Speakers

Craig Tiley

CEO, Tennis Australia

Craig is recognized as one of Australia’s most innovative and forward-thinking chief executives. His charismatic and passionate nature, together with his business acumen, has leveraged him to the forefront of sports administration and the leader behind Australia’s largest and most successful international sporting event.

He has been the driving force behind the growth of the Australian Open into a truly global brand and one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

Craig’s incredible relationship with the players has long been a key to the success of the Australian Open right from when he was appointed Tournament Director for his first event in 2006. He was later appointed CEO of Tennis Australia in 2013.

In that time, he has led unprecedented growth in the event’s global awareness and audience, revenue, player compensation, facilities and on-site activities for fans. As a result, the Australian Open has continually broken attendance records and attracted more than 814,000 people from around Melbourne, Victoria and across the globe in 2020 alone.

The event reaches a global audience of more than one billion households. His relationship with the players and relentless focus on improvement and innovation has transformed the Australian Open into one of the players’ and Australia’s favorite sport and entertainment event.

More recently the Australian Open was the first Grand Slam tennis event (and first truly global sporting event) to be held safely and successfully in 2021 (amid Covid) as well as at the height of the omicron strain in 2022. These incredible logistical exercises involved transporting more than 1000 people (including more than 500 players) across the globe to Australia to compete.

Despite some enormous obstacles, AO 2021 and 2022 were hailed massive successes (especially by the players) and generated more than $405.3 million in economic benefit to the state of Victoria at a time when it was most needed.

Craig has also led the introduction of successful initiatives to shift the historical decline in tennis participation including the rollout of digital platforms, which has increased access to courts by over 350%. He has led the diversification of Tennis Australia with the creation of a global production unit, development of music and food partnerships, the launch of a venture capital fund and a successful incubator partnership. He also serves as the Chair of the Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports (COMPPS) in Australia and is on the Board of Safety Culture and Rising (Melbourne’s International Arts Festival). Prior to joining Tennis Australia, Craig was Director of Tennis at the University of Illinois, where he led the fastest tennis program turnaround in US collegiate history, breaking a 100-year-old record for most consecutive wins.

He twice earned the US National Coach of the Year award, which was presented by the President of the US at the White House, coached several top ten professional players and captained the South African Davis Cup team. His achievements have further been recognized by being elected to the College Tennis Hall of Fame (2010) and Illinois Athletic Hall of Fame (2017).

Craig holds academic degrees in kinesiology, economics and business, has produced two best-selling tennis videos, been a Lieutenant in the Army where he was the sixth ever recipient of South African Army merit award and has served as a keynote speaker and leadership consultant

Andrew Groth

EVP, Asia Pacific, Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. As the Head of Australia and New Zealand, Andrew drives the strategy and growth for the company’s second largest market. This includes managing five industry business units and over 4,500 employees in the region. Andrew also leads the Financial Services business for Infosys across the Asia Pacific region, helping organisations navigate their digital transformation. Andrew joined Infosys in 2010 to head up the company’s Financial Services business in Australia and New Zealand, where he significantly grew relationships with the region’s major financial institutions. Over the years he has taken on additional roles within Infosys, including Head of Financial Services – Asia Pacific and Head of Enterprise and Industry Services.

Andrew also serves as a Board Director of Infosys Portland and Infosys Compaz. Having lived and worked in Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States, Andrew brings a broad cultural and business background and has a track record of building strong, diverse teams.

Prior to Infosys, Andrew was a Senior Vice President at Genpact based in London, where he led the growth of the business and its customer relationships across the EMEA region. Previously, Andrew spent 19 years at CSC in a broad range of roles, including the strategic development of its large-scale sourcing, systems integration and consulting business.Andrew is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, holds an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management, has completed a Stanford University Global Leadership Program and is a Senior Associate of the Australian & New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance. Known for his authentic and engaging approach with clients, partners and employees, Andrew is also passionate about encouraging Australia’s youth to build digital careers and develop STEM skills.

Andrew chairs Infosys’ CSR Program in Australia & New Zealand – Springboard. Through the program, Infosys is enabling pathways to learn and education for under-represented communities including People with Disability, Students from low socio-economic backgrounds and Indigenous communities. Andrew also represents Infosys in the Business Council of Australia and actively participates in the BCA’s Digital Economy and Telecommunications Group.

Nandan Nilekani

Co-Founder and Chairman, Infosys

Nandan Nilekani is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Infosys Technologies Limited. He was the Founding Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in the rank of a Cabinet Minister from 2009-2014. Most recently, Nandan has co-founded and is the Chairman of EkStep, a not-for-profit effort to create a learner centric, technology based platform to improve basic literacy and numeracy for millions of children.

