Jason Murrell, Group Executive – Cyber Security, AustCyber

Jason has been a long-time supporter of Australian startups for over 20 years, particularly in the cyber security space for the past 6 years. His accomplishments include helping to launch Cyber Aware in 2017, and most recently with Cyber Hive, after previously contributing to the growth of GRC platform 6clicks.

Jason is passionate about championing, mentoring, and connecting Australia’s cyber network so that we can all work together to provide cutting-edge solutions to the rest of the world. Jason’s mission is to help unite the Australian cyber community and get Australia as a nation to where we need to be – connected with cyber safety as a priority.

John O’Driscoll, CISO, Department of Justice and Community Safety

John O’Driscoll is Victoria’s first Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). He was appointed to the role in October 2017. He led the development and delivery of Victoria’s Cyber Security Strategy to assess, monitor and respond to cyber security risks, as well as engaging with the government departments, interstate counterparts, Commonwealth and private sector experts to deliver a resilient and cohesive cyber security capability.

John has over 35 years’ experience in information technology, with a focus on IT audit and cyber security in financial services and the public sector. He has a keen interest in growing and promoting cyber skills and has lectured in IT Risk and Security related topics at tertiary institutions including Swinburne, RMIT, Deakin, UTS and Melbourne University.

Daniela Fernandez, Head of Information Security – AU, PayPal

With over 15 years’ experience in Information Technology, Daniela is a cyber security and analytics leader who values integrity, diversity of thought, continuous learning, sense of achievement and ensuring a healthy work/life integration. Currently Daniela is the Head of Information Security at PayPal Australia where she focuses on making security a business enabler, helping PayPal to achieve their mission to democratise financial services while ensuring that PayPal Australia delivers secure products to customers and meets local regulatory requirements.

Before that, Daniela was Director of Cyber Risk and Strategy. Prior to Deloitte, Daniela worked in multiple roles at CBA, across protective services, intelligence team, fraud detection and cyber security. Her last role at CBA was Executive Manager, Business Information Security Officer. Daniela is a recent winner of the CSO30 Australia 2022 awards recognising excellent in cyber security initiatives.

Jim Katsos, Manager Solutions Engineering, Okta

Jim Katsos has more than 20 years’ experience in the software industry. He is currently responsible for promoting Okta’s Solution Engineering team across Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

Jim has held various leadership roles across technical presales, professional services and R&D.

Jim has a strong technical background across multiple software domains including application development, security, automation and cloud native platforms

Ashley Diffey, Head of Asia-Pacific and Japan, Ping Identity

Ashley Diffey is a passionate leader with over 20 years of experience in B2B Sales, Key Account Management and Business Development in both Finance and ICT/Telecommunications industries, specialising in security, data, communications, SaaS and hosted software.

As Head of Asia-Pacific and Japan for Ping Identity, Ashley is responsible for accelerating sales and bolstering customer support and services to continue driving the increasing demand for Ping Identity’s solutions in the region. He is working with organizations to achieve Zero Trust identity-defined security and more personalised, streamlined user experiences. Providing flexible identity solutions that accelerate digital business initiatives, delight customers, and secure the enterprise through multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, access management, intelligent API security, directory, and data governance capabilities.

Mary-Beth Hosking, Global Chief Information Officer, Pointsbet

As a pragmatic and seasoned IT leader with 17+ years’ experience working in complex matrix environments leading multi-disciplinary teams, Mary-Beth is motivated by driving change and transformation with people at the centre.

With a background combining technology, retail, transport, logistics, finances and consulting and leading large technology programs and working with offshore presence, Mary-Beth brings diverse perspectives and a strong understanding of implementation that works. Mary-Beth has a track record of innovation driven by lateral thinking to solve complex problems and is currently Global Chief Information Officer with PointsBet PTY LTD.

Rachel Dixon, Privacy and Data Security Deputy Commissioner, Officer of the Victorian Information Commissioner

Rachel Dixon was appointed as the Privacy and Data Protection Deputy Commissioner on 28 November 2017 and was reappointed for a further five year term in November 2022.

Rachel has served in senior roles in Government and the private sector and has a wealth of experience in IT, telecommunications, big data, and biometrics.

Varun Acharya, CISO, Healthscope

Varun is a Cyber Security professional with wide industry experience in higher education, banking, manufacturing, mining and healthcare. He has held specialist and leadership appointments in Identity and Access Management, Security Governance, and Security Operations functions.

Varun is most passionate about stopping cyber attacks before they eventuate by leveraging the power of information sharing within the Australian healthcare security community.

Stephen Scheeler, The Digital CEO (former CEO of Facebook ANZ)

Stephen is the former Facebook CEO for Australia and New Zealand, where he guided Facebook’s unprecedented rise from quirky Silicon Valley start up to media and technology titan.

Working with Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg and Facebook’s Silicon Valley leaders, his tenure at Facebook saw the Australia and New Zealand business – including Instagram, Messenger, Whatsapp and Oculus – grow to become one of the most successful Facebook markets in the world.

