Summit Speakers
Alan Marjan, Acting First Assistant Director-General, Cyber Security Resilience, Australian Cyber Security Centre, Australian Signals Directorate
Joe Smith, Assistant Secretary of the Cyber Security Response Coordination Unit (SCRCU), National office of Cyber Security
The CSRCU supports the National Cyber Security Coordinator to coordinate the response to nationally significant cyber security incidents. The CSRCU works collaboratively with Commonwealth agencies leading technical incident responses, law enforcement operations, emergency management activities, government service delivery, and regulatory activities. It also works with state and territory departments and agencies responding to incidents impacting their jurisdictions. The CSRCU develops plans and conducts exercises to enable the Australian Government to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the consequences of cyber incidents.
Prior to establishing the CSRCU in December 2022, Joe worked in the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre (CISC). At the CISC, Joe managed cyber security functions focused on implementing the cyber security regulatory frameworks established in amendments to the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018. These frameworks included mandatory cyber security incident reporting and enhanced cyber security obligations for critical infrastructure assets declared as Systems of National Significance. Joe also managed crisis response functions focused on responding to significant cyber security incidents impacting critical infrastructure (including the administration of the Government Assistance Measures regime).
Prior to working in the CISC, Joe led a cyber-security policy function focused on strategic policy responses to malicious cyber activity impacting Australia and strategic engagement with international partners. Joe joined the Department of Home Affairs in 2020 and led a branch covering a range of online harms policy issues, including cybercrime, child exploitation, and online terrorism and violent extremism.
Joe has extensive experience in national security, cyber security and cyber-crime, having previously held several strategic and operational roles in law enforcement agencies in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Joe joined the Australian Public Service in 2008 as a Graduate in the Department of Defence.
Ivano Bongiovanni, General Manager, AUSCERT
Ivano is a researcher, consultant, author, and speaker whose work focuses on the managerial and business implications of Cybersecurity.
He is the General Manager of AUSCERT, a not-for-profit organisation affiliated with UQ that delivers cybersecurity services to public and private sector organisations across Australia and New Zealand.
Ivano is also a Senior Lecturer in Cybersecurity Management with the UQ Business School and a member of UQ Cyber.
Ivano helps business leaders and executives make evidence-based decisions in cybersecurity. With a professional background in risk and security management, Ivano’s work bridges the gap between technical cybersecurity and its repercussions across organisations. He has advised ministers, policy-makers, board members, and senior executives on strategies, governance structures, policies, and training programs for effective cybersecurity management. Ivano is also an experienced facilitator in the fields of Design Thinking and Design-Led innovation, having run since 2015 more than 50 design-led workshops and longer projects for public and private sector organisations.
Leela Ross, Senior Cybersecurity Engineer, The Australian National University
Leela has been a long-term security and privacy advocate. She started out in IT in the late 00's and has since worked to keep people protected at work and in her private life.
Leela is a person to act, show initiative, jumping into situations as they arise and taking ownership of problems. She has worked at The Australian National University since 2018 and has both seen and driven a lot of change in the cyber security posture of the University, Leela has being heavily involved in Passwordless, PAM and ANU's email security as examples.
She is also an activist pushing for a safer world both physical and digital, Leela is involved with Anti-War, LGBTQ, and pro Cycling/Safe Streets activism.
Jack Cross, Chief Information Security Officer, Queensland University of Technology
Ella Donald, Change and Communications Manager, Cybersecurity, University of Queensland
Ella combines her diverse background in journalism, tertiary education, media, and learning design in her work in data governance and cyber security. She has worked across a variety of projects in both spaces, writing and delivering regular tabletops to a variety of audiences, implementing new technologies, running a data literacy program, and improving incident response. She also has developed a self-paced Change Management course for all UQ staff, and convenes the monthly Change Management Community of Practice.
Michael Karich, Deputy Chief Information Security
Officer - Research, University of Auckland and Chief Information Security Officer, NeSI and UniServices
Across these roles, he strives to support and enable secure research operations across the entire data lifecycle. Before this, he held roles in HPC and cloud infrastructure, data management, and research security.
