May Lam, Chief Information Officer, Australian Payments Plus

May Lam is the Chief Information Officer at Australian Payments Plus (AP+), based in Sydney.

She also serves as Chair of the Advisory Board at Emerging Payments Association Asia (EPAA), Governing Council Member of Hedera, CPMI API Expert Panel Member advising G20 Leaders on Cross-Border Payments API Harmonisation.

May has 25+ years of technology leadership and business transformation experience across Banking, Financial Services, Payments, Fintech, and the Public Sector in Australia, Greater China, and APAC.

Her expertise includes deep payments knowledge, cross-border ecosystems, enterprise agility, product/service innovation, B2B2C strategy, program delivery, and governance. She is passionate about delivering measurable outcomes, cultivating future leaders, and amplifying social responsibility.

Previously, May was Partner at EY Technology Consulting (Payments Leader APAC, Fintech Leader Oceania), CIO of Assembly Payments, CCO of mx51, IT Director at Transport for NSW, and Head of Technology at AMP Bank.

Chair: Daniel Popovski, Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor and AI Lead, Governance Institute of Australia

Daniel is AI, tech and cyber policy and advocacy lead at Governance Institute of Australia where he develops research, policy, and advocacy initiatives to support the ethical and responsible deployment of AI in workplaces. Daniel is member of Standards Australia AI technical standards committee and lead Australian delegate to the UNESCO Global AI SPARK alliance. He has a decade of policy and advocacy experience having held leadership positions across a range of government departments and national industry bodies including the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry where he held affiliated roles with the OECD Business and Industry Advisory body and International Chamber of Commerce as senior economics advisor.

Daniel holds a Juris Doctor from the University of NSW, Bachelor of Economics with Honours from the University of Technology Sydney and a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Wollongong. He graduated from the ANU New Technologies Law program and was awarded the Norton Rose Fullbright Prize for first place in cyber law. Daniel has deep knowledge of AI, tech and cyber governance, risk, and compliance management practices. He is an advocate for the ethical and human-centered design, development, and deployment of digital technologies to support healthier more productive workplaces and improved environmental, social, and economic outcomes for all Australians.

Chirag Joshi is a globally recognised cyber security leader, author, and the Founder and CISO of 7 Rules Cyber, a strategic cyber security advisory firm focused on enabling defensible and efficient outcomes across industry and government. He currently serves as President of ISACA Sydney, where he is driving growth, professional development, and thought leadership across the cyber, risk, and governance community, and as National Ambassador for the Critical Infrastructure ISAC Australia, strengthening collaboration and resilience across the nation’s most essential sectors.

A multi-award-winning executive, he was named Cyber Security Consultant of the Year (SME) at the 2025 Australian Cyber Security Awards, his second win in this category. He is also a recipient of the Excellence Award and has been listed on the CSO30 as one of Australia’s top cyber security executives for three consecutive years (2022–2024).

He is the Co-founder of Critical Front, Australia’s first dedicated AI governance platform, and a Fellow of the Australian Information Security Association. Chirag is the author of two bestselling books, 7 Rules to Become Exceptional at Cyber Security and 7 Rules to Influence Behaviour and Win at Cyber Security Awareness, which have shaped how leaders approach strategy, influence, and culture in cyber.

Fernando is a Responsible AI (RAI) Leader with over a decade of experience in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Recommender Systems. As a former Computer Science professor and Data Scientist, he has made extensive contributions to both industry and academia. Passionate about the intersection of ethics, business, and innovation, Fernando is dedicated to operationalising RAI and enhancing AI governance in the industry. He focuses on bridging the gap between AI strategy, governance and execution, promoting safe, sustainable, and responsible use of technology.

David brings the latest insights from leading edge AI deployments across the region, along with learnings from Cisco’s internal AI usage which spans over 1000 GPUs and multiple cloud providers – to clients to help align solutions with business strategy, and unlock the full potential of AI.
Previously – David built and lead the Dell APJ team focused on Generative AI, HPC and Data Analytics. His team designed some of the largest AI systems in the APJ region, ran organisation-wide AI transformation and upskilling programs.

At Microsoft, David was Director of product management & marketing at Microsoft – leading multiple product cycles from engineering spec to market introduction. David has a background in computer science, market research, analyst relations, economics, and public relations.