Stephen has served in senior executive roles at global leaders Westfield and Inchcape, and at Australian consumer products giant, Lion. Today – as founder of global advisory The Digital CEO, Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company – he partners with the CEOs and boards of some of the world’s leading companies to help them build world-beating strategies, capabilities, culture and leadership. He has advised the leaders of Qantas, nab, Westpac, Macquarie Bank, IAG, Suncorp, Telstra, Wesfarmers, AMP, CUB, Brambles, Google, Seven West Media, MCN, QBE, JB Hi-Fi, Bunnings, Mirvac and the Australian Government.

Nigel Hedges, Group Head of Cybersecurity, Kmart Group Technology

Nigel provides CISO-level leadership in an enterprise setting and enjoys strategy, program development, operations and building & developing an engaged, capable and resilient team.

Nigel has held his current role as Group Head of Cyber Security for Kmart and Target since January 2022, prior to this he was the Head of Information Security at CPA Australia.

Nigel is a Fellow of The Australian Information Security Association (FAISA) and Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD).

Saeed Tasbihsazan, CTO Enterprise & Government, Telstra

Saeed is a technology executive with over two decades of experience in spearheading multi-year strategies and establishing frameworks in innovation, security, architecture, and engineering at some of Australia’s biggest organizations. He boasts a diverse range of expertise, including IT operations, workplace, networks, security, regulatory compliance, risk management, cloud, data, and artificial intelligence. 

As a trailblazer in his field, Saeed has introduced new products before the market trend, improved customer experience, and founded the highly successful Telstra Cloud Guild with over 3,000 members. He is also a champion of diversity, earning a nomination for the 2020 and 2021 AWSN Women in Security Awards in the Male Champion of Change category.

Daryl Pereira, APAC CISO, Director, Office of the CISO, Google Cloud APAC

Daryl partners with Google’s clients across Singapore, Australia, India, and the South-East Asia region focusing on Financial Services, Government, and Healthcare sectors. Daryl provides executive sponsorship and guidance to the Board of Directors, C-suite and technology leaders to help them navigate cyber security, tech risk and regulatory challenges throughout the Cloud adoption lifecycle. 

Daryl was previously the founding Partner & Head of the Cyber Security Consulting practice at KPMG Singapore; worked in investment banking IT with Westpac and was the global lead for Deutsche Bank’s GBIT Program Management Office overseeing a €700 million portfolio of projects. Before joining the banking sector, Daryl worked in the Public Service sector as a Consultant to the Australian Government. 

Dr Marthie Grobler, Team Leader, Human Centric Security, Data 61, CSIRO

An engaged and motivated researcher, Dr Marthie Grobler is passionate about making cyber security more accessible for people in the pathway of the fourth industrial revolution. Her research, management and consulting experience span multiple continents, national and state government departments, and a variety of domains linked with the digital domain.

Over the last 15 years, Marthie has worked with organisations, government agencies and education institutions around the world. From applying governance models in the digital space to teaching children in rural areas about technology, her active involvement in her work distils clients with a thorough and effective approach to maximise their cybersecurity knowledge towards practical application. She is passionate about enhancing people’s ability to use connected technology more powerfully in an ever-connected world. Her focus is on translating cyber security skills to a more digestible format that can easily be adopted by technology users.

Leonard Kleinman, Field Chief Technology Officer– Cortex, Palo Alto Networks JAPAC

Leonard Kleinman is the Field Chief Technology Officer (CTO) – Cortex for Palo Alto Networks JAPAC focusing on critical industry sectors such as Government, Banking and Finance, Utilities and Education. His mission is to work with executives and business stakeholders to make security a strategic priority that translates into business value and assist in the development of a risk-based cyber security culture aimed at protecting our digital lives.

Leonard has over 32 years of experience in the information technology and cybersecurity industry and is a security technology community activist who supports several cyber security and technology organisations.

Prior to joining Palo Alto Networks, Leonard was the Chief Cyber Security Advisor for RSA International.

Hamish Hansford, Inaugural Head of the Australian Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre and Group Manager, Department of Home Affairs

Hamish Hansford was appointed the Group Manager and Inaugural Head of the Australian Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre in September 2021.
The Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre brings together Australia’s ‘all hazards’ protection of 11 critical infrastructure sectors of the Australian economy.

Hamish has held Senior Executive positions in the former Department of Immigration and Border Protection and the former Australian Crime Commission. Hamish has also served in a range of intelligence, policy, planning, and program delivery roles in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Attorney General’s Department, the Australian Senate and the former Office of Transport Security.

Luke Halliday, Victorian Government Chief Technology Officer, Digital Victoria

With a career spanning two decades, Luke understands the importance and value of technology underpinning business value delivery. He has spent his career operating at the intersection between technology and business, guiding people and organisations through complex transformation to create better outcomes.

Luke has had a diverse career across multiple industries and domains; he co-founded a successful managed IT provider, mercury IT, and has also spent time in consultant and senior executive roles within the private sector. His passion for leveraging technology to drive improved outcomes led him to his role as the Chief Technology Officer for Digital Victoria, where he is collaborating with our states technology leaders to support the Victorian Government’s digital agenda.