Speakers

Session: Exploring the transformative potential of using agile methodologies in the lifecycle of your generative AI projects

Matthew Altenburg is an AI expert skilled in Python, PyTorch, and data sciences, with extensive experience in Linux environments and AWS cloud architectures. He serves as a Data Scientist at the AGD and supports ANU students in building real-world AI projects. Matthew is also spearheading an open-source initiative to develop one of Australia's first large language models (LLMs). His passion lies in crafting innovative AI solutions that address real-world challenges.

Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: What are the emerging threats and opportunities in generative AI over the next 6-12 months?

Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: Navigating the opportunities and challenges of Generative AI in cyber security

Artak Amirbekyan heads up Enterprise Data and Analytics function at Transurban. He previously led AI Labs team in Commonwealth Bank as an Executive Manager. At Transurban – his team research and develop innovative tolling and transport technology solutions that make travel easier and safer for everyone. The team helps Transurban to achieve its vision by providing data analytics and machine learning solutions that ranges from simple analytics to more complex machine learning applications. He has a PhD in Data Mining and has been working in both industry and academia for more than 20 years in data analytics field.

Session: Revolutionising industries: the impact of large language models across sectors

Rita Arrigo is a renowned digital strategist with a reputation for leading digital transformation projects in the public and private sectors. Her deep technical skills, digital insights and communication skills have made her a sought-after digital speaker, commentator, broadcaster, and mentor across the IT sector and the broader leadership community. She can communicate complex technical ideas across the “IT divide” to non-geek stakeholders across creative, technical and business.

She is the Strategic Engagement Manager at CSIRO National AI Centre, focused on building a Responsible AI Network, a world-first cross-ecosystem collaboration aimed at establishing and sharing best practice of responsible AI in the commercial sector.

Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can organisations transform their business processes for scalable growth through generative AI?

Tal is a data and analytics executive and strategist with 15+ years experience in the financial services industry and a proven track record in data, analytics and AI strategy development and implementation, business transformation, analytics, data governance, data management and data product ownership. He is passionate about all things data, developing strong performing teams and maximizing return on investment from data, analytics and AI.

Prior to leading data, analytics and AI for the Australia and New Zealand businesses at Zip, Tal held a number of executive data and strategy roles at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Over the last two years at Zip, Tal and his team have executed the strategy to deliver fast and future-proof data while also partnering with stakeholders across the business to solve problems using analytics and AI capabilities. Tal is also providing direction on the emerging strategy for data and AI for Zip's US business.

Session: Developing scalable, robust and centralised AI infrastructure through machine learning platforms

Julianna is a experienced leader in strategic innovation, specialising in data science, AI, and digital transformation with experience across various sectors. Julianna excels in driving teams towards excellence and fostering innovation for tangible outcomes. Currently leading the Digital Transformation agenda at Sydney Airport, Julianna is at the forefront of revolutionising customer experiences and operational processes through advanced technologies and AI. Prior roles at Transport for NSW, Network Rail UK and other organisations have showcased her expertise in developing and executing comprehensive AI strategies and fostering a culture of digital agility. Armed with a background in mathematics and computer science, including a Masters in Applied Artificial Intelligence, Julianna is deeply committed to driving transformative change and empowering organisations to thrive in the digital landscape.

Session: Navigating the landscape of large language models to gain a strategic advantage

Rowan is an innovation leader with ten years of experience delivering emerging and disruptive technology into the construction industry, including augmented reality, artificial intelligence, organisational network analytics, IoT (Internet of Things), and new construction materials. As Principal Product Engineer in the Technology & Innovation Group at Laing O'Rourke, he currently focuses on developing a transformative organisational AI/machine learning strategy and operational implementation of predictive analytics. Rowan also works at an executive level to test product value cases and implement commercial initiatives for new concepts and innovations.

Rowan holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Sydney. He is regularly invited to give lectures on innovation, technology, and culture at the University of Sydney (USYD), University of Technology (UTS) and University of NSW (UNSW), and at technology conferences. He is also active in science and engineering outreach and has hosted numerous events for school students and programs including the Sydney Science Festival.

Session: Building customer personalisation at scale with multi-modal generative AI

Introducing Ben Coughlin, Ben is the current CCO of Webjet and Ex Global VP Operations @ the Expedia Grp. A dynamic senior leader with a proven track record in driving transformative change within multi-channel, multi-function operations. As an operational transformation expert, Ben specialises in optimising complex processes and deploying digital service tools to enhance operational management, resulting in outstanding customer outcomes and robust business growth. With extensive experience in managing large, geographically dispersed teams, Ben has successfully led global operation teams of 15,000+ agents through a strategic shift towards customer and agent tool automation, delivering predictable experiences.

