2024 judges

Rex is a principal and the founder of M A Legal. Rex started M A Legal with an immense drive to help his clients achieve success within the framework of the law.

Rex has an extensive legal background holding roles as General Manager and Legal Counsel for a large manufacturing distribution company, Senior Solicitor acting for members of the BRW 1000 Entrepreneurs List as well as legal counsel for government bodies and charitable organisations.

He is known for his business acumen and ability to guide clients not only through complex commercial litigation and business negotiation but in their strategic growth and planning needs. He has played a pivotal role not only in start-ups but in existing large enterprises with his clients comprising real estate moguls and business leaders.

Rex brings a unique and fresh perspective to legal challenges in business and commerce as he himself engages in significant property development ventures, sits on a number of boards as well as is a founding director of the charity, Build 4 Kids Inc.

Rex develops and extremely strong rapport with his clients and is driven to achieve the best possible outcomes for them and in return has built a significant and loyal following. He is an extremely passionate individual who does not do anything in half measures; it takes one look at his collection of motor and boxing memorabilia to know that he will fight for his clients. His lovely demeanour aside, he is fierce and fearless in all his pursuits.

Rex is a family man having welcomed his daughter into the world in 2017 and has an ambitious list of pursuits outside of work not limited to snowboarding, racing cars and motorbikes, boxing, weight training, enjoying a good wine and espresso martini, and travelling.

Jason is the Director of Broker Essentials and is Australia’s leading Mortgage Broker Mentor and sort after media commentator. In 2016 Jason foundered Broker Essentials and launched a training program for brokers after years of inquiries into the best practices and habits of a high-performance business.

Jason was named 2021 Mentor of the Year at The Adviser Better Business awards, 2021, APAC Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 - Financial Services, ABA 2020 Mentor of the year, and AMA 2020 Service provider of the year. He was the Managing Director of The Australian Lending & Investment Centre (ALIC) and has been instrumental in taking ALIC to the forefront of the mortgage brokering industry. In 2014,15,16 and 2017 ALIC was voted the top independent brokerage of the year by Mortgage Professional Australia, Australia’s best brokerage in 2014 & 15 at the Australian Mortgage Awards and MFAA in 2016 and 2018.

Jason has over 30 years’ experience in the finance sector, having worked in senior sales, distribution and management roles for ANZ and having provided financial advice and services on behalf of financial planning, equity trading platforms, private banking, lending and retail distribution brands.

More details can be found on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-back-broker-essentials/ and at Broker Essentials www.brokeressentials.com.au

James has been in the Financial Planning industry since 2000. He completed a Bachelor of Commerce (University of Western Australia), MBA (UWA Graduate School of Management) and Foundation Diploma of Financial Services (Deakin University), James joined the JustInvest team in 2007 and is an ethical investment specialist.

Claire is a senior lawyer and professional coach, based on the east coast of Australia. Claire has over 30 years of experience gained through senior management appointments with some of the world’s largest companies and at top-tier law firms. As well as practising law, Claire is an internationally qualified executive coach (PCC) and in 2018 she founded a global professional coaching practice in which she coaches private and corporate clients, specialising in senior lawyers and executives, to empower them to move their career and leadership dreams into active, actionable, pursuits. Outside of her executive life, Claire is a non-executive director of multiple ASX-listed companies and is an Industry Professional Fellow with the University of Technology Sydney, School of Law.

Claire has been recognised as one of Australia’s best lawyers and female executives, including having been awarded the “Excellence Award for Women in Law”, “General Counsel of the Year”, “Female Executive of the Year in Asia, Australia & New Zealand”, “Mentor of the Year” and was featured in SmartCompany's International Women's Day Showcase.

Dr Vincent Bicudo de Castro is a Senior Lecturer at Deakin Business School. Vincent started his academic career in his native Brazil, earning two bachelor degrees and a master by research before gaining his PhD in Accounting at Monash University. Whilst studying, he also held accounting positions with KPMG, PwC and Gávea Investimentos and lecturing appointments at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Monash and Deakin University. At Deakin University, Vincent was recognised with the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Contribution to Partnerships and the Faculty Staff Award for Effectiveness, Excellence and Exemplar Practice in Research.

Bob has been in the telecommunications industry for over 53 years having started as a PMG Technician in 1967. During that period Bob has had 5 successful careers. He has worked in a variety of roles with organisations like PMG/Telecom, Alcatel (formerly STC), Ericsson Australia and worked 31 years as founder, owner, dealer principal and CEO of TTGroup Communications incorporating SmartSpeak Solutions.

While he has held many chairman positions and directorships, at the moment Bob is Chairman of Azentro, a Voice Vision and Data Company after a merger acquisitions with Productiv Pty Ltd, VV Tech Pty Ltd, FleetLink Australia and as at 22/02/18 Data Mobility and Voice (DMV) in Adelaide South Australia. DMV are a Gold MITEL Partner and Calibre One based in Darwin and Adelaide.
In building Azentro into it’s 2023 profile Bob managed 6 merger acquisitions and 4 brand changes.
Bob is also a founding director of Sheldon College which his wife Dr Lyn Bishop founded in 1997.The college has 1600+

Drew is an award-winning Writer, Speaker, Financial Adviser & Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging advocate. He specialises in supporting business owners and their families to protect and provide for what matters most in their lives.