Born in Bengaluru, Nilekani received his Bachelor’s degree from IIT, Bombay. Fortune Magazine conferred him with “Asia’s Businessman of the year 2003”. In 2005 he received the prestigious Joseph Schumpeter prize for innovative services in economy, economic sciences and politics. In 2006, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan. He was also named Businessman of the year by Forbes Asia. Time magazine listed him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2006 & 2009. Foreign Policy magazine listed him as one of the Top 100 Global thinkers in 2010. He won The Economist Social & Economic Innovation Award for his leadership of India’s Unique Identification initiative (Aadhaar). In 2017, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from E&Y. CNBC- TV 18 conferred India Business leader award for outstanding contributor to the Indian Economy-2017 and he also received the 22nd Nikkei Asia Prize for Economic & Business Innovation 2017. He has been inducted as International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019.

Nandan Nilekani is the author of "Imagining India", co- authored his second book with Viral Shah, "Rebooting India: Realizing a Billion Aspirations" and co-authored his third book with Tanuj Bhojwani, "The Art of Bitfulness: Keeping calm in the digital world" released in Jan 2022.

Rafee Tarafdar

EVP and CTO, Infosys

Rafee is Infosys' Chief Technology Officer. He is responsible for the technology vision and strategy, sensing & scaling emerging technologies, advising and partnering with clients to help them succeed in their transformation journey and building high technology talent density. He also leads the technology strategy for all the platforms.

At Infosys, he founded and scaled from zero, a new business capability unit - Strategic Technology Group. It’s a 3000+ global team of passionate technology leaders, full stack architects and power programmers working on the most complex and advanced digital, cloud and AI programs for G2000 enterprise clients of Infosys and Infosys platforms.

Under the visionary leadership of Nandan Nilekani (co-founder and chairman of Infosys), he led Infosys’s own transformation to be a digital native and become a Live Enterprise. He is now helping Infosys leapfrog to be an AI First company with a goal of amplifying human potential, unlocking value and creating exponential impact.

Rafee has led and rolled out complex, population scale (100M+ users), resilient digital platforms and has led several large scale & complex transformation programs.

He is the co-author of “The Live Enterprise” book, co-author of a HBR paper on “Micro changes for Large Scale Transformation” and presented and published several technology papers. He is recognized as a top 50 technology leader in Forbes CIO Next List 2023.

Nick Kyrgios

Australian Tennis Star

Nick Kyrgios burst onto the pro tennis scene in 2012 after a prolific junior tennis career. Since his start he has captivated fans with a larger than life personality, passion for the game, and unpredictability. He electrifies the Tour with his near unstoppable serve and powerful forehand.

Kyrgios has won 7 singles titles and 4 doubles titles in his career, but 2022 marked the first time Kyrgios displayed his dominance making it to his first Grand Slam Final, winning 3 singles titles, and 3 doubles titles. He also reached the Quarter Finals of the 2022 US Open beating then-ranked No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and is one of the few players on Tour who have beaten the Big Three (Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal) at least once.

Kyrgios was born in Canberra, Australia to Father George, who is from Greece, and mother Norlaila, who is from Malaysia. He played basketball until he was 14 before dedicating himself to tennis.

Kyrgios brings basketball swagger to the game of tennis playing with a level of charisma and authenticity not seen in tennis for a generation. His magnetism has led to a number of brand deals including Nike, Beats by Dre, and Beyond Meat. In addition, Kyrgios displays refreshing honesty when it comes to important conversations including mental health, the ups and downs of being a pro, and veganism and animal safety. He’s an investor in Alive Synbiotic and recently joined the EVOLVE agency founded by Naomi Osaka and Stuart Duguid. Finally, Kyrgios and his family run the NK Foundation in Australia focused on creating a sporting facility for underprivileged children in Melbourne, Australia.

Emma McKeon

Australian Olympic Swimmer and Young Australian of the Year 2024

Australian Olympic Swimmer Emma McKeon comes from a family with rich swimming pedigree. Both her parents and uncle representing Australia and winning medals across numerous Olympic and Commonwealth Games. With swimming in her veins, Emma took to the pool from an early age. 2010 saw Emma’s international breakthrough at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships, Youth Olympics and World Short Course Championships, collecting one gold, and multiple silver and bronze medals across several events. After narrowly missing out on Australian selection to the 2012 London Olympics, Emma cemented her spot in the team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Emma won four golds and two bronze medals, becoming a sporting spotlight as one of Australia’s best swimmers. Qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics, Emma was part of Australia’s all-conquering 4x100m Freestyle relay team that won gold and set a new world record. Swimming in two more relays, Emma secured a further two silver medals. She claimed her first individual medal in the 200m freestyle – a bronze – and finished as Australia’s most successful Olympian at the Rio Games. Emma performed exceptionally well at the Commonwealth Games in 2018, with three individual medals to accompany her three relay golds. In 2019, Emma demonstrated her class once again with three golds, two silvers and one bronze medal at the World Championships. In the inaugural International Swimming League (ISL), Emma represented the London Roar, finishing third overall in the race for MVP. By the time the 2020 Tokyo Olympics arrived, Emma had cemented herself as one of the worlds best swimmers. Competing in freestyle, butterfly, and relays, Emma faced the prospect of swimming for seven Olympic medals. Nine days later, she finished the swim meet with just that: Four golds and three bronze.

