CyberConnect Canberra 2026 | AISA CyberConnect Canberra

Keynote Speakers

Shane Fitzsimmons is currently Managing Director, SAF Leading Advisory, the Board Chair of Youth Insearch Foundation (Australia) Inc, the NSW Connectivity Innovation Network and VRA Rescue NSW and is a Board Director of the NSW RFS Benevolent Fund.

He is Chair of the National Emergency Medal Committee and a member of the Australian Bravery Decorations Council and the Australian Father's Day Council. He is Patron of two charities, Kids Xpress and Coffee 4 Kids, and Ambassador for the First Responders Wellbeing Summit and Rotary NSW Emergency Services Community Awards (RESCA).

There is no question that Shane is passionate about leadership, emergency service and public safety organisations, disaster management, resilience and recovery arrangements, technology and connectivity, community centred organisations and most importantly, the people, both volunteer and salaried alike, who are focused on keeping our communities safe and making a positive difference for others.

Shane served as the inaugural Commissioner of Resilience NSW from May 2020 to December 2022, an organization established as the lead agency for disaster recovery with a focus on social, economic, infrastructure and environmental outcomes. The agency also led in the area of building community resilience to future disasters. Whilst Commissioner, Shane chaired the NSW State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC), NSW State Recovery Committee (SRC), NSW Board of Commissioners (BOC) and served as a member of the NSW Mentally Healthy workplaces Advisory Board.

Rachel Noble is the former Director General of the Australian Signals Directorate, Australia’s signals intelligence and cyber security agency. Rachel held this role for five years prior to which she was the head of ASD’s Australian Cyber Security Centre.

Prior to ASD, Rachel was the Deputy Secretary Executive Group in the Department of Home Affairs responsible for enterprise strategy, risk, assurance, security and ministerial, media and intelligence services. Rachel led the Portfolio’s Home Affairs Implementation Team to stand up the Home Affairs Portfolio in 2017.

In 2014, Rachel was promoted to Deputy Secretary Policy Group in the Department of Immigration and Border Protection which included responsibility for trade, customs, immigration and international policy.

Rachel joined the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) in May 2013 as the National Director Intelligence and Chief Information Officer. Her previous role was as First Assistant Secretary Ministerial and Executive Coordination and Communication, at the Department of Defence.

Prior to rejoining Defence, Rachel was the National Security Chief Information Officer and Cyber Policy Coordinator in Prime Minister and Cabinet, responsible for improving information sharing among the national security community and coordinating whole of government policy on cyber issues. Rachel received a Public Service Medal for this work.

Rachel previously held several SES positions in the Department of Defence including Assistant Secretary Governance, responsible for the overall governance and assurance framework for Defence; Assistant Secretary Americas, North and South Asia, Europe in the International Policy Division, and Deputy Chief of Facility at the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap.

Rachel has also worked for the Bureau of Meteorology on international policies to address global climate change and started her career in private industry working for Optus. Rachel has a Masters of Business Administration in Technology Management and a Bachelor of Science with Honours.

Conference MC

Helen McCabe is the founder and Managing Director of Future Women (FW), a membership business she established in 2018 to advance women in business and careers. Under her direction, the organisation expanded with the launch of Future Women Jobs Academy in 2021.

Helen has held senior executive positions across Australia’s media landscape, including leadership roles at Nine, News Corp and as Editor-In-Chief of Australian Women’s Weekly, where she earned multiple industry awards. Her influence extends to government and policy, delivering the Andrew Olle lecture in 2015 and hosting the Jobs and Skills Summit in 2022.

Helen has built organisations, led teams and shaped conversations that matter. She hosts the FW Leadership Podcast and serves as non-executive director of The Squiz and Australian Indigenous Education Foundation

Speakers

Iftekhar Alam (Zamie) is a senior cybersecurity leader with over 18 years of experience across government, finance, and critical infrastructure. He specialises in cyber risk, GRC, cloud security, operations, architecture, AI governance, and executive advisory, with a proven track record as a virtual CISO in high-trust, regulated environments.

A recognised conference speaker, mentor, and cybersecurity columnist, Iftekhar is the founding Vice President of the ISC2 Queensland Chapter and an active member of AISA.

