headline Keynote Speaker

Nedd Brockmann is a 23 year old sparky from Central West NSW that is focused on changing the world one step at a time.

Nedd is also now the fastest ever Australian to run across Australia, and second fastest in the world having completed the run from Perth to Bondi Beach in just over 46 days – an incredible effort averaging over 80km a day for the near 4000km run.

He embarked on the run to try and raise money for homeless charity Mobilise and set himself a target of $1 million. During his run, his daily Instagram updates captured the hearts and minds of Australia, culminating in an iconic moment at the finish line on a Monday afternoon at Bondi Beach where more than 10,000 people welcomed him home in an emotional finish that will be remembered for years. The support for Nedd came from across all walks of life, from truckies driving past him, farmers, kids doing bake stalls, council road side workers, roadside diner chefs to celebrities and politicians.

He received messages of support from people including the Prime Minister, Jimmy Barnes, Hamish Blake, Carrie Bickmore, Pat Cummins, Ash Barty, global UFC champion Israel Adensanya, Hollywood actor Lily James, Hugh van Cuylenburg and current Australian of the Year Dylan Allcott. The final total raised for the homeless was $2.5 million, with over $600k raised in the final day, their fundraising total for the previous year was $7,500!

Nedd’s relentless focus on never giving up and keep showing up has inspired the nation. His daily quote of ‘get comfortable being uncomfortable’ has resonated with all ages and demographics and is driving people and celebrities alike to take on new challenges.

He has an inspiring message that he has lived and breathed and is keen to share it.

Connie McIntosh Head of Security for Ericsson Market Area. Connie is responsible for Cyber, Information, Product and Operational Security for 42 countries. Her experience spans both the public, private and academia sectors, including working with Australian Government's Computer Emergency Response team, Australian Government’s Secure Classified Networks and University of the Sunshine Coast. 

Connie was named top 100 women in Cybersecurity by US Cyber Defense Magazine. She is an International speaker, presenter, CTF judge and mentor in cybersecurity. She has been featured in numerous publications and books. Connie is a champion for women in cybersecurity and advocates for more women in the profession, establishing scholarships, and mentoring aspiring professionals to pursue cybersecurity as a rewarding career option. 

 As the Chief Security Officer of the Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG), Daniella overseas Information Security, Privacy and Enterprise Risk for the group globally. Daniella brings 20 years of experience across business, security, technology, and risk leadership roles, with 17 of those at FCTG. Notably, Daniella successfully navigated the company through the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring uninterrupted security operations during a surge in cyber threats, mitigating resourcing challenges, and working alongside the broader leadership team in prioritising employee safety.

Beyond her core responsibilities, Daniella is a passionate advocate for diversity, inclusion, and equity in the Security and Technology industry.  Leveraging her leadership platform, she actively promotes these values through speaking engagements, mentoring opportunities, and advisory board positions, including the UQ Business School Advisory Board and FCTG's Womenwise Committee.

In my dynamic role at Telstra, I spearhead cyber security initiatives with a keen focus on AI integration and ethical innovation. My career has advanced from foundational cyber security roles in previous companies to leading-edge positions in Telstra in Product Management, Technical Governance, Risk and Compliance, ML Security Operations ( MLSecOps), and AI Assurance. In 2024, my role is further enriched as I navigate the challenging realms of MLSecOps and AI Assurance.

This expansion signifies a deepened commitment to safeguarding AI systems and ensuring their responsible use. My expertise encompasses ISO27k compliance and ISMS  continuous improvement, systems engineering, security strategy, and now, the crucial task of securing AI-driven operations. I am driven by a passion for learning and mentorship, and I continue to share my knowledge on AI and Cyber Security at industry events. My academic research has been cited and published in numerous places, most recently in the Journal of Workplace Automation, Robotics and AI. I mentor those interested in Cloud AI/ML, general AI/ML, cyber security and innovation. 

A Senior Lecturer in Information Security, Governance and Leadership with the UQ Business School and a member of UQ Cyber, Ivano helps business leaders and executives make evidence-based decisions in cybersecurity. With a professional background in risk and security management, Ivano's work bridges the gap between technical cybersecurity and its repercussions across organisations. He has advised ministers, policy-makers, board members, and senior executives on strategies, governance structures, policies, and training programs for effective cybersecurity management.

Prior to UQ, Ivano worked as a Research Fellow with the Adam Smith Business School (University of Glasgow) and a Postdoctoral Fellow with the PwC Chair in Digital Economy (QUT). Ivano obtained his PhD from QUT in 2016, with a thesis on safety and security management in Australian airports. His academic career includes stints with Bocconi University and SDA Bocconi School of Management (Milan), where he worked as a faculty member and consultant for three years. He also worked as a Deputy Venue Security Manager at the XX Winter Olympic Games - Turin 2006 and as a Police Officer for the Italian Ministry of Interior.

He has a double MSc in Management of Public Administrations and International Institutions (Bocconi University, Milan) and International Security (Sciences Po, Paris). A father of one and an eager snowboarder, Ivano loves soccer, American football, and writing novels and poems.

 Kylie has over 30 years' experience in the public sector in ICT security and cyber security roles including cyber strategy and policy design. She has recently become a consultant to further use her understanding of the public sector through supporting cyber uplift programs for government. Kylie specialises in supporting government departments, universities and non-for profit entities, build and uplift their insider threat programs to reduce the risk of financial or data theft from within.   