Dr. Catherine Ball

Scientific Futurist

Associate Professor, Dr Catherine Ball is a scientific futurist, speaker, advisor, author, founder, executive producer, executive director and company director working across global projects where emerging technologies meet humanitarian, education and environmental needs. Catherine also likes to create businesses and champion movements, collaborate with peers, and advise game-changers. Having been called a ‘social architect’, Catherine likes to connect people from different backgrounds across common themes. A champion of diversity and inclusion, Catherine believes we need points of difference to truly innovate and curate the changes we want to see in the world. Working to protect the natural environment and empowering all members of society through mutual education are core aspects of the projects Catherine chooses to spend her time and energy on. Catherine continues to support Australia as being the world leader in the advancement of ethically driven technological applications. Catherine is the only Australian on the International Advisory Board of the Schmidt Ocean Institute, which follows her work as a judge on the Ocean Discovery XPrize. Catherine’s business ventures include the internationally renowned World of Drones and Robotics Congress, established in Brisbane in 2017 and the free community resources of World of Drones Education, established in 2018. She is also the curator and Director of the Futures Conference. Catherine holds a BSc Honours (Environmental Protection) and a PhD (Spatial Ecology, Descriptive and Predictive Statistics) from the University of Newcastle- upon-Tyne in the United Kingdom. Catherine lives in Sydney with her husband and two sons

Sumit Virmani

EVP and Global CMO, Infosys

Sumit heads marketing at Infosys and is responsible for realizing Infosys’ brand ambitions globally. A transformative marketing leader, Sumit has significant experience shaping the brand narrative and experience across geographies. He joined Infosys in 2004 and has since held multiple strategic positions including head of Infosys products & platforms marketing as well as the global head of corporate marketing. He champions marketing effectiveness and enjoys the challenge of building strong connects between marketing metrics and business outcomes. Sumit comes with over 20 years of experience in international marketing. Prior to joining Infosys, he has worked with Polaris Software and the Tata Group where he acquired his specialist skills in brand development, marketing communications and demand generation.

Forbes has ranked Sumit among the top 50 most influential CMOs in 2023. He is on the steering committees of The Drum, International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences and the Association of National Advertisers. Sumit is also Trustee, Infosys Foundation and serves on the Board of WongDoody – Infosys’ experience design company.

Andy Penn

Chair, Cyber Security Industry Advisory Committee and Former CEO, Telstra

Andy has had an extensive career spanning more than four decades across three industries – telecommunications and technology, financial services and shipping. From 2015 – 2022, Andy was Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Telstra, Australia’s largest telecommunications company. At Telstra, Andy led a major transformation program (T22) that elevated Telstra’s position to compete in the rapidly changing technology world with 5G at its core. The program included: radically simplifying and digitising the business; reducing costs by more than a third while growing market share; improving customer experience; and restructuring the business to capitalise on its valuable infrastructure assets. Under Andy’s leadership, Telstra’s transformation has been the topic of several editorials including Harvard Business Review and McKinsey Insights. Prior to his role as CEO, Andy was Telstra’s Chief Financial Officer and Group Executive International. Before joining Telstra in 2012, Andy spent 23 years with AXA, one of the world’s largest insurance and investment groups. His time at AXA Asia Pacific Holdings included the roles of Group Chief Executive Officer 2006-2011, Chief Executive Officer Australia and New Zealand, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer International. At AXA, Andy was instrumental in building one of the most successful Asian businesses by an Australian company which was sold to its parent company in 2011 for more than A$10bn. Andy transferred to Australia with AXA in 1992, but also spent time living and working in the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Thailand. Andy started his career at the P&O Shipping Group based in London and spent nine years in various finance and strategy roles.

Nicholas Flood

VP, IBM Technology & Country Leader, IBM Australia

Nicholas Flood was appointed Vice President IBM Technology & Country Leader IBM Australia in January 2022. Prior to this, as Director and General Manager for Federal Government, he lead IBM's engagement with the Australian Federal Government supporting them toward their aspiration to be a top three (3) digital government globally by 2025.

Since joining IBM as a graduate, Nicholas has held a range of strategic client leadership roles across Federal Government and Financial Services. During this time, he played a key role in establishing IBM’s Whole of Government Agreement, in particular leading establishment of the innovation agenda underpinning this agreement.