He currently operates as an independent consultant, delivering strategic cyber and AI security advisory to government, defence, and critical sectors.

He holds a Bachelor of Information Technology from the University of Southern Queensland and an MBA from Charles Sturt University, as well as certifications including CISSP, CCSP, CRISC, and RSA CISO. A key attribute of his leadership is integrating responsible AI principles to build resilient, compliant, and trusted digital ecosystems.

Sally Browner has over 20 years’ experience across the educational spectrum. She has taught High School, run Australia’s largest and only accredited Coding Bootcamp, co-founded Goanna Education, run the new Institute of Applied Technology-Digital and is now the Director of Digital the Future Skills Organisation.

Sally is a regular speaker at events like Edutech 2024, Digital Transformation Live 2023, and EdTech Summit 2023. She is also a member of Women’s Education Leadership Group with Edugrowth, Deakin MBA student, and recipient of the Women's Advanced Leadership Program Scholarship in 2021, finalist in both the Women's Agenda Awards (Emerging Leader in Tech, 2018) and the Telstra Businesswomen of the Year Awards (2018/19).

Sally is passionate about innovative solutions that make education more connected and accessible.

Ant Cohen is a storyteller turned security strategist. With a career that began in marketing and brand activation, Ant helped shape some of Australia’s most iconic campaigns - including Oprah’s Australian Adventure, touring 25 Wallabies campervans around NZ for the Rugby World Cup, and winning a gold medal for marketing of the Australian Olympic and Paralympic Teams in London - before pivoting into the cyber-adjacent space.

Today, Ant brings the same creative energy and behavioural insight once used to sell dreams, to now help people protect what matters most: themselves, their organisations, and their families.

A member of the NSW Crime Stoppers' Cyber Security Advisory Committee, Ant collaborates with law enforcement, regulators, and industry leaders to shape national strategies that combat cybercrime. Ant’s expertise ensures that security messaging is not only technically sound but also emotionally resonant -designed to reach everyday Australians in ways that matter.

Ant’s work sits at the intersection of influence and impact - translating complex security concepts into human language, and designing programs that shift behaviour, not just awareness. With a deep understanding of how people think, act, and decide, Ant builds bridges between technical teams and everyday users, helping organisations move from compliance to culture.

Known for blending warmth, wit, and wisdom, Ant is a sought-after speaker, mentor, and collaborator. Whether on stage or in strategy sessions, Ant brings clarity to complexity and heart to hard conversations.

Sarah Darcy is the Assistant Director of Online Safety Education at the ACT Education Directorate, drawing on 19 years of experience across all levels of the Australian education system, from early childhood to senior secondary. A Women in ICT finalist (2024) and a subject matter expert, her expertise lies in translating emerging online risks into systemic, whole-of-community safety strategies.

With a Master’s in Literacy Education and extensive experience in digital practice, Sarah is focused on empowering entire community networks—school leaders, staff, families, and students—with the knowledge to navigate complex digital environments. She is a trusted voice and representative on several national working groups, where she ensures the ACT’s proactive implementation of frameworks, such as the eSafety Commissioner’s Best Practice model, is scalable.

Sarah is deeply passionate about protecting and empowering communities to have safer and more positive online experiences, establishing a strong foundation for Australia’s collective cyber resilience.

Craig Davies is an experienced company director and technology leader with a proven track record of driving innovation and building high-performing teams. Based in Australia, Craig has spent over two decades at the intersection of cybersecurity, technology strategy, and business growth—working with organisations ranging from high-growth startups to global enterprises.

As Director and Chief Security Officer at Gathid, Craig is helping redefine identity management and security, empowering businesses to take control of their digital ecosystems. He brings deep expertise in designing scalable, secure infrastructure—combined with a pragmatic, people-first approach to leadership.

Previously, Craig served as CEO of AustCyber and as Head of Security at Atlassian, where he was instrumental in scaling security operations for one of the world’s most prominent technology companies. His passion for solving complex challenges and mentoring the next generation of leaders continues to shape his work today.

When he’s not in the boardroom, you’ll find Craig sailing the Australian coast or immersed in a great book—always curious, always learning.

Amelia Edge brings a dynamic blend of experience in market research, IT, and cyber recruitment. This has equipped her with a deep understanding of the needs and expectations of both employers and candidates in the cyber field.

