Headline KEYNOTE SPEAKERs
Dr Ben Hamer
Dr Ben Hamer is a renowned sociologist and accredited futurist, who was recently awarded the number
one thought leader for the Future of Work in the Asia-Pacific by Onalytica. Ben has undertaken work and research around the world, including time spent leading critical projects at
the World Economic Forum as well as being a Visiting Scholar at Yale University.
He is an Adjunct
Professor at Edith Cowan University’s School of Business and Law and a Non-Executive Director for the Australian HR Institute, where he was appointed as the youngest Non-Executive Director in the organisation’s history, as well as being on the Board of Netball NSW, which includes oversight of both the
NSW Swifts and Giants professional netball teams.
A sought-after media commentator and keynote speaker on future trends, Ben is the host of the
ThinkerTank podcast, which is all about the trends shaping the way we will live, work and play in the
future.
Jana Pittman
Two times world champion, four times Commonwealth champion - in the sport of athletics, Jana Pittman personifies resilience and determination. When continual injuries hampered her athletic career and could have signalled retirement, she swapped the track for the ice, joining the Australian women's bobsled team and becoming the first woman to represent Australia in both a Summer (2000, 2004) and Winter (2014) Olympic Games.
Off the track, Jana completed a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery at Western Sydney University in 2019 (graduating with First Class Honours and the university medal) and is now a junior doctor in Women's Health. She completed a Masters of Reproductive Medicine at the University of New South Wales in 2020 and has initiated her PhD in Obstetrics (focusing on aspects of uterus transplantation).
This busy woman is proud mum to six children: Cornelis; little sisters Emily and Jemima; Charlie; and most recently, twins Quinlan and Willow. Having experienced her own personal scare with cervical dysplasia, Jana became an ambassador for the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation.
In 2021, Jana was a participant in the gruelling television show SAS Australia on Channel 7. She made it to the last day of the course and was the final female standing among the 18 celebrity recruits, despite having given birth only five and a half months previously.
conference mc
Belinda Heggen
Belinda is one of Australia’s most experienced and well-respected media trainers, drawing her expert insights from more than 25 years as a journalist and presenter across TV, radio and print, and as a media strategist and advisor to senior politicians.
A trusted and effective coach, her clients include national industry leaders in education, cyber security, finance, health, law, property and construction, real estate, travel, tourism and government.
Featured Speakers
Jacqueline Jayne
A globally acknowledged leader in human-centric cybersecurity, security awareness, and security culture programs, JJ has made a significant impact on human risk management and the protection of individuals online. Over the last six years, JJ has been a consistent and trusted voice in the evolving cyber threat landscape, shaping how businesses address human error and security awareness programs.
In addition to her media commitments, JJ currently serves as an Advocate for Human-Centric Security at SoSafe, Europe’s leading security awareness and human risk management provider, as it expands into Australia. JJ spent five years as a Security Awareness Advocate at KnowBe4. Before that, she led a successful cybersecurity education and awareness program at one of Australia's most iconic brands that fostered behavioural change and built a strong security culture.
A highly skilled communicator, JJ's approach effectively engages both technical and non-technical audiences in an accessible and compelling way.
Jason Plumridge
Jason is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Tesserent Pty Ltd a wholly owned subsidiary of Thales. Jason is responsible for leading the internal security operations and governance over information, physical and personnel security for Tesserent.
Following a career in law enforcement Jason moved to the Corporate Risk and Security environment and has held leadership positions in large organisations such as Ernst & Young as well as operating his own consulting company Vestinex Pty Ltd for a period of 10 years prior to joining Tesserent where he led the Advisory practice for Australia and New Zealand before taking on his currently role.
Throughout his career Jason has gained extensive experience and led teams of consultants in the areas of experience in Information Security, Risk Management and IT Consulting, Project Management, Business Continuity and Incident / Emergency Management and Fraud & Corruption detection and prevention. Jasons experience encompasses local, state and federal government and corporate sectors across a range of industries.
Jessica Clarence
Jessica Clarence is an Assistant Director in the Government Uplift section of the Australian Signals Directorate. Ms Clarence assists in the development of initiatives to improve government cyber security, and is the program lead on multiple industry/government initiatives to uplift incident detection and monitoring capabilities in government. Ms Clarence leads some of ASD's technical input on strategic government cyber security initiatives.
