Featured speakers
Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher
Katy Gallagher is the Federal Minister for Finance, Women, the Public Service and Government Services.
Katy entered politics in 2001 in a bid to boost women's representation in the ACT Legislative Assembly. Since then, she has dedicated her career to delivering progressive policies, with a particular focus on making sure that government works for women. In 2022 with the election of the Albanese Government, Katy became a proud member of Australia's first majority women federal government and, with the recent election, is now a member of our country's first gender equal cabinet.
Holding the portfolios of Finance, Women, the Public Service and Government Services across both terms of government, Katy has worked with her colleagues to ensure that women are at the centre of government decision making.
As the Minister responsible for the public service's data and digital transformation, Katy is leading the adoption and integration of artificial intelligence across the APS and is focused on ensuring that as government embraces emerging technologies, women benefit equally from technological advancement.
The Hon. Victor Dominello
Victor Dominello is a globally recognised leader in public sector transformation and a pioneer of secure, citizen-focused digital identity.
As the former NSW Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, he led landmark digital reform initiatives, including one of the world’s first fully digital driver licences. His work in creating trustworthy, tech-enabled services earned him a place on the Okta Identity 25 list of global visionaries, with his image featured on the Nasdaq Tower in New York’s Times Square.
Today, Victor is CEO and Co-Founder of the Future Government Institute and advises governments and organisations globally on digital identity, service modernisation and public sector reform. He was appointed to the UK Government’s independent Digital ID Advisory Group, contributing strategic insight on the development of an inclusive, useful and trusted digital identity system.
He also holds several influential roles, including Chair of the Services Australia Independent Advisory Board, Senior Advisor to the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, and Professor at the University of New South Wales, where he leads the UNSW-UTS Trustworthy Digital Society Hub.
Johanna Weaver
Johanna Weaver is Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Tech Policy Design Institute, an independent, non-partisan think tank dedicated to tech policy. She is a reformed commercial litigator, a recovering diplomat, and an escaped professor.
In 2021, Johanna founded TPDi's predecessor, the Tech Policy Design Centre at the Australian National University, after concluding her term as Australia's independent expert and chief cyber negotiator to the United Nations.
She has been appointed to numerous boards, including the ICRC Global Advisory Board on Protecting Civilians from Digital Threats, the Minister for Government Services' Independent Advisory Board, and the Data Standards Advisory Committee.
Matt Yannopoulos
Matt has served as Secretary of the Department of Finance since September 2025. He has led major reform, service delivery and corporate operations functions, with a career spanning several Commonwealth agencies, including in Defence, Finance, Health, Education and Immigration.
Matt brings deep expertise in finance, technology and organisational change. He is an accredited FCPA and was awarded a Public Service Medal in 2019 for his achievements in Child Care Reform Implementation.
Stephanie Crowe
Stephanie Crowe was appointed Deputy Director- General Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) and Head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) in December 2024.
Stephanie has an extensive background in cyber security working with government and industry on responding to nationally-significant cyber events and strengthening Australia’s cyber defenses.
Over her 18-year career at ASD, Stephanie has held a number of key roles in signals intelligence and cyber security, including leading the ACSC’s Cyber Security Resilience Division, responsible for delivering technical programs, services and publications across government and industry, as well as enabling the uplift and hardening of critical networks.
Prior, Stephanie led the ACSC’s cyber threat intelligence and incident management functions and designed programs to enhance Australia’s cyber security situational awareness, national threat picture and incident response capabilities. Stephanie has been involved in cyber security efforts supporting key national events such as e-Census, elections and G20, and in facilitating national exercise programs. She has also directed Government’s technical response to numerous nationally significant cyber security incidents.
Stephanie has a Bachelor of Asian Studies Specialist (ANU) which led to her to the ASD graduate program in 2009. Throughout her 18 year career, Stephanie has performed various roles across ASD’s intelligence missions utilising her expertise in operations management.
Lucy Poole
Deputy CEO-Strategy, Planning and Performance Division, Digital Transformation Agency.
Lucy leads the Strategy, Planning and Performance Division which focuses on providing whole-of-government strategic leadership to the development and implementation of digital policies, the Australian Government Architecture, and the Data and Digital Government Strategy.
Lucy oversees the management of the government's digital investment pipeline to ensure an integrated and coordinated approach to government's investment in digital and ICT. A key priority for Lucy is driving the achievement of the Australian Government's vision to implement world class digital capabilities to deliver outstanding outcomes for all.