With Computer Science and IT Operations qualifications, Michael pulls from a broad background to build and enable secure yet efficient research. He is currently focusing on the enhancement of internationally known capability through governance, staff enablement, and visibility.
Louisa Pilkington, Education Sales Manager, Okta
Louisa Pilkington is a leading voice in education technology currently serving as Regional Sales Manager for Higher Education at Okta ANZ. She works closely with universities, TAFE's and private colleges across ANZ to drive digital transformation through identity automation. With over 20 years experience at Salesforce, Tableau and Oracle, Louisa brings deep expertise in business analytics and technology. Based in Sydney, she is passionate about advancing the future of education through innovative technology solutions.
Ross McLennan, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research Services, Macquarie University
In this role he has oversight responsibilities for all aspects of Research Integrity, Research Infrastructure, Research Grants and Awards, and Research Ethics and Governance.
Ross has overseen the Macquarie University response to the Guidelines to Counter Foreign Interference in the Australian University Sector and Chairs the institution’s Research Risk Review Committee. He is also a co-Chair of the Department of Home Affairs’ Higher Education and Research Sector Group of the Trusted Information Sharing Network (TISN) and a member of the Critical Infrastructure Advisory Council.
With considerable international experience in setting up successful teams and enterprises in broad fields of research, Ross has a background in bringing together the expertise and needs of academia, industry, government, and funding partners. With a focus on organisational culture and co-development of new models of effective customer-focussed service delivery; he has overseen significant system and process redevelopments and improvements – delivering enhanced service provision; and contributed to a range of important strategic initiatives.
Rachel Mansson, Cybersecurity Awareness and Delivery Lead, Research Services, Deakin University
Rachel Mansson specialises in leading cyber security engagement and driving behaviour change. At Deakin, she spearheads initiatives aimed at fostering a strong cyber-safe culture. With extensive experience managing diverse global projects and teams, Rachel has worked across cyber security, research, student learning, digital innovation, and network infrastructure, bringing a holistic approach to each.
Kumesh Naidoo, Senior cybersecurity architect and Vendor risk manager, University of Technology Sydney
Kumesh Naidoo is a Cyber Security Architect and Vendor Risk Manager with over 15 years of experience in IT, including nine years at the University of Technology Sydney. Currently, he oversees supply chain risk management, solution risk assessments, and the development of secure reference architectures. Certified in SABSA, AWS, and Azure, and with a strong DevSecOps background, Kumesh has successfully enhanced the university's security posture and migrated critical services to the cloud. His expertise in designing secure systems and processes has been instrumental in mitigating risks and ensuring compliance with security standards.
Ui Cheng, Change and Engagement Coordinator, The University of Queensland
Ui Cheng is a firm believer in training that engages the
attention, intellect, and emotions of the audience in the realm of
cybersecurity awareness. Her experience spans five different countries, giving
her a deep understanding of diversity and adaptability.
Currently, she serves as the Change and Engagement
Coordinator at The University of Queensland. Specializing in cybersecurity
awareness, Ui Cheng is passionate about empowering cybersecurity champions. She
runs interactives and relatable sessions with the aim of enhancing
participants’ skills. In her leisure time, she indulges in hot chocolate.
Pooja Dubey, Vendor Risk Officer, University of Technology Sydney
As a Vendor Risk Officer, I specialize in managing third-party risk, ensuring that vendors comply with security standards and regulatory requirements.
My responsibility includes assessing vendor relationships, overseeing risk associated with third party, and working with vendors to discuss remediation strategies to mitigate potential risks.
I also collaborate closely with internal stakeholders to ensure vendors maintain/remain compliant and support the organization’s security posture through continuous monitoring and proactive risk management.
Szabolcs Varga, Group Manager, Monash University
I am an information security professional with 20+ years of experience in the field of Information Technology and Cybersecurity in particular. I spent the first 15 years of my professional career in Europe working for some major global and regional financial institutions such as Citigroup and KBC Group. In Australia, I have spent my first 3 years at GE Money/Latitude Financial Services. Over the last 6 years, I worked for Monash University first as an IT Security Consultant, then as Team Lead and finally as Group Manager, Cyber Risk and Compliance. At Monash, I helped to establish the Cyber Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) capability and I am currently working on creating a similar GRC competence on a group level. My areas of expertise are cyber governance, maturity assessment frameworks, IT Risk Management and designing compliance and assurance frameworks. I hold ISACA’s CRISC certification and I am a certified ISO27001 Lead Auditor.