Her ability to foster trusted relationships across the national cyber community has made her a respected and influential figure in the industry. Amelia’s contributions have been widely recognised, particularly through her leadership as the Project Lead for the Victorian Summer of Cyber Program, where she successfully spearheaded a high-impact initiative to engage and develop emerging talent in cyber security.

She currently serves as the Volunteer and Community Lead at the Australian Women in Security Network (AWSN), where she continues to champion inclusion, collaboration, and professional growth across the sector.

Kersti is the Managing Director of the WorkPath Australia Program at the Vertical Scope Group (VSG).

Kersti brings 30 years of experience as a diplomat representing Estonia and completed her five-year term as Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia in Canberra in August 2024. During her tenure, her work focused extensively on digital innovation and cyber security.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Master’s degree with honours in Business Consultations. Her diplomatic career began as a trade diplomat representing Estonia’s interests in Geneva and Brussels. She later advanced to serve as the Director General of Human Resources and led the Estonian consular service for five years, also acting as the Ministry’s spokesperson on consular matters.

Patrick Fair B. Ec, LL. B is the principal of law firm, Patrick Fair Associates, an Adjunct Professor at the School of Information Technology, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment at Deakin University, the Chairman of the Communications Security Reference Panel at the Communications Alliance, a Fellow of the Australian Information Security Association, a member of the IoT Alliance of Australia Security Workstream, a director of Crimestoppers NSW, a member of the Crimestoppers Cybersecurity Committee and Member Technical Advisory Standing Committee auDA.

Harriet Farlow is the CEO and Founder of Mileva Security Labs. With nearly a decade of experience at the intersection of AI and cyber security, Harriet is a recognised leader in her field.

Harriet's journey began at Deloitte Australia, where she specialised in Defence portfolio projects as a Senior Consultant. Her career also spans roles as a Data Scientist at the University of Sydney and as Senior Delivery Lead at a tech education start-up in New York City. She returned to Canberra to work for the Australian Government, where she served at the intersection of data science, cyber security, and national security, eventually becoming an acting Tech Director.

She holds a degree in Physics and Bio-anthropology, along with a Master's in Cyber Security. In 2021 she commenced a PhD in Machine Learning Security. This is where she encountered AI Security and adversarial machine learning for the first time.

In 2023, Harriet founded Mileva Security Labs, driven by her mission to raise awareness about AI system vulnerabilities and provide solutions to secure them. Her work ensures that organisations are equipped to defend against threats and protect their AI systems from disruption and compromise.

She is also a passionate communicator, as the host of The AI Security Podcast, through her YouTube channel HarrietHacks, and as a speaker at BSides and DEF CON.

Sitting in silence for ten days straight taught Darren Fleming more about the human psyche than his psychology degree and years studying philosophy ever could. Those experiences, combined with a decade representing Australia in elite sailing, give him deep insight into how people perform under pressure.

The author of seven books on communication, leadership, and mindset, Darren shows leaders and teams how to control their attention, eliminate distraction, and think clearly when the pressure is on. His latest book Mindset Mastery has been translated for the Japanese market and adopted by clients across Australia and around the world.

For more than twenty years, Darren has helped Global 500 organisations such as Caterpillar, CISCO, Accenture, BHP and Rio Tinto improve focus, resilience and decision-making. He has also worked with multiple cyber-security teams and agencies, helping technical experts stay composed and effective during incident response, crisis simulation and transformation programs.

Peter has been helping software teams and application owners improve their security for the last 17 years. He has experience in key facets of application security covering code review, Static Application Security Testing (SAST), opensource libraries, secrets detection and management, penetration testing and DevSecOps in over 100 companies, ranging from startups to multinationals. Working prior to consulting as a developer himself for nearly ten years, starting in the late 90s, through the dot com boom, bust and beyond. His passion now lies in code analytics and mining Git for predictive maintenance and focused remediation.

Angelo Friggieri is the Executive Director of Public Sector and head of the ACT region of Australia’s largest and leading cybersecurity firm, CyberCX.

Angelo Friggieri is a seasoned technology leader with over 19 years of experience in technology architecture and delivery, including 17 years advising government agencies. As the public sector lead at CyberCX, Angelo is focusing on assisting government and national security agencies stay ahead of adversaries and protect our Australian way of life.