Session: Aligning strategic business goals to create the right generative AI pilots

Rachna is an experienced multi-industry ASX 30 and public sector executive. She has held roles across strategy, operations and digital, and has a track record in delivering transformations that achieve world class customer experience and growth in highly regulated and complex environments.

Rachna leads the Australian digital and IT teams, while also working with international Ramsay teams to develop and deliver the global digital strategy and data management framework.

Rachna has previously been responsible for the customer service and digital transformation at Westpac, Suncorp and Service NSW.

She holds a Bachelor of Business and Doctor of Philosophy, as well as qualifications in Leadership and Leading Strategic Transformations and Culture Renewal from Stanford University and Harvard University.

Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: What are the emerging threats and opportunities in generative AI over the next 6-12 months?

Susan is a transformational leader who has over 20 years of experience developing and executing digital, data and analytics, and AI strategies. She ensures her team continue to be at the forefront of technology whilst ensuring strategic alignment, revenue generation and operational efficiency gains. Recently she has been responsible for leading the implementation of both predictive and generative AI within the operations of the university. This involved establishing responsible AI practices, fostering AI fluency and overseeing the technological, data and organisational changes necessary to ensure successful adoption.

Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: What are the emerging threats and opportunities in generative AI over the next 6-12 months?

Lieutenant Colonel Adam Hepworth leads exploration of Artificial Intelligence within the Army’s Robotic and Autonomous Systems Implementation and Coordination Office (RICO). Adam’s portfolio includes human-cognitive augmentation, autonomous systems, AI-enabled decision-making, and human-machine teaming and swarming.  Adam holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of New South Wales, a Master of Logistics and Supply Chain Management from the University of South Australia, a Graduate Diploma in Scientific Computation from the Naval Postgraduate School, a Master of Science in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Computer Science from the University of New South Wales.

Adam was the 2022 Chief of Army Scholar at the Australian Army Research Centre and is presently a Visiting Fellow at the University of New South Wales, resident in the School of Systems and Computing. His current research contributes to swarm shepherding for human-swarm teaming, activity recognition and behaviour prediction, and the design of artificial intelligence systems.

Session: FIRESIDE CHAT: Is generative AI stifling creativity or unlocking genuine areas of new potential?

Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can organisations transform their business processes for scalable growth through generative AI?

Sandy is a true data enthusiast with a proven track record of helping businesses make the most of their data, turning it into a strategic powerhouse for problem-solving and discovering fresh opportunities. With over 15 years of hands-on experience in diverse data realms, including Analytics, Insights, Reporting, Data Science, AI/ML, Data Governance & Quality across a number of industries, she takes immense pride in her ability to drive real value for customers and businesses through smart data use.

Lately, her focus has been on nurturing a Data Product mindset and discipline at Sportsbet, where she's putting her skills to work. One of her boldest professional ambitions is to foster a "No data, No decision" culture across Australian businesses, where data becomes the lifeblood of informed choices.

Outside of work, Sandy volunteers as a director for a not-for profit organisation called “Go-Girl, Go for IT” which is a part of VIC ICT for Women. Go-Girl is mainly focussed on helping young girls from the age of 10 – 17 understand and develop interest for career in STEM.

She has 2 beautiful children, a 9-year-old boy and 6-year-old girl. Work – life balance is a critical input into her everyday planning & decision making.

Session: Mitigating risk and building trust by creating data & AI governance structures

Session: Shifting horizons: the dynamic evolution of generative AI and its corporate implications

Session: FIRESIDE CHAT: Is generative AI stifling creativity or unlocking genuine areas of new potential?

Session: Masterclass A: The essential generative AI toolbox – generative AI mastery 101

An executive business leader with global financial services and deep technology management experience Dr. Kollo has deep subject matter expertise in quantitative finance, asset allocation, portfolio construction and risk management, as well as economic forecasting.

Dr. Kollo is an analytical and thoughtful people leader with a passion for mentoring and bringing aligning to high performing teams.

Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: What are the emerging threats and opportunities in generative AI over the next 6-12 months?

Jeremiah has a wealth of experience in data leadership, delivering complex enterprise-scale transformations within finance, health, and other industries. He has a demonstrated capability in guiding boards and executive teams to harness the power of data & AI to uncover new commercial prospects and streamline operational efficiencies.

He has been selected as an IAPA 25 Australia Analytics Leader for the last three years and ICT Professional of the year by the Australian Computer Society. His projects have won several industry-leading awards, most recently the ISG Paragon Award for Imagination in future-proofing business.