His company’s speciality brand Unusual Risks Insured, is the first Trauma Informed Organisation (TIO) working in Australian Financial Services.
He’s been recognised and awarded by non-industry bodies for his use of technology to connect people and businesses and his call for needed proactive anti-discrimination, inclusive & belonging practices in Australian Financial Services.

In his free time Drew works to mentor new businesses and support high-performing LGBTI+ young adults completing higher education to reach their full potential.

Christopher Cachia, the founder, CEO, and principal manager of CCA Financial Planners, stands as a beacon of innovation and leadership in the ever-evolving financial planning landscape. With a career spanning over three decades, Christopher has not only demonstrated profound expertise and commitment to his field but also a relentless pursuit of empowering individuals through financial literacy and tailored financial strategies.

From the inception of his career, Christopher has been driven by a simple yet profound mission: to demystify the financial maze for individuals, empowering them to make informed decisions about their future. His journey in the financial sector is marked by a tireless commitment to excellence and a personal vow to illuminate the path for others through education and empowerment.

Christopher's dedication to professional growth took him across the globe, from attending the Financial Planning Association conference in Minneapolis to visiting the New York Stock Exchange. These experiences have been pivotal in shaping his comprehensive approach to financial planning, allowing him to bring global insights to local strategies.

As a Certified Financial Planner® Professional and an expert in Self-Managed Superannuation Funds, Christopher emphasizes the importance of continuous learning. His extensive knowledge and experience have been instrumental in designing innovative financial solutions that cater to the unique needs of his clients.

Christopher's journey from a trainee accountant to the top echelons of the financial planning industry is a testament to his leadership and excellence. His ability to consistently achieve top rankings within national banking networks underscores his commitment to setting and surpassing industry standards.

At the heart of Christopher's philosophy is a holistic approach to financial planning. This perspective has not only earned him a nomination as a finalist for the 'Holistic Financial Advisor of the Year' at the IFA Excellence Awards 2023 but also reflects his dedication to addressing the financial well-being of his clients beyond mere numbers.

Christopher believes in the power of teamwork and family values at CCA, considering his team as the company's greatest asset. This collaborative and supportive environment has been crucial in cultivating a culture of excellence and innovation.

Christopher's innovative and client-centric approach has garnered significant recognition, particularly at the 2023 IFA Excellence Awards. His commitment to making financial planning accessible and empowering for all underscores his vision of a future where financial well-being is within everyone's reach.

As he looks to the future, Christopher remains focused on leveraging industry trends and cutting-edge technologies to ensure that CCA Financial Planners stays at the forefront of financial innovation. His commitment to collaboration, particularly with accountants, aims to offer a comprehensive service that addresses all facets of his clients' financial lives.

In a world characterized by financial uncertainties, Christopher Cachia stands as a steadfast leader of change, dedicated to creating a future where individuals can thrive financially. His passion for transforming lives through financial planning continues to inspire and influence both clients and colleagues in the industry.

Lielette is well-respected in the business world as an influential leader with a genuine interest in her clients' success.

Lielette has a comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of a business including operations, sales, marketing, and finance. When consulting, she applies her experience in corporate as well as her strategic thinking and analytical prowess to ask business owners a series of probing questions designed to draw out their thoughts on a wide range of issues.

Over the years, Lielette has worked with start-ups and small enterprises in a wide variety of fields, transforming them into big players.

She is well-known for her precision, expertise, promptness and calm demeanour, and clients trust Lielette to provide them with the clarity they need to make informed business decisions.
Lielette worked with the Institute of Public Accountants to develop the Certified Accounting Technician program and represented BAS Agents on several advisory roles with the Australian Taxation office.

For 18 years, Lielette lead the award-winning cloud accounting bookkeeping firm All That Counts before joining businessDEPOT. According to Lielette, it's imperative for business owners to have someone who can serve as both an industry and business thought leader.

Warren has had a diverse background, from serving in the army, being a secondary teacher, lecturing, and providing financial planning and taxation advice.

Warren is the Founder of the 'Find Group' of companies offering the following services: Accounting, Financial planning, VA & CA services, Networking and Marketing.

As a professional accountant and award-winning advisor, Warren's passion is to improve his client's financial netwealth, help his client's secure their financial future and provide them with support when they need it. In the financial planning space, Warren loves working with pre-retiree and those already retired.

Warren is also the Founder of the Find Foundation, a Not-For-Profit organisation that owns and operates community papers across Victoria. The community papers provide support to other NFPs, schools, clubs and other associations, as well as supporting SME and other businesses in their respective local communities. It is a way of bringing everyone together in one place and supporting all things local. Warren is looking forward to launching his new fundraising initiative in 2024 to help support all groups within the local community.

Warren's aim is to make a positive difference in as many people's lives as possible through his work and entrepreneurial endeavours.

Todd Chapman is the principal of Leading Edge Management Consulting and works with aviation organisations who need support and expertise going through complex change and transformation.

Todd leverages proven systems and personal skills honed in more than 25 years of working in senior roles within Australia’s most successful airlines.
In all of his assignments, the constant was the need for fundamental transformation. Despite this constant, the challenges were highly variable, the business units were dynamic and the operation was relentless. Solutions came in the areas of safety management system implementation, compliance and governance frameworks, digitisation, mergers and acquisitions, outsourcing, contractor management and rectifying team culture.