Previously Angelo has held senior leadership positions for global system integrators with a focus on serving the Australian federal and state governments for technology, transformation, and cybersecurity needs.

Angelo is a respected voice in the cybersecurity and national security communities, having spoken and hosted at major conferences such as the Australian Cyber Conferences in Canberra and Melbourne, AusCERT, and AuSEC.

Angelo holds a Bachelor of Information Communication and Technology from the University of Wollongong.

Sylvain Hirsch is a leading authority on cybersecurity strategy and executive resilience. As a Principal Consultant at Mandiant, Google Cloud, he focuses on guiding C-level and board-level clients to enhance their cyber defense capabilities.

With a proven track record leading high-stakes responses to advanced threats and impactful cyber defense exercises, Sylvain helps organizations move beyond technical playbooks to develop strategic leadership preparedness. His expertise lies in uniting incident response with crisis communications and legal guidance, ensuring executives are equipped to minimize the impact of sophisticated cyberattacks.

Sylvain is also a frequent speaker and guest lecturer, sharing his insights on cyber risk with a global audience.

Emily Holyoake is the Co-Founder of Not A Standard and Co-Creator of the SAFE Framework, a multidisciplinary initiative integrating cybersecurity, criminology, and behavioural science to map how adversaries exploit systems, technology, and human vulnerabilities. Her work focuses on transforming complex intelligence into actionable insights for practitioners and organisations, bridging the gap between technical defences and human factors in security.

A proud Wiradjuri Woman and Neurodiversity in cyber advocate with a background that spans human-centred security, intelligence analysis, and social impact, Emily’s work challenges conventional thinking about risk and protection. She is driven by the belief that effective security starts with understanding people and that awareness, not automation, is the key to resilience. Through SAFE, she is building practical ways to make intelligence usable beyond the cyber domain, empowering everyday defenders to recognise the subtle signals that traditional tools often miss.

John Karabin has over three decades of IT and cybersecurity expertise, with a focus on transformative projects spanning government and commercial sectors. His prominent roles at leading consulting firms and major system integrators have allowed him to provide strategic advice across Australian, New Zealand, and Asia-Pacific regions.

Taking a pragmatic, risk-based approach, John has significantly contributed to developing cybersecurity strategies that mitigate risk and enhance technical and organizational resilience. He collaborates regularly with boards, executives, and security leaders, fostering consensus for greater maturity, compliance, improved reporting, and refined organizational security approaches.

Abbas Kudrati is the Regional Chief Identity & Security Advisor at Silverfort and a former Chief Cybersecurity Advisor at Microsoft Asia. With deep expertise in Identity Security, Zero Trust Archiecture, Cloud and Cybersecurity, he provides strategic and technical guidance to a number of startups, including SquareX, Aona.ai, and PriviEzi, as well as leading institutions such as EC-Council and Vinnies Victoria, while actively mentoring the cybersecurity community.

A bestselling author and renowned keynote speaker, Abbas has authored industry-leading books such as Threat Hunting in the Cloud and Zero Trust Journey Across the Digital Estate. He also serves as a Professor of Practice at La Trobe University and is a Fellow of the Australian Information Security Association (AISA). https://aka.ms/abbas

Grant is a distinguished CISO and Risk Leader with 20+ years of experience in cybersecurity and leadership. CISO with Endeavour Group and Senior roles at Telstra and NBN Australia. He has successfully established greenfield cyber security functions, led operational transformations, and contributed to building secure national infrastructure. Awarded as one of the top 10 CISOs in Asia Pacific in 2022, he was crucial in developing national cybersecurity initiatives.

He excels at aligning complex technical challenges with business outcomes, with strategic risk management, and fostering high-performing teams. His expertise spans all of the required domains of CISO in enterprise, and his leadership philosophy emphasises continuous learning and collaborative strategy creation.

Dr Margot McNeill is an experienced education leader with over 35 years across TAFEs, universities, and schools in Australia and New Zealand. She has held senior roles in both public and private institutions, driving excellence in student outcomes and institutional performance. With a PhD focused on educational technologies and curriculum innovation, her career is defined by sustainable innovation, quality assurance, and scalable improvements that enhance learning and workforce readiness.

