Summit Speakers
Aram Raof-Karim, Head of Cyber Security and IT Assurance, University of Otago
Aram leads the IT Assurance and Cyber Security (ITACS) group at the University of Otago. He is passionate about good leadership, efficient operations and protecting organisations from cyber threats. Aram has cyber security and leadership experience across tertiary education, large enterprises, and Defence sectors.
Jeanette Ngau, Cyber Risk and Compliance Consultant, Monash University
Jeannette has over 15 years’ experience in IT and cyber in higher education. She focuses on cyber risk and compliance, with a strong track record in project delivery, stakeholder engagement, and service improvement. With a background in technical application management, she collaborates with a wide range of customers to support and secure effective outcomes, building trusted relationships and supporting continuous improvement in security practices.
Michelle Ribeiro, Cyber Awareness and Engagement Lead, UNSW
Michelle Ribeiro is UNSW’s Cyber Awareness & Engagement Lead. She’s responsible for developing and executing the University’s Awareness Strategy, managing cyber security trainings, phishing simulation campaigns and tabletop exercises, collecting influencers and security champions across the organisation, and facilitating discussions with senior stakeholders to uplift the awareness maturity. She’s also a facilitation and mentor of the TUP (Tangible Uplift Program), focusing on training and assisting female professionals to pursue the CISM certification and advance their careers.
Raj Udayanga, Group Manager - Cyber Security Operations, Monash University
As the Group Manager - Cyber Security Operations at Monash University, Raj leads the Cyber Security Operation Center (C-SOC), overseeing disciplines such as cyber security engineering, cyber threat intelligence and vulnerability management, security automation, and cyber defence and response.
Sarah Brundrett, Manager, Library Services, University of South Australia
Sarah Brundrett is a highly experienced library professional with knowledge and expertise in digital libraries and open scholarship. She is currently the Manager, Library Services at the University of South Australia's City East campus and has previously worked at Flinders University Library and the Bodleian Libraries. Sarah became co-convenor of the new (Australian Scholarly Communications Community of Practice) Repositories Group in 2024 and her recent speaking experience includes THETA (2023), the ALIA Conference (2024), Everything Open (2025) and ALIA Online (2025).
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.
Romana Challans, Library Specialist (research Information), Flinders University
Romana Challans is an IT professional and has been for a number of decades, (which is a disconcerting idea). Her current role is Library Specialist (Research Information) at Flinders University. She has been a researching and teaching academic, as well as surviving being a mother of 5. Being in a wheelchair just makes her more interesting. Tea, book, and tech addict, the rest is subject to change without notice.
Michael Karich, Deputy Chief Information Officer- Engagement, University of Auckland
Michael is Deputy Chief Information Security Officer – Engagement at the University of Auckland, where he strives to mature practices, processes, and policy across the University. 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 protect and enable world-leading research and education at Waipapa Taumata Rau.
Jayshween Kumar, Program Manager in Information and Digital Services, Flinders University
Jayshween is an experienced strategic transformation lead with experience and expertise in digital technologies, data and analytics and information security including strategy and governance.
She is currently leading the delivery of the Cyber Security Strategy Program at Flinders University. Her role is about translating cyber security strategy into actional enterprise actions and executing a comprehensive roadmap designed to enhance capabilities across people, technology and the organisation.
She mentors emerging leaders and has academic interests where she teaches Computer Science& AI and MBA students while also pursuing a doctoral degree.
Matthew Thorley, Cyber Threat Response & Vulnerability Manager, University of Melbourne
Matthew Thorley is the Cyber Threat Response & Vulnerability Manager at the University of Melbourne. He has over 20 years of cybersecurity experience across financial services and higher education.
In the higher education sector, building a Threat Hunting function has limited precedence. Matthew collaborated with external experts and key technical stakeholders before refining the output through the University’s lens to shape his approach.
This led to the creation and implementation of a programme of work using the Splunk PEAK framework to improve the University's Threat Hunting capabilities.
Matthew’s work highlights the importance of adaptability, collaboration, and continuous learning in cybersecurity and may provide useful insights for universities pursuing similar initiatives.
Steph Way, acting Assistant Secretary, Cyber Security Preparedness and Response Branch, National Office of Cyber Security
Steph is currently the acting Assistant Secretary for the Cyber Security Preparedness and Response Branch within the National Office of Cyber Security. Steph has worked in a variety of government roles over the past 16 years. More recently, Steph’s focus has shifted to National Security and Cyber Security, where she currently leads efforts to bolster coordinated cyber response activities.
In her current role, reporting to the National Cyber Security Coordinator, Steph works alongside Commonwealth, state and territory agencies to coordinate consequence management activities for nationally significant cyber security incidents. Steph is passionate about bolstering industry-government relations through genuine collaboration.