Kylie is currently studying a Master of Cyber Security Strategy and Diplomacy at UNSW; has Diplomas in Communications, Information Systems; and Secure Commutations Network Management. She also has a CERT in Building Insider Threat Programs with SEI. 

Jana serves as a Threat Intelligence Advisor at CrowdStrike. She is responsible for CrowdStrike’s Threat Intelligence business across Australia and New Zealand. Prior to her current role, Jana was a Senior Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst at CyberCX, developing a wide variety of analytical products across strategic, operational and tactical levels of intelligence for a diverse customer base. 

Before moving to Australia, Jana held multiple intelligence-based roles across Merck and Amazon in the Czech republic, and served in NATO commands across Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands. 

Paul is a DevSecOps evangelist and the founder of the SecureStack SaaS platform, which helps organizations build and deploy more secure applications. Paul has been working at the junction of software development and security for over 30 years. He’s worked for NASA JPL, Boeing, the US Army, US Air Force, Queensland government, and a bunch of startups during that time. 

Paul is a prolific contributor to open source and Linux projects and is a frequent speaker on cybersecurity and DevSecOps, having given presentations at RSA, OWASP events, multiple BSides, CrikeyCon, and AISA events.  Paul authored the DevSecOps Playbook and Visualizing Software Supply Chain projects at his [github.com/6mile](http://github.com/6mile) account.    He’s also a pretty good snowboarder, loves to play his guitar, and most importantly is a devoted husband, and father to 3 amazing kids. 

  Craig is an experienced cybersecurity professional with various qualifications including two master’s degrees. Craig is the co-founder and director of Cyber Unicorns in which he acts as a vCISO to Baidam Solutions, Wesley Mission, PCYC, Hungry Jacks and Ipswich City Council. He was CTO (Chief Technology Officer) for Baidam Solutions between January 2022 to June 2023 where he led the technical services team, helping to build out the internal services capability for Baidam. 

He continues to be a strong supporter of Baidam and its initiatives moving forward. In previous positions, Craig performed ethical hacking engagements (aka penetration testing) to help provide real-world testing of clients’ systems and help them be better protected. He was responsible for assisting clients with internal and external security audits. Assisting with aligning clients with the ISO27001 security framework. He conducted regular cybersecurity awareness training programs with both workshop/group training sessions and phishing simulations. Assisted with Policy development and acted as a virtual CISO for managed security services clients. 

He managed the Davichi SOC (Security Operations Centre) and incident response capabilities in his previous position with Davichi over three years. Craig is a published author with three different book series – A Hacker I Am cyber education series, Foresight is his Cyber punk/hacker fantasy novel series and then there is The Shadow World a co-authored kids cyber education book. He is a freelance cybersecurity journalist who is best known for his work on CSO Australia (IDG Communications) which he contributed almost 100 cybersecurity articles between 2018-2020. He’s now a regular columnist with the Women in Security Magazine and a freelance contributor for Cyber Today, Top Cyber News, SecureGov, Careers with STEM and Cyber Australia Magazines 

 Mike has worked in IT for decades, cybersecurity for over twelve years, and now represents Cydarm Technologies an Australian developer of SecOps platforms.  Mike's passion project is the collection, curation and restoration of vintage spycraft equipment that shows in real tangible objects the evolution of threat actors from analog methods into the digital world.  

  With over 14 years of experience in cybersecurity and protective security roles, Phillip is a seasoned professional in the field. They have a passion for leadership and helping others to protect themselves in the ever-changing world of cyber threats. With a Bachelor's degree in Criminology and Psychological Science, they bring a unique perspective to the table, combining technical knowledge with an understanding of human behaviour.  

Over his 12 years as a practitioner, David (AKA Gamer) has explored many aspects of cyber security, from penetration testing and offensive security to GRC and architecture. The constant challenge of balancing customer risk with appropriate and effective controls keeps him coming back for more. Occasionally, he also still finds great joy in dusting off the offensive tools and breaking stuff. When he isn’t at a keyboard, Gamer enjoys amateur powerlifting, hacking around a golf course, and spending time with his 2-year-old daughter.

 A technologist at heart, Andrew Latham has accumulated almost 30 years of hands-on IT security experience and is currently jointly responsible for regional business growth and success as a Senior Sales Engineer for Obsidian Security in APJ.   A practicing Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) for over two decades, Andrew has extensive real-world experience in team leading, developing and delivering solutions such as risk analysis, security control selection and implementation, and vulnerability assessment to customers in all industries and various sizes of organisations worldwide. 

This deep experience in the IT security industry allows Andrew unique insight into how to execute; not just plan.   Beginning his IT career after graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in IT (Computer Sciences) Andrew has worked his way through the ranks of research and development, service delivery, pre-sales engineering, professional services, and enterprise solutions architecture. 

 Denny is a recognised global thought leader in the Open Group FAIR cyber risk quantification framework, enabling the management of cyber risk as a financial risk. This expression enables the integration of cybersecurity with Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) in accordance with NISTIR 8286. He is the chair of the FAIR-CAM Workgroup under the FAIR Insitute (https://www.fairinstitute.org/fair-cam-user-workgroup). He is a  certified information security auditor in ISO 27001 and PCI DSS. He is a communicator and community builder. He collaborated with CPA Australia and itSMF Australia, creating educational material on accruing cyber risk control investment on the balance sheet.