However despite this diversity of solutions, Todd always found that to make the fix genuine, it always involved two things; developing great people to be great leaders and embedding quality systems to drive business discipline.
It is this philosophy and people centred passion that underpins the approach with Leading Edge Consulting.

Michelle Cull is an Associate Professor in Accounting & Financial Planning in the School of Business at Western Sydney University. She has taught accounting and financial planning for over 20 years and published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and textbooks in financial planning. Her work has featured in Money Management, Professional Planner, Money and Life, Sunrise, ABC News, Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph and on radio. Michelle has also held various leadership roles including as Associate Dean and Director of Academic Program.

Michelle is co-editor of the Financial Planning Research Journal, Executive Vice President (Program) for the Academy of Financial Services in the United States, member of the national Financial Planning Education Council, and on the advisory board of Ecstra Foundation.
Michelle led the development of the WalletSmart App, co-founded the Western Sydney University Tax Clinic and developed the Personal Finance Basics Micro Credential. She is an FCPA and member of the FAAA. In 2021, Michelle received Western Sydney Women’s Western Sydney Educator of the Year Award.

Prior to becoming a full-time academic, Michelle worked for 15 years in accounting and finance roles at ASX-100 listed companies. Michelle has also worked as a consultant.

Michelle has previously served as Deputy President of CPA Australia’s NSW Divisional Council and currently volunteers as Chair of the Salvation Army Macarthur Advisory Council, member of the UniSuper Consultative Committee, and on the Women’s Committee of Canterbury Bankstown Chamber of Commerce.

Anntonette Dailey brings more than 15 years senior executive capability, working across multiple Government agencies, not for profit and consultancies.
As a chartered engineer, Anntonette was recently the Executive Director at the Australian Space Agency, having commenced as part of the inaugural leadership team in 2018 and was responsible for managing its operating environment, managing stakeholders and was instrumental in the establishment of the Australian Space Discovery Centre, publishing the first three whole of Government State of Space Reports, the financial controller and management of the public affairs, outreach and parliamentary activity.

Anny has always had a soft spot for the space sector, attending space camps at school, presenting to Parliament in 2008 on the need for better space coordination. She is also a major supporter for developing the current and future STEM workforce. Her leadership and passion was recognised by AFR as one of Australia’s 100 most Influential Women and as young graduate of the year by the University of Technology, Sydney.
As a mother to Skye (6) and Flynn (1), Anny enjoys caravanning, renovating and car racing.

Ann-Maree David is an Executive Director of The College of Law, the largest provider of practice-focused legal education in Australasia. She has worked in the legal profession for over 30 years, in public and corporate sector roles and in private practice as a solicitor.

Ann-Maree has held a career-long passion for developing and delivering education and training programs to enable all involved in the delivery of legal services to thrive both personally and professionally.

In addition to leading the College of Law’s Queensland campus, Ann-Maree is Immediate Past President of Australian Women Lawyers and a Director of the Australian Gender Equality Council. She also chairs the Queensland Law Society’s Equity & Diversity Committee.

Ben has over 15 years of experience specialising in cyber risk, privacy, law, technology risk, insurance and dispute resolution.

Ben leads WTW’s Australia and New Zealand cyber and technology risk team providing insurance, advisory and consulting services to domestic and international clients. Ben focuses on helping clients understand emerging technology, exposure risks and developing responsive management, resiliency and business strategies.

Stefano, often referred to as Stef by his clients, is the driving force behind Pure Private Wealth.

With a reputation as the “Gary-Vee of Goals-Based Advice” in Australia, Stefano is recognized for his innovative approach to financial guidance. He envisions a world where financial advice is accessible and transformative, and his determination led Pure Private Wealth to become a pioneer in digitalized client interactions.

As a goals-based financial adviser, Stefano specializes in helping clients identify, manage, and achieve their life goals, both personally and in business. Whether you’re new to the world of personal finance or an experienced finance professional, Stefano can assist you in achieving your personal goals.

His commitment also extends to businesses seeking remarkable results. Pure Private Wealth has assisted numerous businesses in fine-tuning their strategies, from startups to long-established enterprises, utilizing innovative technology, training, and strategic planning.

Stefano’s innate ability to educate, inspire, and empower clients has propelled both individuals and businesses toward remarkable achievements.

Michael Field is the Brisbane-based founding partner of EvettField Partners; a specialist B2B consulting firm. He has held senior business development, leadership, marketing, and strategy roles in private and public companies including advertising, business services, membership organisations, not-for-profit, publishing, records management, and technology.

Michael has previously served as a non-executive director of Save the Children Victoria, council member for Save the Children NSW and guest lecturer in marketing and communication at ECU. He is currently an advisory board member for Acumen Global Partners.

About EvettField

EvettField Partners are a specialist B2B consulting firm, with partners in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne who work with business owners and leaders of mid-sized B2B organisations in Australia and New Zealand to develop their competitive strategy and drive enterprise value in highly contested markets.

Clients are predominantly family owned and operated, mid-sized, Australian and New Zealand businesses from a diverse range of distribution and manufacturing industries including Agriculture, Architecture, Building, Construction, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Mining. See www.evettfield.com for more information.

Jason Goodacre has spent more than 25 years working in the finance industry, delivering stand-out customer experiences. As Customer Relationship Manager, Jason makes sure Loanworks fulfills service levels and continues to improve products and services to meet, and go beyond, client expectations.