Outside of IBM, Nicholas is an active member on range of industry associations and boards, including (i) the Australian Information Industry Association’s ACT and Federal Council and also; (ii) The University of Sydney’s Board of Advice. In this capacity, Nicholas helps shape the role technology can play and government’s response to address challenges and enable opportunities across the digital economy.

Nicholas holds an MBA from the University of Sydney completed as recipient of the Business School Business Leader Post-Graduate Scholarship and received the Gold Lion Award at graduation.

He also holds an Undergraduate degree, a Master of Commerce and a Master of Business Research with Honours completed as recipient of an Australian Postgraduate Award scholarship.

Lisa Sim

VP and Head of Marketing, JAPAC, Palo Alto Networks

Lisa, a distinguished marketing leader overseeing Japan and the Asia Pacific at Palo Alto Networks, is a driving force for talent development in the cyber industry. Her commitment extends to active involvement in numerous inclusion and diversity initiatives, particularly fostering female participation in technology and cybersecurity. As an award-winning senior executive with over 25 years of experience in senior roles across the Asia Pacific, Lisa is dedicated to community cyber safety education. In 2021, she launched Cyber Safe Kids, followed by CyberFit Nation in 2022, reflecting her passion for free and accessible cyber safety education. A Japan-born New Zealander, Lisa currently calls Melbourne, Australia, home. Her multifaceted career and impactful initiatives showcase her as a dynamic leader shaping the future of cybersecurity and technology.

Melissa Doyle

Master of Ceremony

An accomplished and awarded journalist with nearly 30 years experience, Melissa is one of the best-known and trusted voices and faces in Australian media.

A graduate of Charles Sturt University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, Melissa began her career as a television news reporter and weather presenter at WIN TV Canberra in 1990. Three years later she moved to Prime TV in Canberra as a reporter and co-host of the evening news. In 1995, Melissa joined the Seven Network in the Canberra bureau at Parliament House before moving to the Sydney newsroom.

Melissa joined Sunrise in 1997 and co-hosted Australia’s favourite breakfast program until August 2013, taking it from humble beginnings to Number One.

During that time Melissa covered such significant events as the Beaconsfield mine disaster, the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, Olympic Games in Sydney, Athens, Beijing and London, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Queensland floods, Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires, multiple federal and state elections, the Inauguration of Barack Obama and the election of Pope Francis.

She interviewed stars such as Tom Cruise, Justin Bieber, Robin Williams, Jane Fonda and Katy Perry.

Melissa rejoined the Seven Network’s news team in 2013 and anchored the network’s live rolling coverage of historical moments such as the birth of Prince George, the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the release of Schapelle Corby from prison in Bali, the centenary of ANZAC commemorations in Gallipoli and the Lindt Café Siege in Sydney.

Melissa and the Seven News team were recognised with a Walkley Award ,a Logie and three international Edward R. Murrow Awards for their coverage of the siege.

Melissa went on to be host and senior correspondent of the Seven Network’s flagship news and public affairs program, Sunday Night, covering a wide range of stories, from internationally exclusive interviews with James Hewitt, Princess Diana’s former lover and Rebel Wilson, to stories on PTSD and the Jonestown massacre.

Melissa is also the weekend breakfast host for radio station Smooth FM. In 2014, she won the Australian Commercial Radio award (ACRA) for Best Newcomer (Metro) and in 2018 Best Music presenter (metro).

In the 2016 Australia Day Honours List Melissa was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her "significant service to the community through representational roles with a range of charitable groups, and to the broadcast media."

Melissa has written two books, “The Working Mothers Survival Guide” and her best selling memoir “Alphabet Soup.”

Off screen, Melissa is a wife and proud mother of two teenagers Nick and Talia.

She passionately supports many charities. She is National Patron for the Make A Wish Foundation and an Ambassador for The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, World Vision, Children’s Cancer Institute, Adopt Change, Legacy and the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

She is the Number One Ticket holder for the GWS Giants (AFL) and serves on the club board.

A multiple Silver Logie nominee as Most Popular Television Presenter, Melissa was voted one of the "most real celebrity mums" and regularly polls in the Top 50 of Reader's Digests annual list of Most Trusted Australians.

Mihaela Isac

CIO - APAC, DHL Supply Chain

Mihaela has a wealth of experience in logistics domain across multiple industries in Europe, Americas and Asia. Prior to her current role, Mihaela has been with DHL Supply Chain North America as Vice President of IT for Life Sciences & Healthcare sector, as well as Senior Director for IT Transport Solutions. With a history of management consulting spanning multiple countries, Mihaela has developed expertise in supply chain management. Her experience extends to technology, pharma, automotive and consumer sectors. Mihaela is well known for her innovation initiatives and digital projects for DHL’s customers while achieving strong employee engagement with in her organization.

