Speakers

Nicholas (Nick) founded Board Benchmarking and has over 35 years of experience as a governance expert, director, business leader, and consultant. He is the Executive Chair of Board Benchmarking and Insync. He is also Chair of Pro Purpose and was previously Chair of Ansvar Insurance, First Samuel, and Ambit Group. He has served as a director of Mission Australia and Stillwell Motor Group. Previously a partner at KPMG Australia, he is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD).Nick has conducted more than 200 board reviews, spanning a diverse range of organisations from Dexus, GrainCorp and HESTA to Snowy Hydro, World Vision and Red Hill Football Netball Club. He is an accomplished author, speaker, and media commentator on governance, organisational culture, and gender diversity. He has authored numerous articles and three books on leadership, culture, engagement, and transformational change. He was also recently the primary author of Benchmarking board performance: 500 board reviews later and Golf Club Governance in Australia: 4 steps to better outcomes.

Simon is responsible for leading passionate, smart, and creative colleagues who want to make the world a more sustainable, equitable and better place with our technology solutions for Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) and Environmental & Social Governance (ESG).His focus is on driving the modern governance movement, our world-changing idea to empower leaders with the technology, insights and connections they need to drive greater impact and accountability – to lead with purpose.An executive level management veteran with over 30 years of experience, Simon is an accomplished neo-generalist, having mastered a broad span of expertise over multiple disciplines and multiple industries.With his leadership capabilities, Simon drives the integration of silos of people, process and knowledge at Diligent, into an effective practice, powered by an understanding of customer experience and the changing sophistication of today’s technology solution buyers.

Daniel Halliday is an author and political philosopher. His work is focussed on the intersection of political philosophy and economics, with a special focus on labour markets, education, taxation, and inequality. He is the author of The Inheritance of Wealth: Justice, Equality, and the Right to Bequeath, published by Oxford University Press (2018), and is co-author (with John Thrasher) of The Ethics of Capitalism, also by Oxford University Press (2020).

Daniel teaches political philosophy at University of Melbourne. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from Stanford University. In 2017 Daniel presented a TV series on practical ethics and political philosophy called Ethics Matters, with the help of some other philosophers and Snodger Media. This aired on ABC television in Australia. In 2018, the series was awarded the Media Prize of the Australasian Association of Philosophy.

Michael Helmer is the Chief Risk Officer, Company Secretary and Group Executive for Legal, Governance & Sustainability of NEXTDC, an ASX 100 listed technology company and Asia’s most innovative Data Centre-as-a Service provider. Michael is responsible for the strategic management and guidance of NEXTDC’s Risk Group which includes legal, audit & compliance, WH&S, Property Management and Security & Government Advisory, ESG and Company Secretariat.

Michael has over 28 years’ experience in the legal and risk sectors and has previously served as Director of Legal Services (Asia Pacific) for global software maker Symantec. Before that, Michael was based in London at specialist technology firm Field Fisher Waterhouse. Michael has held senior legal roles in Barclays, Coles Myer and was GC at European shopping portal shopsmart.com as well as PCTools an Australian cybersecurity company.

Michael is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel and has served as their Victorian President (ACLA) as well as a member of its National Board. Michael holds a Certificate in Governance Practice and is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia (FGIA). He is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a graduate of their Company Directors course (GAICD).

Tim Hogarth is the Chief Technology Officer at ANZ and is accountable for the architecture of the bank, the engineering standards and plays a key role in the technology planning and prioritisation.   Tim works closely with business teams, helping shape roadmaps and aligning technology investment.  He also works closely with the architecture and engineering teams at ANZ, driving up the bank’s technology prowess through a focus on pragmatic standards, common platforms and engineering excellence.Tim’s big drivers and interests are anchored to AI, cloud migration, better management of data and using simplified engineering to drive up resilience and reduce complexity.

Tim joined Iberdrola Australia in March 2020 as Executive General Manager, Energy Markets.

During 2019, Tim was the Executive General Manager, Strategy and Economic Analysis, at the Australian Energy Market Commission where he established its thought leadership and quantitative analysis capabilities. Up until November 2018, Tim was the Chief Economist of AGL Energy and led the company’s public policy advocacy and its sustainability strategy including AGL’s revised Greenhouse Gas Policy, climate risk disclosure and the Powering Australian Renewables Fund (PARF) concept.