Jason is the key local contact for all of Loanworks’ software, technology and outsourcing services clients, and is responsible for expanding and deepening those customer relationships. He also represents Loanworks at industry events, professional development days and conferences.
Prior to joining Loanworks, Jason was Sales Manager at Thomson Financial (now Reuters) for 11 years, and had previously served in a variety of business development roles for fintech companies, including with IRESS, Powerwrap and City Networks.

Jason holds a Certificate in Financial Markets from the Securities Institute of Australia and an RG 146 – Provision of General Advice from Kaplan Australia.

Thomas Green is a co-founder of Neumann Space where he served as a research and policy analyst and in-house counsel for almost five years. He is currently a Project Manager in the Emerging Technologies branch of Transport for NSW and is a member of the International Institute of Space Law, the Royal Society of NSW and the Australasian Association for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science.

Thomas is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Wollongong on the regulation and enforcement of new technology — specifically concerning access to space by commercial and non-government entities.

Thomas has also previously worked on software projects and start-ups related to machine learning, worked in private equity, served as a Ministerial Advisor on emergency services and road safety, and was a business coordinator for the COVID-19 response team for Transport for NSW during the COVID outbreaks in NSW throughout 2020 and worked in the private sector as a Quality Manager through 2021 managing the design, development and production of novel COVID-19 testing kits to improve pandemic management responses and patient outcomes.

Annie is the founder and principal of Cyber GC - a legal and consulting practice dedicated to helping Australian businesses prepare for and fight cyberattacks. Annie is a multi-award-winning cybersecurity lawyer and was recently awarded General Counsel of the Year (Australian Law Awards - Lawyers Weekly - 2021), Technology, Media and Telecommunications Lawyer of the Year (Corporate Counsel Awards - Lawyers Weekly -2021) and Australian In House Counsel of the Year (Australasian Law Awards 2021).

She brings to Cyber GC the experience gained in 20 years as a technology lawyer, 12 years working for one of the largest technology companies in the world and 6 years as global legal counsel for Accenture Security, one of the largest security companies in the world. She specialises in advising on enterprise security risk, including legal regulation, and the impact on the whole organisation of cybersecurity issues.

Neil is a highly respected strategic leader with a proven track record leading high performing organisations. Working with all levels of government and industry in the fields of aviation, Defence, space and National security, Neil has extensive experience in strategic risk management and governance. A retired Air Vice-Marshal, Neil has had command at all levels in the military, including operational command of coalition air and space operations embedded with the US Air Force. The former Professor in Defence Technologies with Deakin University is an innovation and outcomes focused leader, highly regarded for his coaching of resilient expert teams.

Dali Kaafar is the Executive Director of the Cyber Security Hub Macquarie University and is Full Professor of Cyber Security and Confidential Computing at the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Macquarie University. Prof. Kaafar is also the director of the Cyber Range Training Centre (CRTC) and director of the Cyber Security Curriculum at the Institute of Applied Technology in New
South Wales. He is also the Founder and CEO of APATE Technologies, delivering solutions to disrupt the phone scammers business model. From 2017 to 2019, Dali was also the Chief Scientist of the Singtel Optus MQ Cyber Security Hub where he spearheads since then the research of over 160 academics across the university’s four Faculties on Data Security, Security of Cyber Physical systems, cyber governance and human-centric security. As the chief scientist of the Cyber Security Hub, he developed the Science Strategy of the Hub, a multi-disciplinary approach to Cyber Resilience, under which the Cyber Security Hub currently operates. From 2016 to February 2020, Dali has also been the founder and leader of the Information Security and Privacy Research group at CSIRO Data61, the Data and digital specialist arm of Australia's national science agency, with his position at MQ being partly funded by Data61, and prior to that the research leader of the data privacy stream in AI/ML Fundamental Science pla\orms at CSIRO. Dali fosters the culture of research excellence and impac\ul reputable science. The approach to Cyber Security in Dali’s research is underpinned by his vision of “Enabling Explicit Trust in the Digital Economy”. Within the school of Computing, Dali is also the director of the Information Security and Privacy research group.

Prior to that, Prof. Kaafar was the Group leader of the Networked Systems group and research leader of the Data Privacy and Mobile systems groups at NICTA from 2012 to 2016 (National Information Communication and Technology Australia) and Senior principal researcher at INRIA, the French research institution of computer science and automation. He received his PhD from the Polytechnic University of Nice Sophia Antipolis and INRIA in France where he pioneered research in the security of Internet Coordinate Systems. In 2011, he was also researcher at Xerox PARC in Palo Alto California where he led research on security and privacy of Information-centric Networking.

Prof. Kaafar is the Senior Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics & Security (IEEE T-IFS), and Editorial Board member of IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Systems (IEEE TDSC) and serves in the Editorial and Advisory Board of the Journal on Privacy Enhancing Technologies. He is the general Chair of Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium (petsymposium.org/) 2022 and co-chair of the Cyber Defence Next Generation Technology and Science Conference 2021.

He is also member of the Advisory Board of CORE (The Computing Research and Education Association of Australasia) and is the Chair of the Security and Privacy field of research. Finally, since 2019, Dali is also New South Wales Cyber Ambassador.