Nicole Gabryk
Nicole Gabryk, a partner at Wotton Kearney, has significant experience in advising on all aspects of cyber insurance, ranging from responding to cyber breach incidents and implementing strategies to mitigate liability risks, through to defending complex litigation arising from data breaches. She has acted for insurers, international mining houses, international retail outlets, social media and telecommunication providers, marketing firms, banks and medical service providers in managing privacy and data breach incidents.
Nicole, who moved to Australia from South Africa, has advised on cyber incident response management for breaches occurring around the world (including in Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius, Lesotho, the UK and Europe (under the GDPR)). As part of WK’s cyber practice, she has provided legal and privacy advice under state and federal privacy laws, and acts as a cyber breach lawyer for first and third party cyber risks.
Nicole is dual qualified in Australia and South Africa, and before specialising in cyber insurance, advised on a wide variety of construction related claims and disputes.
Kieran Doyle
Kieran Doyle is the Head of Cyber, Privacy & Technology at Wotton Kearney. He is often the first person our local and London-based clients turn to following a cyber-attack. Kieran helps clients respond to complex cyber incidents, including matters that involve highly sensitive breaches and cyber-attacks, some of which have been widely described as “crippling” and the “most significant in Australian corporate history”. His work spans assessing and monitoring incidents, setting up and managing data breach response vendor teams, and managing cyber claims across a wide range of incidents from ransomware attacks to email compromises.
As part of the cyber practice, Kieran advises on federal and state privacy law compliance and compulsory notifications. He also acts as a cyber breach lawyer for first and third party cyber risks, including defending claims against businesses and government agencies resulting from a breach. More broadly, Kieran defends IT managed service providers in professional liability matters, many of which involve cyber incidents.
Kieran also has one of the largest cyber coverage practices in the market, advising insurers on the most important and significant incidents in Australia. Kieran’s work often involves incidents affecting multiple jurisdictions (including GDPR issues). In this global role, Kieran is an active contributor to thought leadership in Australia and takes part in global panels and seminars.
Lauren Clancy
Lauren Clancy, is the Client Partner – Technology & Cyber Lead at Porter Novelli and has more than a decade’s experience advising technology and corporate organisations across Australia and the UK, from start-ups to major global brands. She has focused her career on reputation management programs, which now includes a specialisation in data breaches and cyber incidents since changes to the Australian Privacy Act in 2018.
Lauren has advised some of Australia’s leading companies in cyber incident preparation and response, working alongside trusted legal and insurance partners to protect a brand’s reputation in the eyes of all stakeholders.
Assam Victor-Ifeanyi
Assam is a Cyber Security Engineer with a keen interest in Detection Engineering, Access Management and Framework Compliance. With over 4 years in cyber security spanning SOC Analysis, SOC Engineering, cyber security Internship Management, ISO 27001 Implementation and Compliance, she is that cool blend of technical and non-technical capabilities.
As a career switcher from a non-technical background in customer service to cyber security, she brings a unique flavour and perspective to the highly technical world of Cybersecurity.
Assam is a devoted wife, mother and mentor to those wishing to kickstart a career in cyber security especially from a non-technical background like herself. When she's not putting out cyber fires, she's curled up on the sofa with her favourite TV series.
Professor Abbas Kudrati
Abbas Kudrati is the Chief Identity & Security Advisor - APAC at Silverfort and a former Chief Cyber Security Advisor at Microsoft Asia. With deep expertise in Identity Security, Zero Trust Architecture, Cloud and Cyber security, he provides strategic and technical guidance to a number of startups, including SquareX, Aona.ai, and PriviEzi, as well as leading institutions such as EC-Council, HiTrust Asia and Vinnies Victoria, while actively mentoring the cyber security community.
A bestselling author and renowned keynote speaker, Abbas has authored industry-leading books such as Threat Hunting in the Cloud and Zero Trust Journey Across the Digital Estate. He also serves as a Professor of Practice at La Trobe University and is a Fellow of the Australian Information Security Association (AISA).
Louise Hanna
Louise brings over 25 years of experience in the IT industry, backed by a Master of Science in Internetworking. My career has provided me with extensive expertise in network design, security protocols, and operational management.