Tim is a member of the Westpac Stakeholder Advisory Council and is on the Research Committee for the Centre for Policy Development.

Tim is an Associate Professor at Griffith University and is widely published in Australian and international peer-reviewed journals. He holds a PhD in economics for which he earned a Chancellors Doctoral Research Medal and a first-class honours degree in economics. Tim is a fellow of the Governance Institute (FGIA and FCIS) and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Anjali Rao is a multi-award-winning journalist, who has spent 20 years in the top tiers of broadcast news and current affairs. Since moving to Australia in 2012, Anjali spent several years hosting SBS’s flagship international current affairs program, Dateline, as well as appearing as a regular guest host on a number of prime-time television shows, including The Project and Studio 10.

Previously, Anjali was anchor of CNN International’s weekday breakfast show and host of the network’s weekly chat show, Talk Asia, both of which air globally to 220 million households. Earlier, she anchored at both Sky News UK and Channel 5 News in London.

Her honest, yet relaxed interview style has made for many revealing conversations with some of the world’s highest profile personalities including the Dalai Lama, former US President Bill Clinton, actors Kevin Spacey and Gwyneth Paltrow, pop stars Rihanna, Kanye West and Jay-Z, sporting legends Roger Federer, Shane Warne and Kobe Bryant, and fashion icons Karl Lagerfeld and Donatella Versace, among countless others.

She has also covered numerous breaking news events, such as the 9/11 attacks, the 2004 Asian tsunami, the death of Pope John Paul II, the 7/7 bombings in London, the 2008 siege of Mumbai, and the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan.

David joined Bendigo Bank 16 years ago as head of Financial Markets, and today is the Head of Economic and Market Research for Bendigo and Adelaide Bank. His banking career commenced in 1989 as a foreign exchange dealer, and since then he has worked in a range of senior roles in Treasury and Financial Markets for the State Bank of NSW, First Chicago and Commonwealth Bank. David’s regular economic and market updates are posted to the bank’s website via You Tube each week.

David is married with three children, and beyond family life his passions lie in golf, the outdoors and thoroughbred racing.

Helen Rowell is a non-executive director and was appointed in November 2023 as Chair of the independent panel undertaking a review of the General Insurance Code of Practice. Helen was the Deputy Chair of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) until 30 June 2023, having spent the prior 21 years lifting standards of practice and leading major reforms across the superannuation and insurance industries. She has represented APRA on the International Association of Insurance Supervisors Executive Committee, as President of the International Organisation of Pension Supervisors, on the Financial Stability Board’s Supervisory Intensity and Effectiveness Group and as co-Chair of the Joint Forum Financial Conglomerates Committee. Prior to joining APRA in 2002, Helen was a partner at the international consulting firm Towers Perrin and President of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia.

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.

Mr Simmonds is responsible for CLP Group strategic planning and the strategy agenda as well as driving the Group’s sustainability agenda and ensuring that it is embedded into the business. He is also responsible for managing the investments and ventures that help support CLP’s growth strategy, the Group’s investments in South East Asia and Taiwan and the Group’s property development activities. In addition, Mr Simmonds is the Group General Counsel & Company Secretary of CLP Holdings, responsible for the provision of legal, corporate secretarial and insurance services across the Group.

Mr Simmonds is a Vice-President of The Hong Kong Chartered Governance Institute (HKCGI) and is a Fellow of both The Chartered Governance Institute and HKCGI. He is also a Board Director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and Macau and a member of The Asia Society. Mr Simmonds is also a member of the Standing Committee on Company Law Reform.

Judy Slatyer’s focus this decade is to support Australia and Australian businesses to adapt to the future ahead; particularly given the impact of climate change, sustainability and frontier technologies.Judy has a portfolio of initiatives which are targeted to this. She is a Director of the Climate Leaders Coalition, (over 40 CEOs work together on initiatives to achieve the Paris Agreement targets), President and Chair, Worldwide Fund for Nature in Australia, Non-Executive Director, Talent Beyond Boundaries and Non-Executive Director, Gigacomm Pty LtdShe has recently stepped down as Chair, NSW Net Zero Emissions and Clean Economy Board and Lead of the National AI Centre’s Responsible AI Think Tank. Prior to that, her executive roles included CEO of Australian Red Cross, Global Chief Operating Officer for Worldwide Fund for Nature, CEO of Lonely Planet and Chief of Consumer Sales, Telstra Corporation.