Dali is a world class researcher, with an h-index of 45 and 6940 citations of his research work and an i10-index of 107 according to Google scholar. His research is well known and praised nationally and overseas for his pioneering contributions to Alternatives to passwords-based authentication systems, Security and privacy of Machine Learning and networked systems, and provable privacy technologies. He published over 300 scientific peer-reviewed papers with several and repetitive publications in the prestigious IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (IEEE S&P), ACM SIGCOMM, WWW, NDSS and PETS. Since 2015, his research attracted over $36M external funding with solid research and development partnerships established with both Australian and US Departments of Defence (Dali’s defence-related research is funded at over $12M with US Army and Defence Science and Technology Australia), the Australian Federal Government, New South Wales Government, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Wesfarmers, HSBC, National Australian Bank, Fujitsu, Siemens, Singtel, AT&T, CISCO but also start-ups and SMEs translating research into applied technology deployed at production (e.g. Adaptive AI-driven micro-segmentation security policies with Ditno and Provably private Record Linkage techniques with IXUP ltd).

He is recipient of several prestigious awards including the Highly Commended University-level 2021 Research Excellence Award, The Jim Piper Award for Excellence in Research Leadership award in 2021 by Macquarie University Sydney, INRIA Excellence of research National Award in 2010, and the Andreas Pfitzman award from the Privacy Enhancing Technologies symposium in 2011. In 2019, and 2022 he has also been awarded the very prestigious and selective Chinese Academy of Sciences President's Professorial fellowship Award.

Since November 2016, Dali has led the Information Security and Privacy Research which evolved to become a Trusted Advisor for Commonwealth entities. The group consisting of 30 researchers has established a very solid and strong relationship with several State and Federal Government agencies with significant contributions to the Federal Government Open Data initiative with Prime Minister Cabinet (PM&C). Dali Kaafar has led over 50 Security and privacy risk assessment projects undertaken by the group for diverse data assessment use cases, delivering Re-identification Risk Metric and security and Re-identification Risk Reports for the Department of Social Services, Prime Minister and Cabinet, Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Department of Veteran's Affairs, Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, Australian Public Service Commission, Transport for NSW, Australian Taxation Office. Dali Kaafar also led the development and open release of the social security payments dataset on Dataverser (available on the Australian Data Archive as the PIA dataset) with provably private properties. Prof. Kaafar was the lead investigator in the world’s first release of Provably Private High dimensionality Transportation data in collaboration with Transport for New South Wales.

Dali is currently the lead Principal Investigator of several Defence projects, including the very prestigious AUSMURI / MURI (Military University Research Innovation) Program with a US/Australia 5- years joint project awarded $13M to develop “Robust Human-AI Cyber Teams” in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, UPenn, University California San Diego and University of Wisconsin from the US side and University of Melbourne and Macquarie University from the Australian side. Prof. Kaafar is also the lead investigator and project lead of the “Rapid Malware Triage in Military Platforms” project (2021-2025) funded by Department of Defence Australia with MQ Cyber Security Hub recognized as the preferred member for the Defence Research network under the Defence Science Partnerships. In 2022, he has been awarded a 3 years $720K research grant from the Office of National Intelligence (ONI) to develop techniques to combat global phone scams using conversational AI. In 2023, he was awarded a $2.35 million grant from the Australian Federal Government for the project ‘Develop a Cross-disciplinary Cyber Security Workforce Training Program’. He is also the leader of the $12M co-investment project between Singtel Optus, Australia’s second largest telecommunications provider and Macquarie University. In 2015, Dali has been part of the European Commission Article 29 Data Protection Working Group, the advisory body that has developed the early recommendations for the EU GDPR regulation on data anonymization.

Professor Ryan Ko is an internationally recognised computer scientist, co-founder of CyberCert, and co-founder and director of Cyber Security Certification Australia (CSCAU), an industry council which focus on uplifting the cyber maturity of SMEs globally through dynamic certifiable standards. For more than a decade, he has served as an expert at ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 27, edited two ISO standards in the ISO/IEC 27000 family, and recently co-chaired Singapore’s standards on Cyber Essentials and Cyber Trust Mark. He is also a Chair Professor and Director of UQ Cyber at The University of Queensland. He grandfathered (ISC)2’s CCSP certification, and was commissioned by NZ’s Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to draft NZ’s national cyber security curriculum (NZQA Level 6). Through his academic roles, he co-founded several national and global cyber security competitions. He has published more than 150 publications in the areas of AI, AI security, cyber security autonomy, data provenance and privacy, and his work has been translated and adopted worldwide including organisations such as INTERPOL, CERN, and Hewlett Packard. He is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society, Fellow of Cloud Security Alliance and Fellow of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Glenn Kunning is a Director of Futureways Pty Ltd specialising in provision of a business coaching
service within the mortgage broking market across Australia. With greater than three decades of
management, human resources, sales and marketing experience, Glenn Kunning has developed
an expertise in identifying and resolving ineffective marketing strategies, recruitment and
retention gaps and missed revenue opportunities using a vast array of dedicated listening and
dialogue approaches to coach and train individuals and organisations around Australia. He tailors
a program for each client based on individual business needs.

Glenn skilfully guides his clients in developing and implementing turnaround strategies to
increase revenue. As an entrepreneur he also seeks to partner with them teaching them to make
a better living doing what they love.