Lucy also manages the Digital Transformation Agency's development of policies, governance models, and assurance frameworks for the implementation and use of Generative Artificial Intelligence technologies across the Australian Public Service.
Prior to joining the Digital Transformation Agency, Lucy held senior executive roles at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Australian Public Service Commission where she led several transformation programs. Lucy has experience across a range of sectors including Australian federal and state governments, the private sector and the UK civil service.
AI thought leader speakers
Ramsey Beydoun
Ramsey leads the AI branch at the Digital Transformation Agency, where his teams are responsible for the Australian Government's AI policy, impact assessment and technical standards (including the agentic AI addendum), the AI reference architecture, and joint stewardship of the APS AI Plan.
He has spent 22 years in the public service delivering large-scale data and digital transformation, including new AI and analytics platforms, cloud migration and graph database amongst many large programs.
With a background grounded in data, he focuses on the unglamorous foundations that make AI work. He is a strong advocate for building capability inside the APS, for open source, for managing vendor lock-in, and for specialising AI to the realities of government service delivery.
Ms Tenille Collins
Tenille Collins is the Chief Data Officer (CDO) for Services Australia. The CDO is accountable for the agency's enterprise-wide governance and use of data as an asset, as well as building agency data capabilities.
The CDO also ensures the agency's work and data agenda aligns with the Australian Government's Data and Digital Government Strategy.
Adrian Cullen
Adrian is Industry Program Manager at the National AI Centre. His focus is understanding the barriers to AI adoption how different sectors are adopting AI, to build products to support sector needs. He is building with AI in his spare time and champions how approachable AI is, if you know which way to come at it.
Previously, he led foreign investment across Low Carbon Fuels and Agrifood within Austrade working with global companies to secure Australia as an investment location. He had a previous career in the secondary and tertiary education sectors.
Louise Frezza
Louise leads the AI Workforce Planning Taskforce at the Australian Public Service Commission, helping agencies understand and prepare for how artificial intelligence will reshape work, skills and workforce needs across the APS.
Lee Hickin
Executive Director, Australian National AI Centre.
Lee has over 30 years' experience in the technology industry, having been in engineering, sales and senior leadership roles. Prior to joining the Australian Federal Government, he was the CTO for Microsoft ANZ leading the launch of the OpenAI partnership, ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.
Lee has worked across the UK, Asia, and Australia, he led the Internet of Things team for Amazon Web Services in Asia Pacific, he was a CISSP security architect with RSA Security Asia and IBM as a software engineer in the UK.
Lee has supported Governments around the world as an independent contributor; having been a member of the Singapore AI-Verify Board and a founding member of the NSW AI Assurance Committee.
Today Lee leads the Australian National AI Centre (NAIC), with a mission to enable and support Australian organisations to safely adopt AI technology and services. He has a clear focus on the need for consistent and appropriate responsible safety mechanisms to support AI, balanced with the need to empower Australians with the confidence and trust in the positive and transformative potential of AI.
Ms Lisa Keeling
Lisa rejoined Services Australia in January 2024 and brings extensive leadership experience across large scale government and technology environments.
In her current role, Lisa leads the Telecommunications Services Program, a $1.5 billion transformation delivering resilient, modern communications capability at national scale. Lisa is also responsible for Services Australia's automation & AI, focusing on ensuring Services Australia can harness automation & AI technologies in a way that is human-centric, safe, responsible, transparent, fair, ethical and legal.
In addition to this, Lisa leads Services Australia's business and customer architecture team, which focuses on translating strategy into delivery by putting the customer at the heart of everything we do.
Dr Susie Kluth
As Chief Data Officer at the Department of Education, Susie leads the delivery of the Department of Education's Data Strategy, which supports the department to create and harness data for policy development. She also drives the use of integrated data and economics in the department to answer complex policy questions which can't be addressed through single data sources and leads the department's expertise in measuring educational outcomes.
Susie has 20 years of experience in data and analysis in the APS from a broad range of data roles building on her early career as a physicist. At Treasury she led the development of major models, at the Department of Social Services she pioneered the use of integrated data.
Susie contributes to the whole of government data agenda through the Senior Working Group for the APS Data Profession and the PLIDA Board. She is passionate about building data capability and is the sponsor of the Graduate Data Network.