JStela Solar is passionate about removing barriers to positive technology adoption and engagement. Over the past 15 years, Stela has cultivated expertise in capturing new revenue opportunities presented by emerging technologies, particularly through business model transformation. With most recent experience as Global Director of AI Solutions Sales and Strategy at Microsoft, Stela’s experiences across business development, strategy, ecosystem development, marketing and product management inform her insights surrounding cross-organisational factors affecting an organisation’s ability to capture an advantage.

Stela has returned to Australia after seven years in the US to join CSIRO and lead the National AI Centre.

John Stanhope AM has extensive experience in governance, finance, accounting and business strategy. He was Chairman of Australia Post from 2012–19, Chief Financial Officer and Group Managing Director, Finance and Administration with Telstra Corporation Limited from 2003–11 and was an Executive Director of Telstra from 2009–11.

From 2006–12 John was a member of the Finance Reporting Council, the peak body responsible for overseeing the effectiveness of the financial reporting framework in Australia and remains involved in corporate reporting improvements. John is Chairman of the Port of Melbourne Authority, the Bionics Institute and the Melbourne International Jazz Festival.

John has undertaken studies at Deakin University and Stanford University. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Company Directors, CPA Australia, the Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Institute of Managers and Leaders and the Human Resources Management Institute.In 2014 John was awarded a Deakin Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 2016 he was made a member (AM) of the Order of Australia for significant service to the financial and national communication sectors through a range of leadership roles.

Louis Theroux is a genre-defining documentary presenter, best known for producing immersive documentaries that explore the controversial and complex aspects of the human condition.He has presented the BAFTA-winning series Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends, When Louis Met…, and a series of award-winning specials including The Most Hated Family in America, Miami Mega Jail, Altered States and the feature-length documentary, My Scientology Movie.Over the years, Louis has kept true to a way of working that is uniquely his own: by charming his subjects, he’s able to offer rounded portraits of the people involved in complex social issues and human dilemmas, while always resisting easy judgements.

Louis took on the world of celebrity in a new series which started in 2022, Louis Theroux Interviews… (BBC2). With exclusive access to some of the most iconic names in the world of entertainment, the series sees notoriously private stars make time for revealing and unexpected conversations.

In the summer of 2022 Louis’s took his first, rather unexpected, detour into the recording studio. After performing a rap on Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Date music producers Duke & Jones sampled it, it went viral on TikTok and they invited Louis to release it as a single. Jiggle Jiggle became an instant earworm and has been streamed over 70M times and received global media recognition.

Louis has won numerous awards, including three BAFTAs, an RTS award, and Grierson’s Trustees’ Award, and in 2019, he set up his own independent television production company, Mindhouse, alongside Arron Fellows and Nancy Strang.

Pauline Vamos FGIA, FCG, President and Chair, Governance Institute of Australia

Pauline is a non-executive director of Mercer Superannuation Australia Limited and Chief Executive Women and is the Chair of Interaction Disability Services, Zurich Assure Pty Ltd and K2fly limited. Pauline is also the President and Chair of Governance Institute of Australia and a member of the International Council of The Chartered Governance Institute.

Pauline is recognised as an expert in broad financial services, governance, risk management and public policy.

She has over 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry, including as a senior regulator with ASIC, various directorships on listed, public, NFP and fiduciary entities, CEO positions, including CEO of ASFA and as an international adviser on pensions governance.

Peter Varghese began as Chancellor of The University of Queensland on 11 July 2016, and is now serving his second term. Prior to this appointment, Mr Varghese’s extensive career in public service and diplomacy spanned 38 years and included senior positions in foreign affairs, trade policy and intelligence. Most recently, he served as Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2012-2016). Previous senior appointments included High Commissioner to India (2009-2012), High Commissioner to Malaysia (2000-2002), Director-General of the Office of National Assessments (2004-2009), and Senior Advisor (International) to the Prime Minister of Australia (2003-2004). Mr Varghese was the author of a comprehensive India Economic Strategy to 2035 commissioned by the Australian Prime Minister and submitted in July 2018.