Margot is currently CEO at the Canberra Institute of Technology, the ACT’s public vocational education provider. Prior to this role she served as Chief Product and Quality Officer at TAFE NSW, overseeing quality assurance, curriculum development, and governance across the largest dual sector provider in the Southern Hemisphere.

Recognised nationally, Margot has represented educators on the Federal Qualification Reform Design Group, contributed to TEQSA’s Academic Integrity Toolkit, and was honoured as a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has published extensively, with over 50 scholarly works and more than 1,300 citations of her research.

Rozika brings over 20 years of experience in education and wellbeing, serving in teaching and leadership roles dedicated to student safety and development. Her passion for safeguarding children inspired her to contribute to the development of a proactive filtering and monitoring tool to support student wellbeing across public schools in South Australia.

As the Cyber Awareness and Wellbeing Leader for the Department for Education, Rozika combines her expertise in education with her recently completed Psychology degree to enhance cybersecurity awareness. Her deep understanding of human behaviour and learning has been instrumental in designing and implementing initiatives that address the unique needs of educators, staff, and students.

Rozika’s work focuses on bridging the gap between online safety and cybersecurity, fostering a culture where children and young people can navigate the digital world confidently, safely, and respectfully. Her mission is to empower people with the knowledge and tools to thrive as responsible global citizens in an increasingly digital age.

Andrew Philp is the Field CISO for Trend Micro across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, with over 28 years in IT and cybersecurity. He advises boards, executives, and government leaders on translating security frameworks into measurable outcomes that build confidence, resilience, and public trust.

Andrew has worked closely with agencies and critical infrastructure operators on aligning cyber programs with national strategies and governance obligations, including risk appetite, resilience reporting, and assurance frameworks. He has completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Company Directors Course and, amongst other community volunteering, serves as a member of an Audit and Risk Committee for a not-for-profit organisation.

A regular national and international speaker, Andrew focuses on helping leaders cut through noise and compliance fatigue to create predictable, evidence-based security that supports better business and government decisions.

Rodman Ramezanian is a strategic cybersecurity leader supporting Australia’s Federal Government and Defence organisations as they modernise and secure their cloud environments. He works closely with agencies and senior stakeholders to uncover and manage risk, improve visibility, and enable the safe, rapid adoption of cloud technologies across critical systems.

Renowned for his ability to communicate complex security concepts with clarity and impact, Rodman bridges technical depth with executive strategy. His expertise spans cloud security, governance, and risk management, helping organisations strengthen assurance and resilience in increasingly dynamic, multi-cloud environments.

As an ASD-endorsed IRAP Assessor, Rodman brings deep understanding of compliance and assurance frameworks within government contexts. He holds multiple professional accreditations including CISSP, CCSP, CISA, CDPSE, CCISO, AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate, Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect and AI Engineer, and MITRE ATT&CK certifications.

Rodman regularly leads high-impact cybersecurity workshops and executive roundtables across the Asia-Pacific and Japan region, engaging senior leaders on cloud security maturity, data protection, and risk strategy. His sessions are recognised for their insight, practicality, and ability to inspire meaningful change.

Raymond Schippers is a seasoned cybersecurity executive with over 15 years of experience developing enterprise-wide security programs for global organisations. He has held leadership roles across various organisations, including his current position as Lead Technologist at Check Point Software, where he collaborates with strategic customers to develop cybersecurity strategies and operationalize cutting-edge solutions.

Previously, as CISO and CTO at Huntabil.IT, Raymond led cybersecurity advisory services, helping organisations transition to intelligence-led strategies and uplift security capabilities. At Canva, he played a pivotal role in building and scaling the Detection & Response group, establishing 24/7 global threat detection, response, hunting, and intelligence teams.

He also developed Canva’s initial Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) strategy and led incident response activities. Additionally, Raymond has provided strategic guidance as an Advisory Board Member at Sustainabil.IT and worked as a Principal Consultant at Parand.io, helping organizations adopt threat-informed defense postures and operationalize threat intelligence. His extensive experience spans incident response leadership, threat detection, and intelligence-driven security strategies, making him a trusted partner for enhancing organisational security maturity.