Eloise Leaver
Eloise Leaver is the Industry Growth Manager of the NAIC, where she leads strategic initiatives to accelerate trusted AI adoption and strengthen Australia's AI ecosystem.
She works at the intersection of government, industry and innovation – connecting organisations with practical AI capability, supporting businesses to move from curiosity to adoption, and bringing together industry insights and data to shape national approaches to AI adoption.
Eloise brings over 20 years' experience across government, innovation and higher education, with a strong focus on partnerships, ecosystem development and delivering high-impact national programs.
Daniel Livesey
Daniel Livesey works at the intersection of AI, technology, policy, and people. Drawing on experience across government, higher education, and industry, including leading the development of shared AI services across the Australian government through GovAI.
Daniel brings a practical perspective on what it takes to make AI useful in complex organisations and how to navigate the steps to get there. He speaks candidly about leadership, responsible adoption and the difficult questions that emerge when technological ambition meets everyday reality.
Andrew Morrison
Andrew Morrison leads the Australian Government's GovAI Program as an Assistant Secretary within the Department of Finance. In this role, he is driving the development of shared AI capabilities and services that support safe, secure and effective AI adoption across the Australian Public Service. Andrew previously held the Chief Technology Officer role at the Digital Transformation Agency, leading significant digital transformation and technology initiatives across government.
His experience spans digital strategy, government technology, service delivery and cross-agency collaboration, underpinned by a commitment to responsible innovation and better outcomes for government and the Australian community.
Dr Ian Oppermann
Dr Ian Oppermann commenced his 5 year appointment with the ACCC on 10 December 2025. Ian has more than 30 years' experience in the information and communication technology sector, and deep expertise in data, broadband enabled services and technology.
Ian is a respected thought leader in the digital economy. His leadership reflects the ACCC's role in consumer data protection and supports our data-driven regulatory innovation.
Prior to joining the ACCC, Ian held the position of Data Standards Chair for Digital ID and Consumer Data Right, was the NSW Government's inaugural Chief Data Scientist (CDS) and is currently the Vice-President of the International Electrotechnical Commission.
John Shepherd
John is the First Assistant Secretary, Digital ID and Data Policy Division within the Department of Finance. The Division has led work to establish the legislative framework for Australia's Digital ID System as a comprehensive, economy-wide system for Digital ID.
This includes important work on inclusion and ensuring appropriate privacy safeguards. The Division also leads on data policy for the Commonwealth including the data elements of Australia's Data and Digital Government Strategy.
John has held General Manager roles at the Australian Bureau of Statistics where he led multiple reform initiatives to reduce the burden on businesses and households of completing surveys. John also held a number of senior roles at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), leading significant change programs including the implementation of Single Touch Payroll for which he was awarded a Public Service Medal (PSM) in the 2022 Australia Day Honours list.
Stela Solar
Stela Solar is the CEO of Stone & Chalk, Australia's largest innovation community. Stela also serves on the Data & AI Advisory Council at Beyond Blue.
A recognised technology leader, she was previously Managing Director for Data&AI at Accenture ANZ, served as the Inaugural Director of Australia's National AI Centre and Co-chair of the Commonwealth AI Consortium, after holding several leadership positions at Microsoft, including Global Director of AI Solution Sales and Global Partner Co-sell Leader.
Throughout her distinguished 20 year career, she has driven business model transformations that enable organisations to capture new opportunities through emerging technologies including Cloud, IoT, and AI, and has developed nation-wide AI frameworks such as the Voluntary AI Safety Standard. Combining her background in sustainability and creative industries with deep technical expertise, Stela is known for delivering business outcomes anchored in business value, market differentiation and responsible impact.
Beyond her professional endeavours, Stela enjoys sailing and tries to find time to play cello and piano.
Ms Cathy Toze PSM
Cathy is the Chief AI Officer and General Manager, Automation and AI Strategy and Delivery Division at Services Australia. She leads the agency's approach to automation, artificial intelligence and workforce capability, helping ensure technology is used safely, responsibly and in ways that improve outcomes for Australians.
Cathy is passionate about delivering accessible, trusted government services that make a meaningful difference in people's lives. Throughout her public service career, she has led major service delivery reforms, large-scale operational responses and strategic policy initiatives, while championing diversity, inclusion and leadership development. As a proud Indigenous Champion, she advocates for positive outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and communities.