I began my professional journey at the Parliament of NSW, where I served in various roles, including Network Engineer, Manager of the Network Section, and later as IT Manager. These positions allowed me to develop a strong foundation in network infrastructure and team leadership.
For five years, I worked at Tesserent as a Partner in the Advisory Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) practice, where I successfully managed GRC initiatives across Australia and New Zealand.
Currently, as the General Manager at Excite Cyber, I lead a dedicated team focused on delivering innovative cybersecurity and risk management solutions. Our offerings include Managed IT Services, Managed Security Services, Advisory GRC, Digital Forensics, and comprehensive training programs designed to empower organisations in today's evolving threat landscape
Gaurav Vikash
Gaurav is an information security leader and a board advisor with over 15 years of experience leading complex technology programs at large organisations in India, the UK, and Australia.
He regularly speaks at and chairs key security events across Australia and New Zealand. Beyond his professional life, Gaurav is committed to giving back to the community through his volunteer work with SES, NSW Cyber Business Exchange, and AWSN.
Nargis Rezaie
Nargis Rezaie is a passionate and fast-rising cyber security professional dedicated to building a safer, more inclusive digital world. With a foundation in Information Technology and Cyber Security through TAFE NSW, Nargis has completed several microcredentials in cyber threat assessment, digital forensics, and risk management. She is also a graduate of the SOC Analyst Bootcamp delivered by the Institute of Applied Technology Digital (IAT-D) and is currently advancing her studies at Macquarie University, deepening her knowledge in applied cryptography, data privacy, GRC, and information security.
A strong believer in the human element of cyber security, Nargis brings the unique perspective of a migrant woman navigating the tech industry with resilience and purpose. Her work spans security operations, threat intelligence, and incident response—grounded in hands-on training and community-based projects.
Nargis is also an advocate for diversity in tech, having spoken at national conferences like FECCA2024, participated in youth advisory programs, and served as an presenter in many platforms, She uses her voice to empower young people, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, to find their place in the cyber security sector.
With a blend of technical training, real-world engagement, and a drive for positive change, Nargis is an emerging leader ready to contribute fresh insights to the future of cyber security.
Craig Davies
Craig is an experienced company director and technology leader with a proven track record of driving innovation and building high-performing teams. Based in Australia, Craig has spent over two decades at the intersection of cyber security, technology strategy, and business growth, working with organisations ranging from high-growth startups to global enterprises.
As a Director and the CSO of Gathid, Craig is part of a team focused on redefining identity management and security, empowering businesses to take control of their digital ecosystems. He brings deep expertise in designing scalable, secure infrastructure—paired with a pragmatic, people-first approach to leadership.
Previously, Craig served as the CEO of AustCyber and as Head of Security at Atlassian, where he was instrumental in scaling security operations for one of the world’s most prominent tech companies. His passion for solving complex problems and mentoring the next generation of leaders continues to shape his work today.
When he’s not in the boardroom, you’ll find CD sailing the Australian coast or buried in a good book—always curious, always learning.
Akhilesh Das
Akhilesh Das is a seasoned cybersecurity and digital transformation leader with over 20 years of global experience across Australia, the UK, US, and South America. As the IT & Information Security Lead at XPON Technologies, he’s driving the integration of ISO 27001, AI governance, and identity security in fast-growing digital environments.
Akhilesh has led multi-million dollar security and cloud transformation programs across sectors including telecom,defence, government, financial services, and renewable energy. He combines deep technical expertise with a strong focus on people—building security awareness, embedding secure behaviours, and driving leadership buy-in to reduce human risk.
He’s currently building frameworks for AI risk management using ISO/IEC 42001 and the NIST AI RMF, helping his organisation prepare for the next wave of AI-driven threats.
Akhilesh regularly shares practical insights with the broader community through mentoring, leadership coaching, and thought leadership focused on the intersection of people, technology, and purpose.
Hadi Johari
Hadi Johari is an experienced professional currently working as a Cyber Security Manager – Offensive Security at a professional services firm. Hadi holds a MS of Intelligence and MS of Cyber Security Analysis. Hadi has a proven track record of building, training and mentoring offensive security teams in government and private sectors. Hadi has a keen interest in researching the impacts of Generative AI, cyberspace and technological advancement on the future Human Intelligence (HUMINT) operations and security testing.