Mr Varghese was educated at The University of Queensland, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours and a University Medal in history in 1978. He was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) in 2010 and received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from The University of Queensland in 2013.

Mr Varghese is chair of the Asialink Council and sits on the boards of CARE Australia and North Queensland Airports. He is also on the international governing board of the Rajaratnum School of International Studies in Singapore. He was awarded the Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop Asialink Medal in 2019 in recognition of outstanding contributions to improving Australia-Asia relations. Mr Varghese is an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs.

Danielle supports the Chief Sustainability Officer, Investments, in leading the company’s sustainable investment strategy and central Sustainable Investment team. This role is pivotal in driving the company’s commitment to integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles into its investment processes. As part of this role, Danielle is responsible for leading the team’s client and commercialisation strategy across all regions.Prior to this, Danielle was Head of Sustainability Investment Specialists, with responsibility for a global team that supported the end-to-end client sustainability propositions, including incubating sustainability commercialisation ideas, owning the sustainability narrative, and leading the development of sustainability training.During this time, she was also Head of APAC Sustainability, and Head of abrdn’s APAC Sustainability Institute, developing and leading the ESG strategy for the region, supporting the integration of ESG factors into investment decision-making across Asia-Pacific, and advocating for the importance of sustainability capabilities with clients and other stakeholders across the region.

Warren Baillie is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer, qualified chartered secretary and company director. He has extensive Board, committee and management expertise and a strong understanding of effective governance in the corporate and NFP sectors.

Warren joined Woodside Energy Group as a corporate lawyer in 2005 and has been the Group Company Secretary since 2012 until August 2024 over a period of significant organisational change, including Woodside’s merger with BHP Petroleum. Warren has also been involved in the NFP sector for many years, and is currently Deputy Chair of Black Swan Health, and on the Councils of two large independent schools.

Nicole is the General Counsel and Company Secretary of CAR Group (which owns and operates carsales.com.au in Australia and leading marketplaces in Brazil, South Korea, the US and Chile). Nicole is a member of CAR Group’s Global Executive Leadership Team, and is responsible for the Group’s legal, governance and risk functions.

Nicole has over 20 years of legal experience, having commenced her career working at one of Australia’s premier law firms.  Nicole has worked in-house, advising leading online companies for over 15 years, and has extensive experience in domestic and international acquisitions, disputes and intellectual property. Nicole has a strong focus on corporate responsibility and was responsible for the Group’s sustainability function from its inception until 2024.

Nicole holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Bachelor of Arts from Monash University, a Certificate in Corporate Governance from INSEAD, and is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia.

Marcus is Chair of The Institute for Working Futures (Working Futures), focusing on providing strategic advise on what it means to have a future ready workforce, research, and ensuring young people have more equitable access to further education and employment opportunities.

With over 300 corporate engagements in 25 years, both nationally and internationally, Marcus is often regarded as leader in organisational design and digital education, with a passion for capability development, leadership, innovation, knowledge sharing, and the future of skills, learning and work.

Marcus has a proven track record and deep expertise in future fore-sighting, refining organisational designs, framing competitive leadership and capability frameworks, target workforce planning and development, and establishing national and international recognition/certification systems.

Neither motivated by money, technology or processes, for Marcus it has always been about growing shared futures for people and organisations.

Nick Ellsmore leads the cybersecurity domain at Mantel Group. Nick founded, built & sold two of Australia’s leading cybersecurity professional services firms: Hivint, acquired by Trustwave in 2018; and SIFT/Stratsec, acquired by BAE Systems Australia in 2010. Both companies were Telstra Business Awards Winners and members of various ‘fast growth’ lists. He is a Graduate of the AICD Company Directors Course, and has served on boards and forums including the Internet Industry Association, the NATA AAC for Software Testing, UNSW Advisory Boards, and as an Australian delegate to the APEC TEL Security & Prosperity Steering Group. Nick was the inaugural winner of the AISA “Information Security Professional of the Year” award back in 2012.