Her achievements include leading Centrepay reforms that strengthened protections for hundreds of thousands of Australians through extensive consultation and co-design, developing first Services Australia's Vulnerability Strategy, and delivering the $12.8 billion Coronavirus Disaster Payment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cathy was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2023. In 2024, she received the Dr Margot McCarthy Scholarship and completed the Executive Public Leaders Programme at the University of Oxford, followed by an executive placement with the UK Department for Work and Pensions in 2025.
Originally from Brisbane, Cathy has lived in Canberra with her husband and four children for more than 20 years. She supports HeartKids, Transplant Australia and DonateLife, drawing inspiration from her daughter Hetty's experience living with a complex congenital heart condition.
Elizabeth Tydd
Australian Information Commissioner.
Elizabeth Tydd took up the position of Australian Information Commissioner in August 2024 for a 5-year term. Elizabeth is an experienced agency head and has occupied a number of statutory decision-making roles, including Information Commissioner and CEO of the NSW Information and Privacy Commission, Australian Freedom of Information Commissioner, Deputy President of the Workers Compensation Commission and Deputy Chairperson of the former Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal.
Elizabeth has extensive regulatory and governance experience at an executive and board level in a range of jurisdictions and industries, including commercial, not-for-profit and public sector oversight.
She holds a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws from the University of Technology Sydney, as well as postgraduate certificates in executive management and governance together with post graduate qualifications in leadership and policy from Harvard University. Elizabeth possesses expertise in digital government and has written extensively on this subject.
Dr Liming Zhu
Dr Liming Zhu is a Research Director at CSIRO and former Head of Data61, Australia's national digital and AI research capability.
He is a conjoint professor at UNSW, a global expert in AI engineering and responsible AI, and contributes to major international AI safety and standards initiatives.
Monita Lal
Monita Lal is a senior Australian Public Service executive with extensive experience leading digital transformation, service delivery reform and customer-focused innovation across government. She is the First Assistant Secretary of the AI Delivery and Enablement Division at the Department of Finance, where she leads whole-of-government efforts to support the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence and build AI capability across the Australian Public Service.
Prior to joining Finance, Monita held a range of senior executive roles at Services Australia, most recently as General Manager, Care and Support, with responsibility for major service delivery programs supporting older Australians, people with disability and carers. She also led significant digital service delivery and customer experience initiatives, including work on myGov, helping shape how government services are designed, delivered and experienced by millions of Australians.
Jenny Telford
Jenny Telford is the General Manager of the Census and Population Statistics Division at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). She leads the design, planning and delivery of the 2026 Census and oversees the production of Australia's official population statistics.
Jenny has extensive experience leading large-scale national programs, communications, stakeholder engagement and digital transformation initiatives. She has held senior leadership roles across multiple Census cycles and has led major initiatives to improve the accessibility, use and delivery of ABS data and services.
Jenny holds a degree in Information Technology and Business Management from Southern Cross University.
Edward Santow
Edward Santow is Co-Director of the Human Technology Institute, and Industry Professor – Responsible Technology at the University of Technology Sydney. Ed is an expert in human rights law and artificial intelligence, and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.
Ed serves on several government advisory bodies, including the Australian Government Service Independent Advisory Board and National Quantum Advisory Committee. He chairs the NSW Government AI Review Committee. Ed serves on a number of boards, including CareerSeekers. He is a patron of the Refugee Advice + Casework Service, and a Fellow of the UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion.
From 2016-2021, Ed served as Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner. He previously served as CEO of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (now Justice & Equity Centre).
Alexander Caroly
Alexander Caroly is the First Assistant Secretary of the Technology, Digital and Data Division at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA). He is DVA's AI Accountable Official and leads the governance, assurance and risk management arrangements that support the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence across the department.
Since joining DVA in 2023, Alexander has overseen the rollout of the Department’s AI capabilities helping establish the assurance mechanisms needed to balance innovation with accountability, transparency and human oversight.
He has more than 25 years' experience across role spanning digital transformation, data and analytics, service delivery, policy and program management.
Tim Neal
Tim is the Acting First Assistant Secretary - Personnel and Protective Security Division within the Department of Home Affairs, with responsibility for the Protective Security, Commonwealth Security Policy and AusCheck.
The division leads protective security, cyber security and background checking policy and capability across the Commonwealth. This includes protective security arrangements for High Office Holders, federal parliamentarians and other Protected Persons; security of official establishments and nationally significant events; and policy and governance across physical security, cyber security, espionage and foreign interference.