Lalitha Biddulph

GM - Technology Transformation, Westpac Group

Lalitha is the General Manager of the Technology Transformation Office at Westpac. In her current role she is responsible for managing the prioritisation, progression and execution of investments including associated multi-year programs. Lalitha also manages the emerging talent pipeline for her division. Lalitha has spent most of her global technology-focused career operating across large-scale, complex environments. Lalitha has held senior roles in American Express, Commonwealth Bank and Telstra where she managed large technology portfolios. Immediately prior to Westpac Lalitha spent 5 years with JP Morgan Chase as Head of Technology for APAC. Lalitha is an advocate in promoting diversity in the corporate world and participates in mentoring and supporting programs that build diversity in future leader pipelines. Outside work, Lalitha enjoys spending time with family and friends, gardening, reading, music, cooking and eating!

Inderpreet Sawhney

Group General Counsel and CCO, Infosys

Inderpreet is the Group General Counsel and the Chief Compliance Officer of Infosys. In this role she leads the legal and compliance function for the Company. She is a strategic business partner ensuring success for Infosys in legal and regulatory matters, while spearheading its compliance and ethics program. Inderpreet also has additional responsibility for Privacy and Data Protection at Infosys.

Inderpreet is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience, including as General Counsel of a large IT services company, and as Managing Partner of a mid-sized law firm in Silicon Valley. She serves on the Board of Directors of NYSE listed Hillenbrand Inc. and is a member of the National Advisory Council of SABANA (South Asian Bar Association of North America).

She was an honoree at the 2017 Transformative Leadership Awards, recognizing General Counsel who demonstrate commitment to advancing women in law. She is also a recipient of the Thought Leadership Award at the 2018 Global Transformative Leadership Awards and was featured among the top 25 Women Leaders in IT Services of 2020, published by The IT Services Report.

She is a frequent speaker at global conferences.

Inderpreet has a BA (Hons.) and LL.B. degree from Delhi University and an LL.M. from Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.

Vicki Russell

Chief Technology and Transformation Officer, MACS

Vicki is an executive leader with over 25 years of experience leading large teams to deliver business focused technology transformation in complex environments. Vicki has worked across both for-profit and not-for-profit organisations and is strongly focused on outstanding customer experience and energising teams through authentic and inspiring leadership. Vicki’s current focus is within the education sector, working in the K-12 environment, though having also worked within the higher education and specialist medical education industries her transformation experience covers the entire lifecycle of life-long learning. A key driver for Vicki is to help those organisations leap-frog with progressive technology advancements to enable the greatest outcomes for the communities they serve.

Miranda Ratajski

CIO, Group Business Units, Westpac

Miranda is the CIO of Group Business Units for Westpac. She is a leader of large scale and complex technological and digital transformations. Miranda has developed strategic and tactical direction, built high performing teams and enabled service to uplift to customer experiences. Her leadership, focus and business direction results in improved engagement and productivity through enhanced employee experience, delivering significantly engaged teams who have more time to delight customers. Driving excellence in product delivery is key to having systems that provide the right experience - Miranda has 25 years of global experience and is a master of this craft. Her experience spans Federal Government, Telecommunications and Financial Services sectors across Europe, Asia and Australia. Community is a strong anchor for Miranda, and she is also a volunteer yoga teacher. Miranda is passionate about diversity and promoting women in Technology.

Semra Barutchu

VP, Engineering Services- ASIA, Infosys

Semra is the Vice President of Engineering Services for Infosys Asia. She works with Enterprise and Service Providers, providing direction and guidance to customers as they transition their business through the use of digital technologies, such as IoT, 5G, Open technologies, DevOps Frameworks and automation.

Additionally, Semra led the development and implementation of the Infosys Global Engineering Strategy and the ongoing review and monitoring to ensure the achievement of the long-term objectives for the Infosys Engineering Services unit.

Semra has 20+ years’ experience working in several ICT multinationals and multiple industry segments including Communications, Manufacturing, High Tech, Retail, Financial Services, Government, Mining and Utilities.

Semra joined Infosys in 2013 to lead the ANZ Engineering Business Unit and in 2015 added Asia wide responsibility.

Svetha Venkatesh

Alfred Deakin Professor & Co-Director of A2I2

Svetha Venkatesh is an Alfred Deakin Professor and Co-Director of Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute (A2I2) at Deakin University. She was elected a Fellow of the International Association of Pattern Recognition in 2004 for contributions to formulation and extraction of semantics in multimedia data, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 2006, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2021 for ground-breaking research and contributions that have had clear impact. In 2017, Professor Venkatesh was appointed an Australian Laureate Fellow, the highest individual award the Australian Research Council can bestow. In 2019 Svetha was ranked in the list of the global top 15 women with the most AI publications on Arvix. And most recently in 2023 Svetha was awarded Australasian AI Award for Distinguished Research Contributions.