Adam Selwood is Founder and CTO of Cynch, a cybersecurity startup dedicated to solving the resilience challenge for small businesses. With over 20 years of experience as a security architect and technology leader, his career has spanned major enterprise and government programs with organisations like Australia Post. This deep technical background gave him a unique insight into the growing gap between enterprise-level security and the practical needs of the small business community.

Frustrated by the complexity that locked SMEs out of effective security, Adam co-founded Cynch to address this challenge directly. His work has since provided him with a ground-level perspective on the challenges faced by Australia's small business community, having directly engaged with over 2,000 SMEs. Adam is passionate about moving beyond box-ticking compliance to build practical, partnership-based approaches that foster genuine security and strengthen Australia's entire business ecosystem.

Rajiv Shah is a technology and business adviser, helping organisations to understand emerging technology, and to apply it in a way that is both secure and delivers business value. He has a PhD in quantum physics, and almost 30 years of experience in cyber security, working for government and commercial clients across the globe.

He was the inaugural Australian country director for BAE Systems cyber security business, and his work has spanned cyber security strategy and architecture, big data and artificial intelligence, quantum technology and advanced communication systems and networks.

Rajiv is the Managing Director of MDR Security, helping clients to make technology understandable, effective and safe and secure to use. In addition, he is a Fellow of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, an adviser to CAN.B Group and a member of the board of the Australian Information Security Association and various other boards.

Maryam is a seasoned cybersecurity leader with deep experience in building and leading world-class security operations centres and incident response capabilities. She specialises in developing high-impact cyber resilience strategies and guiding organisations through rapid recovery from complex cyber incidents.

With a strong track record of transforming security operations and uplifting organisational maturity, Maryam combines strategic vision with hands-on technical leadership. She is also a passionate advocate for diversity in cybersecurity, championing initiatives that empower women to step into leadership roles. Her dedication and influence have earned her multiple industry award nominations recognising her exemplary leadership and commitment to advancing the cybersecurity profession.

Malcolm was Director INFOSEC at GCSB for a decade before moving into the telecommunications industry to take on CSO roles at Telecom NZ, NBN Co, and Huawei Australia. He has also held Technical Director positions in BAE Systems AI, CES Comunications NZ, and Outpace AI. He is currently Chief Security Architect for David Lynas Consulting.

Malcolm has represented Australia and New Zealand in cybersecurity forums internationally, has participated in the ISO and Open Group standards bodies, and has held board roles in both AISA and the SABSA Institute. He is also a partner representative in the Global Forum for Cyber Expertise (GFCE).

Malcolm has held adjunct roles at Canterbury University, UNSW, and currently is an adjunct PhD supervisor at Deakin University in Melbourne. Malcolm was instrumental in developing and launching the vocational Certificate IV in Cybersecurity throughout Australia. He has published research in the cybersecurity field, and is the author of numerous online cybersecurity and programming courses published through Linkedin Learning and Offsec.

Mona Sidhu is a dedicated Cyber Education and Awareness Manager at the NSW Department of Education, with a passion for promoting cyber security and online safety awareness among students, teachers, and parents and carers. With a background in education and technology, Mona has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by the digital age in the education sector.

Mona is committed to equipping students with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate the online world safely and responsibly. She develops award-winning innovative educational programs and resources that empower students to make informed decisions about their online behavior and protect themselves from cyber threats.

In her role, Mona collaborates with schools, government agencies, and community organisations to raise awareness about cyber safety issues and promote best practices for digital citizenship. She is a strong advocate for integrating cyber security education into the school curriculum and providing support and training for educators.

Mona's expertise and leadership in the field of cyber education make her a sought-after speaker and consultant. She is dedicated to inspiring and empowering educators to embrace technology in the classroom while prioritising the safety and well-being of their students.

Meg Tapia is a national security expert with over 20 years’ experience across Commonwealth, State Government, and private sectors. She served 16 years as a diplomat with postings in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu and holds three degrees in policy and business. Meg is known for her unique blend of expertise in intelligence capability, technology, government relations, and commercial strategy. She was awarded the Australian Operational Service Medal and NATO Medal for her civilian service in Afghanistan. Currently, she serves on the Board of the Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers and the Advisory Board of Hemisphere East. A sought-after speaker, she regularly presents on national security threats, particularly disinformation.