Chair: Christine Manuel FGIA, Company Secretary, FCT Holdings

Christine is an experienced non-executive director, chartered company secretary and executive with broad experience in the public listed company environment as well as unlisted public and private companies, not-for-profits and government-owned enterprises. An active participant in the corporate governance community, she is a past director of Governance Institute of Australia, past Chair of the SA/NT Council of Governance Institute and a member of Governance Institute’s Legislation Review Committee. She has been a training facilitator for Governance Institute’s certificate courses in governance and risk management topics since 2012. Christine has over 25 years of experience as a director and committee member. Her extensive company secretarial experience has included several ASX-listed companies as well as smaller entities. She has also held CEO and senior corporate roles.

Dr Ian Oppermann is the Chair of the Commonwealth’s Data Standards Committee and an Advisor to the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

Ian is an Associate Industry Professor in the Faculty of Engineering & IT at UTS, the co-founder of ServiceGen, and member of the board for multiple deep technology start-ups. From 2015 to 2023, Ian was the NSW Government’s Chief Data Scientist working within the Department of Customer Service, where he chaired the 11-member NSW Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee. The committee developed a world-first AI assurance framework for government projects.

Ian has nearly 30 years’ experience in the Information and Communication Technology sector. He has held senior management roles in Europe and Australia, including Director for Radio Access Performance at Nokia, Global Head of Sales Partnering (network software) at Nokia Siemens Networks, and Divisional Chief and Flagship Director at the CSIRO.

Ian is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers Australia, the IEEE, the NSW Royal Society, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, and is a Fellow and past President of the Australian Computer Society. He is also a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, president of the Australia National Committee of the IEC, and president of the JTC1 strategic advisory committee in Australia.

Chair: Francesca Dickson FGIA, Chair, Risk and Technology Committee, Governance Institute of Australia

Francesca Dickson is a Risk Strategy Consultant, Board Advisor, and Fellow of the Governance Institute, with 20 years of experience in governance, risk, and compliance.

She is the founder of Francesca Dickson Consulting and lead trainer for AcademyGlobal’s Strategic Risk program. Francesca has held senior leadership roles in the corporate sector, including Head of Risk and Governance and Company Secretary.

She also chairs the Governance Institute’s Risk and Technology Committee and serves on the NSW–ACT State Council.

David Fairman is an experienced CSO/CISO, strategic advisory, investor and coach. David has extensive experience in the global financial services sector. David is currently the APAC CSO for Netskope. Furthermore, David is a Partner and CISO-in residence at SixThirty Ventures, driving innovation and helping build great technology companies. Previously, David was the Chief Security O”icer (CSO) at NAB owning all aspects of Physical Security, Fraud, Investigations, and Cyber Security. Prior to NAB, he was the Group Chief Information Security O”icer (CISO) for the Royal Bank of Canada. David has been a senior leader at JP Morgan Chase & Co as Deputy Technology Controls O”icer and Global Head of Technology Risk and Control. David has also held several senior roles at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), including CISO RBS Americas and Head of Information Security EMEA.

Chair: Kieran Seed, Head of Content for Regulatory Compliance Global, LexisNexis

Kieran Seed is the Head of Content for Regulatory Compliance Global at LexisNexis, supervising and coordinating the development of complex compliance data sets locally and internationally. Kieran’s expertise lies at the nexus of compliance, law and content, to help organisations understand and monitor their compliance requirements in an accelerating and ever-changing regulatory landscape. Kieran’s team of subject matter experts manage a wide content set across the Pacific and SEA, and also collaborate closely with content teams across the globe to bring the Regulatory Compliance solution to new markets and jurisdictions.

Mark Sayer, Chief Information Security Officer, Hollard Insurance, Chair, Cyber Security Working Group, Insurance Council of Australia

Mark Sayer, is the Chief Information Security Officer for Hollard Insurance and Chairs the Cyber Security Working Group for the Insurance Council of Australia

Mark is a respected IT security professional with more than 30 years of experience across a diverse range of roles, organisations and industries.

Prior to Hollard, Mark was the AAPAC Lead for Cyber Defense at Accenture where he led the establishment of regional technical cyber capability across ANZ, MET, ASEAN and Japan, bringing the best of Accenture’s global capability to the AAPAC region. Prior to Accenture, Mark helped mature the strategic focus of security at NAB while leading the Security Strategy & Architecture team through a difficult period of change and tackling some challenging technological security issues within the bank.