A pioneer in the field of pattern recognition, Svetha is globally renowned for accelerating scientific innovation, developing new technology that recognises patterns in big data and a type of artificial intelligence (AI) known as machine learning.

Svetha’s work is focused on developing cutting-edge solutions to problems of societal importance in critical areas like health, security, manufacturing and aged care, and has resulted in the ability to detect potential security threats in large data sets; a health analytics program that helps doctors predict suicide risk; and an early intervention system for children with autism

Keith Hopkins

GM, Product Technology, Kmart

Keith Hopkins joined Kmart Group in 2022 as General Manager of Merchandise and Supply Chain Technology being accountable for platforms across Merchandise, Inventory, Supply chain, Sourcing, Sustainability and New Markets across Kmart Australia, Target Australia and Anko.

Before joining Kmart Group, Keith was at AusNet Services as Chief Digital Officer and has also worked at Coles in various Technology leadership roles.

Raja Shah

SVP and Industry Head, Global Markets, Infosys

Raja Shah, Senior Vice President and Industry Head at Infosys is responsible for driving strategies and growth for CMT (Communication, Media and Technology) & SURE (Services, Utilities, Resources & Energy) verticals across Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. As an expert strategist with over 20 years in the IT industry, Raja helps Infosys’ global accounts to build on their core competencies and offer worldwide knowledge and expertise to their customers.

Working previously as a Client Partner for a large Telecommunications company, Raja has elevated Infosys to be a trusted advisor and partner. Leading this account since 2001, Raja has laid the foundation to build a strategic collaborative platform, diversifying growth across the client landscape. During this time, the client and Infosys have jointly won many industry awards in recognition of outcomes achieved with great success.

Before joining Infosys, Raja worked in business development and sales roles for FMCG. Raja has a Bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering and has attended a Stanford Leadership course alongside other global leaders, gaining critical business insights.

Raja resides in Melbourne with his wife and two children. During his free time, he enjoys playing cricket and watching the game live from the stadium with his family.

Cerise Devaux

CCO, Trans-Tasman Business Circle

With over 10 years of experience in local and international markets, Cerise thrives on crafting tailored engagement programmes that drive client success.

As Chief Customer Officer at the Trans-Tasman Business Circle, Cerise oversees transformative partnerships with multi-nationals, business, government, academic, and sporting leaders. Known for her communication skills and meticulous attention to detail, Cerise has achieved a track record of exceeding customer expectations.

Passionate about Singapore, Cerise has taken the Singapore Business Circle to new heights, engaging with members and executives alike. Through innovative programmes, she has fostered thought leadership and cultivated strategic partnerships across the region. Her commitment extends to the broader APAC landscape, where she continues to drive initiatives that propel business growth and collaboration. In addition to her executive role, Cerise has a passion for MCing events and moderating panels for both private and public sector clients, fostering meaningful connections among diverse stakeholders.

As a lifelong learner, Cerise constantly seeks knowledge through reading, traveling, and engaging with diverse perspectives. Originally from Belgium, her love for hosting and exploring new cuisines reflects her commitment to creating memorable experiences.

Irwin Lee

President & CEO, Universal Robina Corporation

Mr. Irwin Lee joined in May 2018 as President and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Robina Corporation. Prior to this, he served as CEO of Rustan Supercenters. Mr. Lee started his career at Procter & Gamble (P&G) in the Philippines and rose to become Chief Financial Officer in Indonesia, Japan/Korea and Greater China. He then held General Manager and Managing Director roles in China and UK/Ireland, culminating as Regional CEO for P&G Northern Europe. Before coming back to the Philippines, he served as a board member at Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc and as senior advisor at McKinsey & Co. Mr. Lee graduated Summa Cum Laude with an Accountancy degree from De La Salle University, and completed Executive Education Program at IESE Business School, University of Navarra.

Tim Hogarth

CTO, ANZ

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 prioritization. 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.

He’s worked in other banks in North America, the UK and in Australia, and has a technology delivery track record spanning more than twenty years. A practical and considered leader, Tim spends a great deal of time thinking about how to harness emerging technology industry shifts for greater enterprise value in large organisations.

Tony Baird

CTO, One NZ

At One NZ, Tony is responsible for the delivery of all core infrastructure including networks and platforms for both consumer and enterprise customers as well as cybersecurity, enterprise-level IT systems and overseeing the wholesale team (which rebranded to Infrastructure Partners in 2022). He Joined Vodafone in 2010 and was appointed Chief Technology Officer in 2012. In 2023 the IT and Digital function was merged back under Tony’s management creating the new Technology function. He has over 30 years’ experience in the telecommunications industry spanning New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

Tony has worked in various telco sector roles starting in R&D in the UK for Nortel Networks and upon returning to NZ, CEO/Director roles including Farmside, Kordia (Board) and is also currently a Director for Rural Connectivity Group.