Jeremiah has been the keynote speaker at several conferences across Australia, he recently gave a keynote at the CDO Sit-Down Series, talking about scaling data teams, and articulating value with AI. In addition, Jeremiah has been interviewed for several articles and podcasts, including the AFR and Skynews. In his spare time, Jeremiah enjoys supporting and mentoring the next generation of leaders.

Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: Navigating the opportunities and challenges of Generative AI in cyber security

Nathan Morelli has a diverse work experience in the field of cybersecurity and IT resilience. Nathan is currently the Head of Cyber Security and IT Resilience (CISO) at SA Power Networks, where they oversee the company's efforts in maintaining and upgrading the electricity distribution infrastructure.

Nathan has also been involved in various advisory roles and committees. Nathan is a member of the Global Customer Advisory Board at CrowdStrike, the Customer Council at Proofpoint, and the Customer Advisory Board - Security at Splunk. Additionally, they serve as a member of the Finance, Risk, and Audit Committee at the Australian Institute of Advanced Technologies, a higher education provider focused on work-ready graduates in the digital advanced technologies field.

In the past, Nathan has worked as a Cyber Security Specialist at NAVAL GROUP AUSTRALIA and as the Director of the Australian Cyber Security Centre - Adelaide at the Australian Cyber Security Centre. Nathan has also held the position of Member, Privacy Committee of South Australia at the Attorney General's Department.

Furthermore, Nathan has contributed to the Australian Information Security Association as a Branch Executive and the University of South Australia's Business Career Mentor Program as a mentor.

Nathan Morelli completed their secondary education at Cardijn College from 1995 to 2000, where they obtained their SACE certificate. Following that, they pursued a Master's degree in Business Information Systems at the University of South Australia from 2000 to 2005.

Session: Masterclass B: Navigating the regulatory, legal & ethical landscape of generative AI in Australia

James was the Australian Head of a major international law firm’s Digital Law practice and a founding member of an international law firm’s market-leading restructuring practice.

James leads Stirling & Rose's finance and restructuring practice, with significant local and global experience in high complexity ‘first of their kind’ transactions with a cross-jurisdictional focus, working in New York, Tokyo and Sydney.

James advises major companies, funds, investors, financial institutions and blockchain platforms, specialising in Smart Legal Contracts, CBDCs, DeFi, digital investments and novel financings.

James specialises in smart legal contracts, CBDCs and digital investments and financing.

Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: Navigating the opportunities and challenges of Generative AI in cyber security

Diego is a leading expert in the field of Active Cyber Defence and Threat Hunting, with 9+ years of experience in Cyber Security. His career has developed across roles ranging from Security Analyst and Senior Threat Researcher for critical infrastructure companies in Australia to Asia-Pacific IR Lead for a Global SOC, Senior Incident Response Analyst in Healthcare and SOC Manager in Europe. He is the author of the AIMOD2 threat hunting framework and has embarked on various research journeys into the fields of threat hunting and incident response, mainly focused on cloud forensics, tactical cyber defence, complexity, threat intelligence, cyber conflict and decision making theory. He is currently focused on developing Active Cyber Defence capability at a global scale and leads CBA Threat Hunting Team.

Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can organisations transform their business processes for scalable growth through generative AI?

Miranda is the CIO of Group Business Units for Westpac.

She is a leader of large scale and complex technological and digital transformations.

Miranda has developed strategic and tactical direction, built high performing teams and enabled service to uplift to customer experiences.

Her leadership, focus and business direction results in improved engagement and productivity through enhanced employee experience, delivering significantly engaged teams who have more time to delight customers.

Driving excellence in product delivery is key to having systems that provide the right experience - Miranda has 25 years of global experience and is a master of this craft. Her experience spans Federal Government, Telecommunications and Financial Services sectors across Europe, Asia and Australia.

Community is a strong anchor for Miranda, and she is also a volunteer yoga teacher.

Miranda is passionate about diversity and promoting women in Technology.

Session: Harnessing multi-modal generative AI for business breakthroughs

Dr Mahendra Samarawickrama (GAICD, MBA, SMIEEE, ACS(CP)) is a leader in driving the convergence of AI, Metaverse, and Blockchain to revolutionise the future of customer experience and brand identity. He is the Australian ICT Professional of the Year 2022 and a director of The Centre for Sustainable AI and Meta61. He is an Advisory Council Member of Harvard Business Review (HBR), an Expert in AI ethics and governance at the Global AI Ethics Institute (GAIEI), a member of the European AI Alliance, a senior member of IEEE (SMIEEE), an industry Mentor in the UNSW business school, an honorary visiting scholar at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), and a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can organisations transform their business processes for scalable growth through generative AI?