Chloe Shorten, is the Deputy Chair of the Board of Alfred Health. She is also the Chair of the Centre for Digital Wellbeing. Over 25 years Chloe has been an executive in the engineering, resources and technology industries and has advised boards on media, investor, government and community relations.

She is a non-executive Director of Industry Funds Services and serves on their Audit and Risk Committee and of Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust. She is a member of the Australian Child Rights Taskforce within the Network for Quality Digital Education.

Her previous Board roles include the Endeavour Foundation, Mindcare Limited, Queensland’s Mental Health Foundation and the Public Relations Association of Australia (Qld). She was also Deputy Chair AIST Special Interest Group on Member Engagement. Chloe was a member of the Strategic Engagement Committee for the Burnet Institute, and an ambassador for Foyer Foundation.

Justin Douglas FGIA, A/G Chief Data Officer, Department of Home Affairs

Justin Douglas is currently the Acting Chief Data Officer at the Australian Department of Home Affairs. He was previously the Chief Economist for the Department. His career spans senior executive roles in the Prime Minister’s Department, Commonwealth and state Treasuries, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority and the NSW Department of Planning & Environment. He was also previously the NSW Government’s State Demographer. Justin has a proven track record in applying economics, data and analytics to strengthen public policy development and governance to address some of Australia’s most pressing economic and societal challenges. These include immigration, excise collection, housing supply, financial regulation and climate change. Justin is a Professional member of the Economic Society of Australia and a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia.

Dr Paul Hubbard, Co-Head,AI CoLab, Assistant Secretary, Federal Department of Finance

Paul Hubbard is an experienced policy economist who is co-leading a cross-sector initiative for safe and effective AI capability in the public sector. Paul has a strong background in public sector innovation, previously deputy head of the Simplified Trade System Implementation Taskforce at Austrade, and the Assistant Secretary on the Deregulation Taskforce that led the reforms to enable digital statutory declarations.

With a PhD in Economics and an MA in International Relations, Paul has published extensively on China’s economic policies and state-owned enterprises. Paul is always open to discussions and collaborations for the public good. He is also a Visiting Fellow at The Australian National University, focusing on security, economics, and geoeconomics.

Beth Worrall, Manager, Responsible AI Network, National AI Centre

Beth Worrall leads the Responsible AI and AI Literacy strategy for the National AI Centre, part of the Department for Industry, Science and Resources. Prior to joining government, Beth had 20 years of experience leading skills and corporate responsibility programs for Microsoft Australia, Bupa, Bank of America and Santos.

Michaela Sullivan-Paul is a research and policy specialist in AI governance, digital transformation, and public sector innovation. She holds a Dual Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Sciences Po, Paris, and the University of Tokyo, and has contributed to international discussions on AI and innovation through her work with organisations such as the OECD, the European Institute for Public Administration, and the Forum on Information and Democracy.

At UNESCO, Michaela supports the programme on AI for the Public Sector, supporting public sector entities with capacity building for civil servants on AI and digital transformation. Her work advances human-centred, sustainable, and evidence-based approaches to AI in government, ensuring that the digital transformation serves the public good.

Her expertise supports policymakers, regulators, and practitioners in addressing pressing challenges including digital and AI literacy, mis- and disinformation, democratic resilience, and the wider societal and environmental implications of digital transformation.

Daniel is AI, tech and cyber policy and advocacy lead at Governance Institute of Australia where he develops research, policy, and advocacy initiatives to support the ethical and responsible deployment of AI in workplaces. Daniel is member of Standards Australia AI technical standards committee and lead Australian delegate to the UNESCO Global AI SPARK alliance. He has a decade of policy and advocacy experience having held leadership positions across a range of government departments and national industry bodies including the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry where he held affiliated roles with the OECD Business and Industry Advisory body and International Chamber of Commerce as senior economics advisor.

Daniel holds a Juris Doctor from the University of NSW, Bachelor of Economics with Honours from the University of Technology Sydney and a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Wollongong. He graduated from the ANU New Technologies Law program and was awarded the Norton Rose Fullbright Prize for first place in cyber law. Daniel has deep knowledge of AI, tech and cyber governance, risk, and compliance management practices. He is an advocate for the ethical and human-centered design, development, and deployment of digital technologies to support healthier more productive workplaces and improved environmental, social, and economic outcomes for all Australians.