Claire Wilson, Manager, Cyber Security Culture, The University of Queensland
Claire Wilson is the Manager, Cyber Security Culture at The University of Queensland. She leads the initiatives to help create a positive security culture for staff and students at the University.
Claire has worked across a range of industries, including ten years within higher education in both England and Australia. She enjoys using her background in marketing, communications, and events to find creative ways to make cyber security topics relatable and interesting for a diverse audience with varying levels of technical knowledge.
Claire is passionate about harnessing the power of collaboration, leveraging collective strengths, resources, and networks to uplift cyber security awareness across society as a whole. She convenes the monthly Security Awareness Community of Practice which currently has 59 members from 29 universities across Australia and New Zealand.
Nadia Taggart, Director, Cybersecurity Strategic Development, AARNet
Eddie Kobak, Third Party Cyber Risk Management Lead, Monash University
With nearly a decade of experience at Monash University and 17 years in the education sector, I currently serve as the Third Party Cyber Risk Management Lead. In this role, I oversee and mitigate cybersecurity risks associated with third-party vendors and partners, while providing advice and feedback on cybersecurity-related policies and procedures. Previously, I was a Senior IT Risk and Compliance Consultant, where I offered expertise on IT risk controls, co-led security audits, and contributed to developing comprehensive cybersecurity policies. My earlier roles at Monash included Automation and Operations Leader and Technical Applications Team Leader, where I focused on operational efficiency, process improvement, and team leadership. I bring skills in strategic consulting, IT risk management, security audits, and automation, with certifications in ISO27001 Lead Auditor/Implementer and ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity.
Brendan Walker-Munro, Senior Lecturer (Law), Faculty of Business, Law and the Arts, Southern Cross University
Brendan's focus is on "research security", the use of law and policy to protect university research from national security threats such as espionage, foreign interference, hacking, and technology transfer. He also researches other aspects at the intersection of national security law and higher education, such as research funding, privacy, and digital security.
Before academia, Brendan worked in investigation and law enforcement roles across diverse government agencies over fifteen years, including the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, Fair Work Building & Construction, the NSW and Queensland Offices of Liquor and Gaming, and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Prior to joining Southern Cross, Brendan was a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Queensland's Law and the Future of War Research Group. Brendan is admitted to practise law in the Supreme Court of Queensland and also holds appointment as a Member of the Queensland Councillor Conduct Tribunal, the Disciplinary Panel of CPA Australia, and is a Senior Research Fellow of the Social Cyber Institute.
Brendan has been awarded a Bachelor of Biomedical Science and Molecular Biology from Murdoch University, a Bachelor of Neuroscience (Honours) from the University of Western Australia, a Juris Doctor with Distinction from the University of Southern Queensland and a PhD from Swinburne University.
Matt Riley, Co-Chair, Australian Government Resilience Expert Advisory Group (REAG)
Since 2017, Matt Riley has been the Co-Chair, representing industry, of the Australian government Resilience Expert Advisory Group (REAG). The Resilience Expert Advisory Group (REAG) promotes organisational resilience in support of Australian critical infrastructure owners and operators by providing strategic advice, guidance and tools to mature security and resilience approaches. REAG also advises the Trusted Information Sharing Network (TISN) and the Critical Infrastructure Advisory Council (CIAC) on practical ways to improve organisational resilience to support security and resilience uplift. The REAG’s mission is to uplift the security and resilience of Australia’s critical infrastructure in the face of all hazards. This is achieved by guiding the critical infrastructure community on how to adopt and mature their security and resilience approaches.
Matt is also Head of Resilience at TransGrid, with decades of experience in crisis and emergency management, business continuity planning, and security, emergency and continuity operations.