He is a Sales and Marketing Specialist with a passion and expertise for driving new business
development. He launched his coaching business in February 2009 after enjoying many years of
success working with some of the top 100 companies in Australia. Companies such as ANZ,
Mortgage Choice, RAMS, Heritage Bank, St George, and Bank-West are organisations where he
provided leadership and management to large high performing sales teams while facilitating
strategies for growth and profitability.

Since launching his coaching business, Glenn has worked with large broking brands such as LJ
Hooker Financial Services, QInvest Loan Finder, Connective, PLAN, Coronis Financial Services, etc.,
and various other independent brokers across Australia. Areas of expertise provided include
helping business owners taking an idea from concept to implementation, business development,
sales management, recruitment, and various other strategies for business growth.

He is a respected member of the judging panel for the Australian Broking Awards, Fintech Awards,
Australian Accounting Awards, and a member of the Australian Institute of Management, and a
Senior Associate of FINSIA.

His techniques, based on the premise of mutual respect, understanding and confidentiality have
produced solid results for businesses seeking to increase revenue and gain market share.

As a Sales Specialist he has coached and mentored executives on issues relating to
organisational development, employee relations and various business models helping them to
align their recruitment, sales, and marketing strategies with overall business objectives.

Glenn holds a Bachelor of Business from the University College of Southern Queensland.

A highly experienced, committed and enthusiastic leader who can build and enthuse large teams delivering the most complex high value projects to time cost and quality in difficult political environments. I provide strong governance, leadership and strategic management with the application of well-developed emotional intelligence bringing the very best out of staff. I have successfully delivered programmes from multi- billion dollar aircraft carriers to smaller sustainment, asset management based projects in my two careers to date. I have chaired two successful Alliances, The Design Support Alliance (a multi- million dollar contract) and the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (a multi-billion dollar contract). In addition I was fundamental in setting up the new Warship Asset Management Agreement (a multi-billion dollar Alliance supporting the Anzac ships) signed 1 July 2016.

I am a dual-national (UK and Australian) with a current Australian security clearance. I am the proud recipient from Her Majesty the Queen an Order of the British Empire (for the recovery of HMS Nottingham’s grounding off the coast of Australia) and a Companion of the Bath (for services to the Royal Navy and in particular securing the New Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carriers).

Peter Lynch is a leader in Professional Indemnity Insurance in the real estate, valuation and management right industry sectors.

He boasts over 30 years’ experience with Aon Risk Solutions and as the Client Manager is responsible for developing new business within the real estate sector including the identification of business opportunities with franchise groups and other stakeholders.

He took a significant role in providing advice and support to introduce a Real Estate specific indemnity insurance scheme and is responsible for the highly successful REIQ/REINT schemes which he coordinated with the assistance of industry, lawyers, underwriters and claims staff.

Peter has a strong interest in promoting safe and quality business practices in real estate and has been a regular contributor to course materials, presentations and editorial submissions. He has been called upon to be a guest speaker at training forums for the REIQ, REIA, REINT, REIWA and various franchise groups.

Peter also provides individual Risk Management training to a number of his Franchise Group clients.

I am the Founder and Managing Principal of Legalite – a multi-award-winning new kind of law firm that is breaking new ground in simplified and forward-thinking legal services.

I started Legalite with one clear vision: to flip the traditional law firm model on its head. Through pioneering the delivery of innovative and bespoke services that give our clients maximum value, Legalite has established itself as a market leading firm with above industry average growth.

As an advisor to some of Australia’s most well-known brands, my expertise encompasses franchising, regulatory compliance and national and international expansion. More than just a technical advisor, I am focussed on providing future-ready, strategic and innovative advice. This extends to advisory board services.

I’m genuinely passionate about fostering meaningful relationships with clients, colleagues and industry connections. I’m proud to lead, and work alongside, a diverse, award-winning team of gun lawyers and professionals who are equally as passionate about changing the future of the legal industry.

Dr. Alana Maurushat, is Professor of Cybersecurity and Behaviour at Western Sydney University where she holds a joint position in the School of Computers, Data and Mathematical Sciences, and in the School of Social Sciences. Alana is the Associate Dean International in the SCDMS and is Director of a Level 1 Security Operations Centre, Western CACE (mycace.org). She is currently researching on Automation Cybersecurity of Legal and Risk Processes through ML and AI, Payment Diversion Fraud and Ransomware, Cyber Reputation Risk Management, Tracking Money-Laundering, and Ethical Hacking. Having dual qualifications in IT and Law, she previously was Senior Lecturer in Law, Key Researcher on the CRC Data to Decisions – Big Data in National Security, and Senior Fellow with the Australian CyberSecurity Centre for Research and Education all at UNSW. She is the Cyber-Ambassador for the NSW Government and sits as an expert reviewer in cybersecurity and big data with the Australian Research Council. She is Special Advisor for the cybercrime investigation company Cybertrace, and volunteers her time and service on the advisory boards for the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, and NSW Crimestoppers. She lectures & researches in Cybersecurity, Privacy and Security by Design, Cyber Risk Management, and Artificial Intelligence across the disciplines of law, criminology, business, political science and information communications technology. Alana has done consultancy work on cyber security, open data, big data, technology and civil liberties for both the Australian and Canadian governments, industry and NGOs. Alana has done media with 60 Minutes, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Insight, ABC, and 730 Report, and is the author of many books and articles. She has won multiple prizes for her innovative and collaborative approach to projects and learning including the Australian IT Security Highly Commended Woman of the Year.