Baroness Greenfield, Founder and CEO of Neuro-Bio Ltd is a neuroscientist, writer and broadcaster. She has published over 220 papers in peer-reviewed journals, based mainly at Oxford University but has held research fellowships at the College de France Paris, NYU Medical Centre New York and Melbourne University. She holds 32 honorary degrees from UK and foreign universities, has received numerous honours including the Legion d’Honneur from the French Government, an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians, The American Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award, and The Australian Medical Research Society Medal. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Beth is a commercially driven leader who balances the needs of the business with the needs of people, with over 15 years’ experience in people and culture. Beth has experience working with organisations across multiple sectors, most recently with high-performing, complex and dynamic organisations that have geographically dispersed teams. Beth is experienced in designing, delivering and embedding organisational strategy across all stages of the people lifecycle. Beth is passionate and accomplished in identifying emerging trends that affect people to then build strategies that enable wellness, development, performance and engagement.

Beth’s work at AHRI underscores her commitment to advancing the HR profession, ensuring it remains at the forefront of creating positive and productive work environments.

Beth has a Masters in Organisational Psychology from the University of London.

Scott has very recently been appointed as Managing Director of Georgeson (Australia & New Zealand). Georgeson is part of the Computershare Group and provides Strategic Investor Engagement, Investment Governance and ESG Advisory Services. Prior to this role, Scott has spent almost 18 years at Computershare in a number of senior client, market and industry relationship roles. Scott was recently responsible for Computershare’s strategic industry partnerships with investment banks, brokers, fund managers, government and industry bodies.

Prior to Computershare, Scott spent 5 years in London working for a large hedge fund and began his career in unlisted investments at NAB.

Brooke is currently the National Integrity Manager for Equestrian Australia and Biathlon Australia and is responsible for the development and implementation of the National Integrity Framework across all levels of these sports.

As an experienced senior leader with over 20 years of strategic and hands-on operational experience, Brooke’s career spans across both state and national levels of sport in addition to private small business.

She has worked for Life Saving Victoria, Gymnastics Australia, Engine Swim Aquatics, Equestrian Australia and Biathlon Australia, in various roles covering Governance, Risk and Compliance, and Integrity including member protection, anti-doping and safeguarding. Brooke was integral in developing Gymnastics Australia’s response to an independent Australian Human Rights Commission Review of culture and practice at all levels of the sport of gymnastics in Australia.

Boasting enormous athleticism for a key position player over 200cm, Darcy has taken AFL by storm since his debut. The son of Collingwood legend, Peter, the Pies used their first selection in the 2014 Draft to match the bid of the Western Bulldogs resulting in Darcy being selected with pick 9.

After biding his time in the VFL, Darcy made his AFL Debut in Round 14 of the 2015 season against Hawthorn who at the time were the reigning Premiers. Darcy quickly adapted to the speed of AFL and only two weeks later he kicked 5 goals in an 18-point loss to the Western Bulldogs which clearly showed the club and the AFL public that there had a bright future ahead.

Predominantly playing as a key forward at the beginning of his career, Darcy has since played in defence and ruck proving his versatility. However, it has been down in defence that he has really shown his influence on the game, taking on some of the AFL’s elite forwards.

At the start of 2023, Darcy was announced captain of Collingwood, following in his father’s footsteps. Darcy had a sensational season making the All-Australian team once again, this time as captain, while leading Collingwood to a Premiership, topping off a dominant season for Darcy.

Prior to her appointment as CEO of Governance Institute, Megan was CEO of Consult Australia, the industry association for the engineering and technical services sector. She is currently a director of Standards Australia, a member of the ASIC Corporate Governance Consultative Panel and a councillor of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) where she chairs the Data, Digital and Cyber Security Forum.

Megan holds a BA/BEd, an MA in Communication Management and has recently completed her Graduate Diploma of Corporate Governance and Risk Management with Governance Institute. Megan is a member of Chief Executive Women, an Honorary Life Trustee of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) and was a 2014 recipient of the AFR/Wespac 100 Women of Influence.

Lyn’s commercial experience has focused on intellectual property and information assets which have involved various technologies and regulatory regimes. Lyn’s experience includes developing and implementing privacy and information security policies and negotiating contracts for the exploitation of information assets. Lyn has significant experience in privacy and spam regulation.

Cris heads The Ethics Centre’s initiative The Ethics Alliance, a community of organisations across sectors that works to collaboratively shape the future of business ethics. She is also a director of the Banking and Financial Services Oath, a pledge of integrity and commitment that aims to increase consideration of stakeholders and decision-making accountability by financial service professionals. It is a program she helped execute, and still oversees. She holds a degree in psychology, and in another life, founded a Manhattan theatre company, casting agency, and production studio.