Richard Savoie is the co-founder and CEO of Adiona, which develops AI technology to power millions of efficient, lowest-carbon deliveries around the world for brands such as Coca-Cola and Amazon. Richard has co-founded 3 technology companies with partners including the University of California (Berkeley), an award-winning not-for-profit in Boston and a 6000+ member social network 'Engineers Looking For Stuff' (ELFS).

Session: Amplifying value creation through the fusion of human expertise and generative AI

Bijal is a strategic transformation leader and accomplished change architect. She has been instrumental in accelerating organisational response to the rapidly evolving technology and data landscape within the financial services industry. Bijal's strong foundation in shaping and driving strategic and sustainable change within the public and private sectors has enabled organisations to fast-track their digital agendas and realise positive business outcomes. Her expertise in embedding critical technology pillars and a data-driven mindset has fuelled the execution of generative AI and data analytics initiatives that propel performance and optimisation. She is deeply passionate about bringing people together and challenging the status quo while effecting inspired change, growth and progress.

Mithil Shah is a Principal AI/ML Specialist Solution Architect at AWS. Currently he helps public sector customers improve lives of citizens by building Machine Learning solutions on AWS.

Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: What are the emerging threats and opportunities in generative AI over the next 6-12 months?

Dr Nandita Sharma is a Director of Enterprise Unstructured Data Analytics in the Australian Federal Government and participates on multiple advisory boards for Data and ICT. She is experienced in leading data initiatives in government, banking, private and research sectors, and passionate for driving outcomes through innovative data technologies. She has considerable understanding of AI in industry and deeply interested in educating organisations to embrace analytics and AI for enhanced success.

Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can organisations transform their business processes for scalable growth through generative AI?

Artak Amirbekyan heads up Enterprise Data and Analytics function at Transurban. He previously led AI Labs team in Commonwealth Bank as an Executive Manager. At Transurban – his team research and develop innovative tolling and transport technology solutions that make travel easier and safer for everyone. The team helps Transurban to achieve its vision by providing data analytics and machine learning solutions that ranges from simple analytics to more complex machine learning applications. He has a PhD in Data Mining and has been working in both industry and academia for more than 20 years in data analytics field.

Session: Mastering generative AI risk exposures in a time of disruption

Akanksha is the Executive for Data Risk Governance at NAB and has been with the organisation for 2 years now. She has a strong consulting background having spent time working across a number of key government and Financial Services organisations, more recently with Ernst and Young helping Macquarie Bank with their Data Governance Framework design, as well as 4+ years at Commonwealth Bank of Australia as an Executive Manager for their Information Management program. Akanksha has extensive experience in data management programs both delivery and transformational, and has a specialised interest in turning policy, frameworks and associated governance into practical, deliverable outcomes for an organisation.

Session: Unmasking AI washing to support genuine innovation

Associate Professor Angel Zhong is an award-winning RMIT finance researcher who specialises in empirical asset pricing and investor behaviour in financial markets. She is an editorial board member of two prestigious field journals (Finance Research Letters and Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money). She is the recipient of the RMIT Awards for Research Excellence, Early Career Researcher (Enterprise) in 2021 and College of Business and Law Research Excellence Award 2022.

Her research has strong investment applications for industry professional and investors. Her work has attracted over $223,000 in external research funding.

Angel remains engaged with external stakeholders while undertaking her academic responsibilities. Her research has frequently attracted significant mainstream media attention internationally. Her commitment to translating her research to improve the financial literacy and wellbeing of Australians has seen her recognised as the finalist of the Women in Finance Awards 2021 in Australia, in the category of 'Thought leader of the Year.'

Session: Examining meaningful human oversight in the AI age: steering generative AI towards responsible innovation

Dr/Prof Liming Zhu is the Research Director of the Software and Computational Systems division at CSIRO’s Data61. Data61 is part of The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Australia’s data/AI innovation arm. The division innovates in the area of AI/ML/big data infrastructure, computational and simulation sciences platforms, trustworthy and responsible AI, distributed systems, blockchains, software ecosystems, software engineering/architecture, DevOps, quantum software, privacy and cybersecurity. He is also a conjoint full professor position at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). He is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He formerly worked in several technology leadership positions in the software industry before obtaining a PhD degree in software engineering from UNSW. He is currently the chairperson of Standards Australia’s blockchain and distributed ledger committee and on AI trustworthiness-related committees. He has supervised more than 20 PhD students and taught software architecture courses at UNSW and the University of Sydney. He has published more than 300 academic papers on software architecture, dependable systems, data/ML infrastructure, blockchain, governance and responsible AI.

Find more information, please visit LinkedIn or my personal webpage.