A globally respected thought leader in disruptive approaches, transformational trends, and strategic innovation, Kim Chandler McDonald is a trailblazing entrepreneur and the visionary Co-Founder and CEO behind 3 Steps Data, FlatWorld Integration, and KimMic International. With a keen focus on innovation and end-user empowerment, she has led her companies to the forefront of technological advancements, revolutionising data sharing, observability, and governance across disparate systems.

Kim is a board member of and the Director of APAC Operations and Policy Development for the Cybersecurity Advisors Network (CyAN), the Paris-based, multidisciplinary, international trust network of cyber professionals. She leads the growth of CyAN in the APAC region, driving strategic initiatives to enhance CyAN's community presence, foster new partnerships, and promote member engagement. Additionally, she spearheads CyANs Combatting Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Violence initiative.

Kim is also the award-winning author of ‘Innovation: How Innovators Think, Act and Change Our World’, ‘Flat World Navigation: Collaboration and Networking in the Global Digital Economy’, ‘Postcards From Tomorrow’ (all proceeds donated to Lou’s Place, Sydney’s only daytime drop-in center for female victims of domestic abuse and coercive control), as well as the recently released ‘An Interviewers Guidebook - Turning Conversations Into Captivating Stories’. Additionally, she is the co-author of ‘Entrepreneurial Renaissance: Cities Striving Towards an Era of Renaissance and Revival’.

Dr Rahat Munir is a Professor and Head of Department of Accounting and Corporate Governance, Macquarie University. He is FCA, FCPA and PhD. For over 30 years Professor Munir has been at the forefront of initiatives that have positioned organisations to support significant development and change. He is internationally renowned for curriculum development, pioneering innovative learning and teaching (L&T) practices, Micro Credentials and academic standards (including TEQSA and Australian Qualification Framework), Accreditation (AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS, Professional Accounting Bodies), student experience and research. He has played a pivotal role in creation of research and teaching collaborations with professional accounting bodies, Universities in China, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Europe. He has served on the panel for Faculty/Course Reviews of various Universities in Australia and New Zealand.

His research is across management accounting and controls and related subjects. He supervises Master of Research and Ph.D. students. His research interests include from management accounting systems, performance measurement systems, CSR, corporate governance, and management control systems. He has published in leading international journals as well as presented at international conferences in many parts of the world. He is affiliated with several professional bodies including the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, Professional Risk Managers International Association, USA, American Accounting Association and European Accounting Association.

Professor Munir serves on various high-level Committees and Advisory Boards. Professor Munir has also served on the TAFE NSW Higher Education Academic Board. He has served as guest editor and referee/scientific program committee of various international journals, and organised conferences & workshops. He has been invited for Keynote lectures and Policy presentations in international conferences and public sector institutions. With his strong engagement with industry, he leads CFO Forum, Industry Academic Series, Thought Leadership and Business Leaders Roundtables.

Professor Munir’s sustained excellence in teaching and research has been recognised through international and national awards, including:

2 x Macquarie University Vice Chancellor’s awards for developing programs and outstanding contributions to student learning,
Dean’s teaching excellence award,
2 x CPA Australia’s award for achievement in academia, and
Business/Higher Education Roundtable Award for excellence in accounting teaching collaborations.
Professor Munir's contribution has also been acknowledged for his projects in 2015 and 2021 for the Wharton-QS Stars Reimagine Education Awards at the University of Pennsylvania in the Nurturing Employability Award category for the most innovative pedagogical approach to learning and teaching. He has served on the judging panel of the Momentum Media and Accountants Daily’s Australian Accounting and Australian Digital Technology and 30 Under 30 Awards. Professor Munir's case study - The Ethics of Profit in the Australian Retail Industry was amongst the top 4 teaching cases globally by the Decision Sciences Institute, Washington DC for the ‘Best Teaching Case Studies Award’ competition.

Andrew Phanartzis is currently the Director of Property Association, a consultancy firm for residential developers in Australia. The company offers a suite of services including, acquisition, planning, creative, sales and property management.

Andrew is extremely motivated, knowledgeable, loyal and reliable. He prides himself in exceeding expectations, adding dollar value to clients and sets the bar high. He believes the property market is dynamic and constantly evolves his strategic approach to enhance its effectiveness.

Andrew’s exposure to large residential developments, master planned communities and house and land subdivisions has provided a wealth of experience with some of the largest developers in Australia.

Andrew is a licenced real estate agent, holds a BA in Human Resource Management & English from the University of NSW and has completed PS146 Financial Planning qualifications.

Dr Paul Scully-Power is an integrator, strategist and orthogonal thinker and is Australia’s first astronaut. He has a unique international background in Industry, Government, Defence, Space and Academia in the US, UK, Australia, and NZ, and is well known for his network of people and institutions around the world. A leader in applying technology, he has broad expertise in national security & intelligence, aviation & aerospace, cybersecurity, remote sensing, and systems analysis & ICT. He is currently engaged in AI (national iAward for innovation), UAVs, microsatellites, smart sensors, nanotechnology and big data analytics.

Dr Scully-Power has led many high-tech, defence and security programs. He held executive appointments under Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, and was Deputy to the Associate Technical Director, US Naval Undersea Warfare Center, where he held the US Navy Distinguished Chair of Underwater Acoustics He was a Research Associate at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Chairman of Membership of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, President of the Fort Trumbull Federal Credit Union, and served on the Universities & Colleges Accreditation Board and the US Office of Naval Research.