The division leads the development, implementation and assurance of Commonwealth cyber and protective security policy, including the Protective Security Policy Framework, Hosting Certification Framework and Systems of Government Significance regime. It also supports cyber security uplift under the Australian Cyber Security Strategy 2023-2030 and works across government to strengthen the security and resilience of critical government services. AusCheck delivers nationally coordinated background checking and credentialling services that support informed access decisions for security-sensitive environments and critical infrastructure.
Prior to joining the Department of Home Affairs in March 2024, Tim held roles at Microsoft, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of Defence. Tim began his career with Defence.
Tim holds a Master’s degree in International Security and a Bachelor’s degree in Politics, and is a graduate of the Defence Intelligence Training Centre.
Sheridan Williams
Sheridan Williams is Acting Director, AI Capability at the Australian Public Service Commission. The AI Capability team works collaboratively across the Australian Public Service to build foundational AI capability to support the responsible and effective use of AI, alongside targeted offerings for senior leaders to support AI adoption and transformation.
Dr Nabil Ilahee
Dr Nabil Ilahee is Director of Business Operations in the Patents Examination Group at IP Australia. He leads a cross-functional team supporting strategy, planning and reporting, change, and major projects.
With a PhD in biomechanics, Nabil has worked across patent examination, leadership development, organisational transformation and human-centred innovation. His recent work includes leading the investigation and testing of AI use cases across the patent examination process.
Nabil is particularly interested in the people-centred aspects of AI adoption. This includes focus on solving practical user needs and business problems, strengthening human judgement and capability, and translating technology into sustainable improvements to how people work.
Zoe Hawkins
Zoe is a tech policy expert, conducting research with leading global institutions including the OECD and Oxford Internet Institute. Zoe has extensive experience leading tech policy design inside the Australian Government and private sector. She has advised Australian Cabinet Ministers, including as the National Security Adviser to the Minister for Communications, and worked on cyber diplomacy at DFAT. Zoe was previously a member of Amazon’s international public policy team, and held Analyst roles at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and the University of Sydney’s Centre for International Security Studies. Her work is widely cited in leading international media, including the New York Times, The Economist and TIME, as well as in academic literature.
Dr Andrew Wilkinson
Dr Andrew Wilkinson is Australia’s Commissioner of Patents and General Manager of the Patents Examination Group at IP Australia. As the Senior Responsible Officer for Patents digital products, he provides leadership to a portfolio that includes existing and emerging AI-enabled tools to improve patent operations and deliver benefits.
Andrew is particularly interested in how organisations can move responsibly from AI experimentation towards practical and sustainable adoption. His focus is on business-led innovation that starts with real problems and preserves human judgement, quality and accountability.
Jason McArthur
Jason McArthur is Director of the AI Factory at IP Australia. He leads the team responsible for developing and maintaining AI solutions and is helping shape the agency’s future AI Factory operating model.
Jason has extensive experience working across technology, AI and machine learning at IP Australia, with a focus on taking AI solutions from early experimentation through development and into production. His current work includes establishing the technology, capability and delivery pathways needed to explore, prove, scale and sustain trustworthy AI solutions.
Jason is particularly interested in how organisations can move AI successfully from proof of concept into production, while balancing rapid experimentation with the governance, technology and operational foundations needed for sustainable delivery.
Heidi Hutchison
Heidi is a highly respected senior leader with extensive experience across the national security domain, spanning cyber security, finance and big tech. With a career built on driving intelligence, operational excellence, risk management and strategic transformation, she has successfully led diverse teams through complex cybersecurity challenges - earning a reputation for inclusive leadership, collaboration, and integrity in protecting and strengthening Australian’s against cyber threats.
Heidi currently serves as Assistant Director-General, IRONBARK FRONTIER, within the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD). In this role, she oversees ASD's taskforce focused on understanding and addressing the implications of frontier artificial intelligence for cyber security. While continuing to provide strategic oversight of ASD's Cyber Uplift activities, she works closely with Government and Industry to assess their cyber defences and provide recommendations to build cyber resilience for Australia’s critical networks across Government, Critical Infrastructure and the Defence industry.
Prior to joining ASD Heidi undertook a number of senior roles within the private sector with a remit that ranged from social media content and policy operations, to intelligence and analytics for financial crime threat mitigation.
Heidi began her career with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Asian Studies, launching a dynamic career that’s taken her across international borders – from Singapore and Hong Kong and back to Australia.