Shivaune Field

Business Journalist, Forbes Australia

Shivaune Field is a journalist with Forbes Australia, reporting for both its digital operation, as well as the Forbes Australia magazine. Field previously wrote for Forbes in the U.S., interviewing Ariana Huffington, Karlie Kloss, Tory Birch, Barbara Corcoran, and other business leaders.

Prior to her time at Forbes, Field was a journalist at Bloomberg Media, based in the Los Angeles bureau, covering technology, innovation and the business of media. While at Bloomberg, Field interviewed company leaders including Elon Musk, Jessica Alba, Tony Hsieh, Charlie Munger, George Lucas and Jay Leno among many others.

Beyond journalism, Field is a PhD candidate researching the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and global governance. She holds a specialisation in the business implications of Artificial Intelligence from MIT, a qualification in Global Business Enterprise from the University of Oxford, and an MBA focused on Global Business from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School.

In 2016, Field Co-Chaired the UN Women LA Media Summit in support of HeForShe, focused on gender equality in the media. In 2012, she field-produced the Bloomberg primetime special ‘Women to Watch’ featuring YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, Facebook VP Carolyn Everson and COO Sheryl Sandberg, among other high-achieving women in the tech sector.

Field teaches a course on the generation of new venture ideas to MBA students at the Pepperdine University Graziadio Business School in Malibu, Los Angeles.

Charlton Hill

Head Of Music and Innovation | CEO | Co-Founder of Uncanny Valley

Charlton Hill has decades of experience in the music, television, advertising and technology industries in an array of creative roles including major recording artist, published songwriter and actor to innovative strategist and music technology entrepreneur.

In 2010, with a foot firmly planted in both art and commerce, Charlton partnered with international music producer and sonic technologist Justin Shave to establish Uncanny Valley - a high end, music and technology company that has since risen to prominence around the world.

Together they have harnessed expertise to deliver on a prolific array of projects, consulting to artists and labels, major brands, agencies and broadcast networks, assisting them to deliver their unique sound and tell stories in progressive ways.

Most recently, Uncanny Valley won the Eurovision inspired, global AI Song Contest with academics partners from UNSW and RMIT universities highlighting their great interest and achievements in the field of AI generative music.

Justin Shave

Creative Director | CTO | Co-Founder of Uncanny Valley

Justin Shave is an Australian music producer and sonic technologist who works simultaneously across the TV, record and advertising industries. With a string of platinum records, Justin has helped artists and brands around the world find their sound and sonic identity. In recent years he produced tracks for TQX and Sia, Darren Hayes [Savage Garden] and the Potbelleez.

With a degree in music, computing science | pure mathematics from the University of Sydney. Justin has performed around the world from Wembley to Moscow, consulted for music tech companies like Native Instruments [Berlin], Fairlight Instruments [Australia] and developed his own software synthesizers.

In 2010 Justin partnered with music, tech and commerce specialist Charlton Hill, to establish Uncanny Valley - a high end, music and sonic branding company that has quickly risen to prominence in both Australia and Asia.

Sankar V S

Director & Digital Services Leader (East Asia), Arup

Mr Villupuram holds the responsibility of leading Digital Services for Arup in East Asia. He has over 24 years of experience in design and implementation of transformational smart operational solutions leveraging Internet of Things (IoT) and data analytics across various domains viz. construction, immigration , police, customs, casinos, property, cargo terminals etc. He has managed several landmark projects in Hong Kong and gained extensive multidisciplinary experience in bid to strategic delivery. His pro-bono work includes Co-President position at the Hong Kong Internet of Things Alliance and serving Project Management Institute (Hong Kong Chapter Board).

Currently, his role includes advising, designing and developing around Data & AI platforms as well as cyber security assurance across City, Campus, Infrastructure & Buildings. His role covers south east Asian geographies and greater china.

Sankar has led city wide ‘intelligent transportation system and automatic fare collection system’ at Davao, Philippines, defining ‘Data governance and IT Security policy’ for underground utility information system for Lands Department (HK), construction noise management system for Environment protection department (HK), Geo-spatial analytics for Asian Development Bank to analyze ‘Social and Environmental impact assessment’ and many other smart building projects across HK, China, Macau, Philippines.

Mr Villupuram holds MBA (HKUST) with a bachelor’s in Electrical & Electronics Engineering. He is a professionally qualified CPIT (Project Director), PMP, CISA & CISM. He has completed the executive course from MIT on Innovation & Leadership apart from being awarded ‘Value Driven CXO’ by INSEAD, INTEL & HPE in 2019.

Dayle Stevens OAM

Executive, Data & AI ,Telstra

Dayle Stevens is the Data & AI Executive at Telstra. Dayle has over 30 years’ experience in the tech industry, have held notable executive positions at NAB and AGL., and global consulting roles with PwC. Outside of Telstra, Dayle is a non-executive director at Beyond Blue, Australia’s most well-known and trusted mental health organisation.

