the growth of flourishing start-up companies by helping them to scale, commercialise IP, and innovate sustainably. He has an unwavering commitment to ethical and practical innovation and has helped establish a Queensland services and consultancy hub with national recognition in business technology. His leadership with an ICT perspective on advisory and governance boards and digital transformation projects has improved organisational resilience and technology governance, outcomes felt well beyond individual enterprises. At Queensland Ballet, he helped guide a transformation that tripled audience engagement and digital reach, setting benchmarks for arts digitisation in Australia. As an Industry Fellow at Griffith University, Damon has fostered vital collaboration between academia and industry that benefits Australian society.

Mathew Eames has made a distinguished contribution to ICT in Australia by using his skills and expertise as a Chief Information Officer and his flair for innovation, to set up and actively engage in programs that have transformed lives and created career opportunities for ICT workers, students, and those impacted by the digital divide. He was instrumental in setting up a program to provide refurbished laptops to disadvantaged young people. Similarly, he was the guiding force behind an innovative ICT apprenticeship program offered through TAFE QLD and the Australian Industry Trade College. This provided hands-on work experience and often subsequent employment. He was an active proponent of the ICT Gateway to Industry Schools Program, which had such a successful impact in his region, the Gold Coast, and later within Queensland, that ACS adopted the program across Australia. Mathew was awarded the ACS President’s Award in 2023 for his leadership of the ACS Queensland Gold Coast Chapter.

Peter Johnson has made a distinguished contribution to ICT by leveraging his extensive experience in founding startup companies in areas such as Gaming, Financial Services, Retail, Telecommunications, Health Care, and Cyber Security to particularly benefit students and emerging professionals. His deep and sustained volunteer involvement in university course design and mentorship of students, professionals, and emerging leaders, has played a key role in developing the next generation of ICT talent and created enduring pathways for education, research, and workforce development. Peter’s hands-on involvement with degree structure, course content, and staff recruitment at multiple universities has led to tangible outcomes for students, including flexible course structures, improvements in the retention of female students, and the early adoption of work-integrated learning into courses at these institutions. He has also driven the embedment of industry priorities and effective governance standards into academic programs and research initiatives.

Benjamin Smith has made a distinguished contribution to ICT in Australia through his drive to develop services across the diverse and geographically isolated and remote populations of the Northern Territory, more typically accessible only in larger capital cities. His groundbreaking work leading the Police Watchhouse biometric identification system, a secure digital Music Solution for correctional facilities, and a NightKey biometric ID system for nightlife venues, are examples of the innovative ICT solutions that he created and delivered to solve pressing problems for the Territory. Among many other examples of his service to the profession is his work designing and implementing a graduate pathway program suitable for the regional characteristics of NT, which placed ICT students into part-time industry roles during study, and transitioned them into full-time positions upon graduation. He is also renowned as the founder of the successful Northern Territory Digital Excellence Awards, which celebrates excellence in ICT across both individual and industry achievements.