Dr Scully-Power qualified for very high altitude full pressure suit flying at Edwards Air Force Base, and was a flight crew instructor in the NASA Astronaut Office, Johnson Space Center, Houston Texas, where he became Australia’s first astronaut flying aboard Challenger on the 13th mission of the Space Shuttle

Distinguished Professor Michael Sheng, Head of the School of Computing, is renowned for his work on advancing web technologies. He has received recognition for his contribution to web service composition and his management of the ‘future web’, when billions of IoT (Internet of Things) objects will be connected to the Internet.

Distinguished Professor Sheng has been the successful recipient of 16 ARC grants valued at more than $10 million, including an ARC Future Fellowship awarded in 2014 and an ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub in 2024. He also received the AMiner Most Influential Scholar Award in IoT in 2019 and the Chris Wallace Award for Outstanding Research Contribution in 2012.

In January 2022, Distinguished Professor Sheng was elected Vice Chair on the Executive Committee of the IEEE Technical Community on Services Computing, while he has served on the Technical Advisory Board of the Internet of Things Committee of Australian Computer Society since January 2019.

Ting Song, Certified Public Accountant (CPA), is specialized in the field of Private Equity and Hedge Fund (Alternative Investments) accounting and operations. She currently works for JP Morgan Chase. Before specializing in Alternative Investment Fund Accounting, she worked in non-profit accounting and consulting. She received the 2023 CPA to Watch Award and has been named as one of the Top 100 Accountants for 2023 by Los Angeles Business Journal.

At Docuscan Australia, we are using AI to facilitate the Elimination of Data Entry in finance and rental applications using patented Drag & Drop Technology.

Brett is a second-generation mortgage stalwart, having been actively involved in the Mortgage & Finance industry for over 30 years after starting his career working at the family-owned lender Interstar (now Advantedge). He then went onto to run the Stargate Group where he pioneered outsourced mortgage processing services by creating the first BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) operation for Mortgage Brokers and was instrumental in introducing the first Mortgage Broker CRM Systems in the early 2000’s, used by over 5000 mortgage brokers prior to its acquisition by then ASX listed Rubik Financial Limited (RFL).
Instead of moving off into the sunset, Brett set about using AI to build industry leading platforms for Brokers, Lenders and Real Estate Professionals using his vast experience to bring Drag & Drop Data Capture solutions to facilitate digital customer acquisitions.

He also serves as the current Board member of the FBAA to give back to the industry that has given him so much, to support a team that he respects and to help shape a better industry for all of its participants. He is passionate about meeting people and hearing their stories, but most passionate about helping them achieve their goals.

Troy Swan is the Group General Counsel and Board Member of the $1.3 billion office products company Winc. Winc was formed following the acquisition and merger of Staples, OfficeMax and Corporate Express in Australia and New Zealand by leading US based private equity firm Platinum Equity.

He has been publicly recognised as one of Australia's leading corporate lawyers and was previously an Australian Lawyer of the Year and an Australian General Counsel of the Year triple finalist. He was also the Association of Corporate Counsel Global Member of the Year, from over 43,000 lawyers worldwide, with this being the first time this honour was ever awarded to a lawyer outside America.

He became only the second Australian lawyer to win the International Value Champions Award in San Francisco and was also named the Association of Corporate Counsel Winner for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility.

Known for his business judgement, he is highly active within the legal and business community, being named a Judge at the Australian Law Awards, New Zealand Law Awards, Corporate Counsel Awards, Partner of the Year Awards and the 30 Under 30 Law Awards.

He is a long standing Member of the Law Society Corporate Lawyers Committee, is a regular commentator and speaker on legal and business affairs and leads an award winning legal team based in Sydney, Australia.

Adrian Tembel is an economics and honours law graduate of the University of Adelaide. He began practising corporate and technology law in 1993 at his law firm Thomson Geer. He became a Partner of that firm in 1997 and its Chief Executive Partner in 2009. He is also a part-time Commissioner of the South Australian Productivity Commission and a Director of the Hackett Foundation.

As Director of Encore Advisory Group, Mark is well known in the Advice industry and is a highly sort after trainer, educator and coach. Mark has worked with numerous mortgage broking and financial planning businesses enabling them to undertake the key important action of building a successful client advice practice, for the long term.

In 2017, after decades leading Wealth, Broking and Advice businesses, Encore was reimagined to better serve and prepare brokers and planners for the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead. Encore believes a better advice business means a better industry and therefore a better community.

Mark delivers practical, real-world solutions helping businesses navigate today’s complex environment whilst providing essential advice, helping to improve the quality and value of their business. This is achieved through partnerships with the right people and solutions thus enabling practices to deliver increasingly valuable advice to more clients.

Believing every Australian deserves advice on “both sides of the balance sheet”, Mark successfully built a mortgage broking business that partnered with over 200 financial planning practices and accounting firms, delivering advice services to over 5,500 Australian families a year.

Mark is known as a leading authority in bringing together Broking and Planning groups to deliver integrated “debt advice” and “broker planner” solutions. He is dedicated to this community as an SME owner himself. Mark is himself a consumer and advocate of Advice services and has led and steered advice businesses successfully through market, regulatory and consumer change and disruption for over 20 years.