Anjali Rao is a multi-award-winning journalist, who has spent 20 years in the top tiers of broadcast news and current affairs. Since moving to Australia in 2012, Anjali spent several years hosting SBS’s flagship international current affairs program, Dateline, as well as appearing as a regular guest host on a number of prime-time television shows, including The Project and Studio 10.

Previously, Anjali was anchor of CNN International’s weekday breakfast show and host of the network’s weekly chat show, Talk Asia, both of which air globally to 220 million households. Earlier, she anchored at both Sky News UK and Channel 5 News in London.

Her honest, yet relaxed interview style has made for many revealing conversations with some of the world’s highest profile personalities including the Dalai Lama, former US President Bill Clinton, actors Kevin Spacey and Gwyneth Paltrow, pop stars Rihanna, Kanye West and Jay-Z, sporting legends Roger Federer, Shane Warne and Kobe Bryant, and fashion icons Karl Lagerfeld and Donatella Versace, among countless others.

She has also covered numerous breaking news events, such as the 9/11 attacks, the 2004 Asian tsunami, the death of Pope John Paul II, the 7/7 bombings in London, the 2008 siege of Mumbai, and the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan.

With over two decades of experience in technology and cybersecurity, Kathy possesses a rich blend of strategic acumen, leadership, and a proven track record of driving organizational transformation securely. Her expertise in leading diverse teams and managing stakeholders, combined with the ability to disseminate technical concepts to drive business value and make significant impact. Kathy has worked across all sectors and internationally in technology and cyber security.

Edward Santow is the Director – Policy & Governance at the Human Technology Institute, and Industry Professor – Responsible Technology at the University of Technology Sydney. Ed is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.Ed co-founded the Human Technology Institute, which he leads with Prof Nicholas Davis and Prof Sally Cripps. Ed’s focus areas include digital government, the future of AI regulation, AI assurance, facial recognition technology and digital identity.Ed serves on the Australian Government’s AI Expert Group, Government Service Delivery Advisory Board and National Quantum Advisory Committee. Ed also serves on a number of state government advisory bodies, including the NSW Government AI Review Committee. Ed serves on a number of boards and committees, including CareerSeekers. He is a patron of the Refugee Advice + Casework Service, and a Fellow of the UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion.

The Human Technology Institute promotes human rights in the development, use, regulation and oversight of new technology. HTI has three interconnected laboratories: the Human Technology Skills Lab, Tools Lab and Policy Lab. Ed’s areas of expertise include human rights, technology and regulation, public law and discrimination law.From 2016-2021, Ed was Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner, where he led the Commission’s work on AI & new technology; refugees and migration; human rights issues affecting LGBTIQ+ people; national security; and implementing the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture.

Stephen Scheeler is Australia’s most authoritative voice on digital disruption, transformation, culture & leadership. His experience at the heart of Silicon Valley is truly unparalleled, and he has a unique ability to inspire audiences of all kinds with rare insight, humour & humility.Stephen is the former Facebook CEO for ANZ, where he helped guide Facebook’s unprecedented rise from quirky Silicon Valley start-up to media & technology titan. Stephen’s acclaimed TEDx talk – The Oldest Guy at Facebook – recounts his amazing journey at the heart of one of the world’s most disruptive companies.

Today, Stephen is a frequent media commentator on digital disruption, culture, leadership, technology & A.I. – including TEDx, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, ABC, Sky News, The Project, Sunrise, The Today Show, The Australian & The Australian Financial Review. He is also a member of the Australian Prime Minister’s Knowledge Nation 100, top innovation leaders in Australia.

Stephen is also CEO of revolutionary artificial intelligence start up, Omniscient – the world leader in using A.I. to decode the human brain. Backed by some of Australia’s most iconic business names – including Gina Rinehart, Gretel Packer and Will Vicars – in 2022, Omniscient won the coveted South-by-Southwest (SXSW) Innovation Award for A.I. and Machine Learning.

Stephen is also founder of global advisory The Digital CEO, and Executive-in-Residence at the Asia-Pacific’s leading business school, the Australian Graduate School of Management.