Dr Bruce Tonkin commenced as the Chief Executive Officer of auDA on 1 January 2025.

Bruce joined auDA in 2017 and served as auDA’s Chief Operating Officer from 2018 to 2024. In this role, he was responsible for the operations of the .au country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD).

Before joining auDA, Bruce was Chief Technology Officer and Chief Strategy Officer at Melbourne IT from 1999 until 2017, where over the years he has been responsible for IT infrastructure, software development, the development of the company's strategic and operating plans, strategic initiatives with major customers and suppliers, and managing the evaluation of merger and acquisition opportunities. He gained more than 15 years of experience taking cloud-based services to global markets across the USA, Europe, and Asia for both SMBs and Enterprises. Bruce also served on the Board of ICANN (Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers) for nine years. ICANN manages the global domain name and IP addressing system for the internet.

Bruce holds a BE(Hons) and a Ph.D. in electrical and electronic engineering and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Johanna Weaver is Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Tech Policy Design Institute. A reformed commercial litigator, a recovering diplomat, and an escaped professor, Ms Weaver champions tech policy as a tool to shape technology for the long-term benefit of humanity.

Prior to founding TPDi’s predecessor – the Tech Policy Design Centre – at ANU, Johanna completed her term as Australia’s independent expert and lead negotiator on cyber issues at the United Nations. In 2022, she was appointed Professor in the Practice of Tech Policy at ANU.

Earlier Johanna led the Cyber Affairs Branch at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, working closely with Australia’s inaugural Ambassador for Cyber Affairs. Johanna is a member of several board, including International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Global Advisory Board on digital threats during conflict, and the Independent Advisory board to the Australian Minister for Government Services.

Emily Wingard is a passionate leader with two decades of ICT and cyber security experience within the Government of South Australia. She is the Director, Cyber Security at the Department for Education, where she drives cyber initiatives to support South Australian schools and young people to learn, grow and thrive.

Previously, Emily was the Senior Manager, Cyber Capability and Engagement at the state’s lead cyber security agency, championing awareness and collaboration to boost resilience across government and the community.

In addition, Emily dedicated almost seven years volunteering for the Australian Information Security Association (AISA). Through her roles as Board Director, South Australian Branch Chair and Deputy Chair, her commitment uplifted collaboration and knowledge sharing that has strengthened the cyber community.

Emily’s impact has been recognised with awards such as the Department of the Premier and Cabinet’s ‘Making a Difference’ award and AISA’s ‘Branch Executive of the Year’ in 2021 and AISA’s ‘Outstanding Contribution to AISA’ in 2024.

Over the years, Sharin has journeyed from the trenches of cybersecurity into the ever-evolving realm of artificial intelligence — where curiosity meets code and ethics meets algorithms. As a seasoned technical leader turned AI-bot-in-training, she now explores how human intelligence and machine intelligence can learn from each other (without one plotting the other's demise).

Sharin specialises in translating complex AI concepts into practical, secure solutions — turning buzzwords into breakthroughs and making responsible AI feel less like compliance homework and more like levelling up in the game of digital evolution. And true to form, she's still powered by the same secret fuel that's never failed her: a good conversation, and a scoop (or two) of ice cream.

Speakers

CyberConnect Canberra 27-28 May 2026

Speakers

Discussing the pressing and emerging cyber trends

Keynote Speakers

Shane Fitzsimmons

Rachel Noble

Conference MC

Name

Session Title: Opening Keynote – Session Title

Helen McCabe

Speakers

Iftekhar Alam

Sally Browner

Ant Cohen

Sarah Darcy

Craig Davies

Amelia Edge

Kersti Eesmaa

Patrick Fair

Harriett Farlow

Darren Fleming

Peter Freiberg

Angelo Friggieri

Sylvain Hirsch

Emily Holyoake

John Karabin

Abba Kudrati

Grant McKechnie

Michael McKinnon

Dr Margot McNeill

Rozika Pratap

Andrew Philp

Rodman Ramezanian

Raymond Schippers

Adam Selwood

Rajiv Shah

Maryam Shoraka

Malcom Shore

Mona Sidhu

Meg Tapia

Bruce Tonkin

Johanna Weaver

Amanda Wescombe

Emily Wingard

Sharin Yeoh