Rob Gezahegne, Cybersecurity Defence and Response Specialist, University of Technology Sydney
Rob is currently working at UTS and brings extensive experience in cybersecurity. He has held roles as a Cyber Incident Responder, Cyber Operations Specialist, and now serves as a Cybersecurity Defence and Response Specialist. His expertise includes managing cyber incidents, leading operations, and implementing comprehensive defence strategies to protect against emerging threats. Throughout his career, Rob has focused on ensuring compliance, enhancing visibility, control, and securing IT environments at UTS.
Dan Maslin, Group Chief Information Security Officer (GCISO) & Defence Industry Security Program Chief Security Officer, Monash University
Dan leads the Cyber Risk & Resilience function at Monash University and holds responsibility for establishing and maintaining the vision, strategy and transformation program for a complex global organisation (A$2.8 billion annual revenue and ranked in the global top 50 universities).
Dan is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD), part of the AISA Executive Advisory Board, an Adjunct Associate Professor at Deakin University and was an industry advisor to cyber security startup accelerator Cyrise (disbanded in May 2023). In 2021 Dan was named a Fellow of the Australian Information Security Association (FAISA) and in 2022 was named the winner of the CSO30 Australia Awards.
Prior to joining the university sector, Dan spent 20 years in IT and cyber security leadership roles across a vast array of industries including insurance, hospitality, not for profit, healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, utilities, food and beverage, retail and consulting.
Nick Rossow, Portfolio Manager, Australian Access Federation
Nick is a results driven technologist who loves working in the eResearch sector driving innovation and the adoption of best practice. He has been working in the national research infrastructure sector for the past 12 years. Currently he is a Portfolio Manager at the Australian Access Federation where the team is implementing a program of work to that will embed best practice Trust & Identity capabilities across the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure sector through a community endorsed policy & technology framework.
Peter Degotardi, Cybersecurity Governance and Assurance Manager, University of Technology Sydney
Peter Degotardi is a seasoned professional with over 35 years experience in IT, where he started out operating mainframes, managed server fleets, built Olympic networks before settling into the cybersecurity field.
He has a proven track record in security strategy and policy development, along with extensive experience in managing security operations, incident handling and conducting compliance assurance.
Peter is currently serving as the Cybersecurity Governance and Assurance Manager at the University of Technology Sydney, a position that saw him return to the education sector where his career began.
Troy Robinson, Enterprise Architect, CyberCX
Troy is an experienced security professional with 30 years in information technology, including over 16 years in enterprise cyber security focusing on architecture, strategy, governance, risk and compliance, design, incident response, digital forensics and penetration testing.
Troy has assisted enterprise and government clients with strategic and tactical security solutions to current day business challenges. By understanding an organisation’s requirements, Troy has allowed organisations of all types to understand their current state, reduce risk, and improve security posture in line with their individual business requirements.
Troy holds the following key certifications:
Roles prior to CyberCX include Managing Consultant at TSS Cyber; Lead Security Architect, National Australia Bank; Head of Information Security, Link Group and Principal Security Consultant, Dimension Data Australia.
James Darwin, Senior Solutions Engineer, Okta
James Darwin is a recognised thought leader in Identity and Access Management (IAM) and Cyber Security solutions and is certified as a CISSP and CCSP from ISC2.
James has spent over 25 years working with legacy IAM systems and now works at Okta, a modern Cloud-first Identity-as-Service technology vendor with more than 8000 documented integrations.
Michael Warnock, Senior Manager, Public Sector, Higher Education, Fortinet Australia
After more than 30 years in local and international markets, Michael has extensive hands-on experience across the ever-evolving cyber-security landscape. Part of the Australian Leadership team, Michael’s role is to lead Fortinet’s operations across key markets, driving key partnerships across both public and private sectors; helping organisations solve their most pressing cyber-security, risk and compliance challenges.
Away from Fortinet, Michael is a part of Investment NSW’s Cyber Ambassador program, educating years 9-12 student in career opportunities across the world of cyber; spending time with his family on the NSW Central Coast or creating some ‘unique’ gastronomic creations in the kitchen.
Horace Ng, Junior System Engineer, The Australian National University
Horace is a newcomer to the cyber security industry, with a background in Computer Science, Mathematics and Economics. He has worked in this role since 2023 and has been learning a lot along the way.
In his free time, he enjoys working on research projects with the University and learning anything about Mathematics and Computer Science and everything in between.