Dayle has long championed diversity in STEM across industry and age group boundaries, both through her own work and with global organisations such as Robogals & Girl Geek Academy aimed at encouraging women and girls to participate in STEM.

Dayle’s work has been recognised with multiple industry and professional awards, including being named in the CIO50 list of the best CIOs in Australia, the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence, and being awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her services to information technology and to women. 

Amy Allerton

Founder and Director, Indigico Creative

Amy is the founder and Director of Indigico Creative, a graphic designer, photographer and contemporary Aboriginal artist. Amy is a Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung woman whose family’s traditional land is located in the Clarence Valley, NSW, in a rural area called Cangai. Amy’s identity is strongly grounded in Gomeroi culture, history, dreaming, art and language having been born and raised in Tamworth, NSW, where she still lives with her husband and two children.

Amy first started her business journey as a graphic designer in 2014 and has since been collaborating with businesses and partnering with communities Australia-wide to creatively communicate the stories that bring us together. After reconnecting with her artistic roots, Amy merged her skills in digital communication design with her art expression to deliver a modern approach to Aboriginal storytelling in the form of digital art. Amy’s artworks are an extension from her journey of exploring her own cultural identity, bringing her unique ability to speak in colour and imagery to create visual representations of the journeys and values of organisations and communities.

Yaw Yee Kee

CIO, StarHub

Yaw Yee is responsible for the Information Technology (IT) strategy, IT infrastructure, systems and applications required to support StarHub’s business growth and customer goals.

Prior to joining StarHub, Yaw Yee has held leadership roles in multinational companies like Accenture, Hewlett-Packard and AsiaInfo. With over 24 years of experience in IT and management consulting, he has consistently delivered large-scale transformational programmes for local and regional clients, using different methodologies and technology solutions.

Yaw Yee was recognised as one of the top 50 CIOs in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong by IDG CIO50 ASEAN Awards 2020. Yaw Yee holds a Bachelor (Honours) of Electrical Engineering and Electronics from the University of Manchester, Institute of Science and Technology in the United Kingdom. He has a Performers’ Diploma in piano from the Trinity College of Music, London.

Andal Alwan

VP & Regional Head- APAC, Consumer Goods, Retail & Logistics, Infosys

Andal is a seasoned professional with over 25+ experience in the consulting and technology industries and has extensively worked with global and regional brands across the APAC markets. She excels in partnering with CxOs is developing their digital-lead business transformation agenda and brings keen insights into various industries incl consumer facing industries, logistics, manufacturing and travel n transportation. Currently she leads the APAC region for Infosys’s Consumer, Retail and Logistics segment.

She is a passionate champion of diversity and actively mentors women professionals within and outside Infosys. She resides in Singapore with her family and enjoys music and dance.

Sanjeev Gupta

Chief Information & Transformation Officer, HBF Health

Sanjeev Gupta commenced in February 2022 and is HBF’s Chief Information & Transformation Officer. In this position, Mr Gupta is leading the HBF’s transformation program that involves replacement of the Core Insurance Platform, CRM, all Digital Assets including customer and employee portals, Website and App, Marketing Automation, and the Data Platform – all moving the Public Cloud and also implementing a Scaled Agile Model across the entire business for the ongoing way of working. Mr Gupta is also responsible for leading HBF’s technology – including technology risk, delivery, infrastructure and operations, solutions, and cloud engineering – as well as managing HBF’s core technology platforms and driving improvements to enhance workplace practices and member value.

Mr Gupta has more than 30 years’ experience leading large and diverse teams at organisations including Greenstone Financial Services, HCF, Cover-More Group, Wesfarmers Insurance and Fuji Xerox Australia. He has delivered several significant and complex digital transformation programs and is passionate about leveraging data, analytics and technology to achieve business strategy.

In addition to his role at HBF, Mr Gupta is a member of the advisory board for the Business Information Management Program at the University of South Australia’s School of Computer and Information Science.

Mr Gupta holds a Bachelor of Technology (Hons) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and a Master of Business Administration (Technology Management) from Deakin University.

Kunal Mathur

Enterprise Sales Leader, IBM Australia & New Zealand

Kunal Mathur, is a highly experienced Technology Leader with greater than 15 years experience in the technology and consulting sectors spanning both IBM and Deloitte.

Kunal is responsible for leading IBM’s largest and most complex negotiations with the organisation’s largest clients in Australia and New Zealand. He leads a team of high performance individuals specialising in executing complex multi year strategic deals that enable IBM's customers' journey of Hybrid Cloud and AI.

In recognition of his unique ability to devise, implement and optimise strategic technology partnerships, Kunal was a member of the Australian Government’s Trade Mission to the USA in November 2023.