The Hon. Arthur Sinodinos AO is Partner and Chair of TAG’s Australia Practice and a leading expert on Australian public policy and politics who brings a wealth of public and private sector experience spanning national security, industry innovation, economic policy, and banking. Ambassador Sinodinos is responsible for developing and executing the firm’s business strategy in Australia and supporting C-Suite executives from across TAG’s geographic portfolio to manage evolving risks and seize emerging growth opportunities.

Ambassador Sinodinos most recently served as Australian Ambassador to the United States, where he was closely involved in Australia’s negotiations related to AUKUS, the Quad, and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Ambassador Sinodinos previously worked as Australia’s Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science and was a Senator for New South Wales in the Australian Parliament from 2011 to 2019. During his parliamentary career, he also held other key roles in and outside Cabinet, including Cabinet Secretary and Assistant Treasurer.

Over a career spanning four decades, Ambassador Sinodinos has held a number of influential positions in public service. In 2006, Ambassador Sinodinos left government to work with Goldman Sachs JBWere, followed by the National Australia Bank and various corporate appointments.

In 2008, Ambassador Sinodinos was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for his service to politics through the executive function of government, to the development of economic policy and reform, and to the Greek community. In 2019, he was made a Distinguished Fellow of the Australia & New Zealand School of Government in recognition of his promotion of public sector leadership.

Ambassador Sinodinos lives in Washington with his wife Elizabeth, and their three children.

Diane Smith-Gander AO is a professional non-executive director maintaining a diverse portfolio across different entities, industries and geographies. She is an advocate for gender equity and a past president of CEW, Australia’s pre-eminent women’s advocacy group which counts more than 600 of Australia’s senior female leaders as its members.Diane is Chancellor of the University of Western Australia. She is Chair of Zip Co Limited, Perenti, HBF Health Limited and CEDA. Diane has also been active in sports administration and is a past Chairman of both Basketball Australia Limited, the sport’s peak body, and the (then) Australian Sports Drug Agency, the government agency responsible for deterring the use of performance-enhancing drugs. She currently chairs the inaugural Nominations Committee for the World Anti-Doping Agency. Appointed September 2020.

Doug Taylor was appointed CEO of The Smith Family in August 2021. He has built a 30-year career in the social sector with national and international experience in leading innovative social impact initiatives in partnership with the not-for-profit, government, philanthropic and corporate sectors.Prior to joining The Smith Family, Doug was the Deputy Executive Director at Uniting NSW and ACT. He has considerable experience in strategy and in managing large and complex organisations serving people experiencing disadvantage through human services, community and economic development, education, philanthropy, and social enterprise.Doug’s passion for the sector is evident through his Board appointments which include Wayside Chapel and as Chair of Warakirri College (a school for disengaged young people in Western Sydney) and previously with WorkVentures and The Australian Centre for Social Innovation. He is also a member of the Centre for Social Impact Advisory Board (with whom he facilitates Governance for Social Impact), The Sydney University Equity Advisory Group, a Community Fellow with Western Sydney University and Chair of the National Strategy for Volunteering Council.

Doug has completed post graduate studies in management, attended the Stanford Executive Non-Profit Leadership Program and is a graduate of the Australian Institute for Company Directors.

Ms Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa has been a career diplomat who joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1979 and retired in December 2015.

She has served as Ambassador of India to Japan (2012-2015), Qatar (2009-2012) and Sweden (2005-2009). She was concurrently accredited as Ambassador to Latvia (from Stockholm), and Republic of the Marshall Islands (from Tokyo). During her career, she has also held other significant assignments in Geneva, Hongkong, China, The Netherlands, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Ministry of External Affairs.

In the course of her career spanning over 36 years, she has handled a wide swathe of issues and subjects related to India’s relations with key countries such as Pakistan, China, and Japan; participated in international conferences and negotiations related to climate change, sustainable development, disarmament and human rights and was instrumental in the active promotion of India’s economic interests in areas of trade, technology, investments and energy security during postings in Europe, the GCC and Japan.

Ms Wadhwa is currently Chairperson of the India- Japan Friendship Forum; member of the Governing Council of a think tank working on connectivity and development of India’s North East called Asian Confluence based in Shillong; as also a member of the Board of the Bharat Yuva Shakti Trust which works to create rural entrepreneurs in India. She also serves as independent Director and advisor on the Boards of a few companies.