Speakers

Brett Lee

Australian Cricketing Legend

Brett Lee is a former Australian international cricketer and fast bowler, who played and became a cult legend in all three formats of the game of cricket. He is widely regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in the history of the game maxing out with a top speed of 161.1 kmph.

Brett made his international debut for Australia in December 1999 and quickly established himself on the world scene. Known for his blistering pace, aggression, and ability to generate extreme bounce, he struck fear into the hearts of batsmen around the world.

With his smooth run-up, explosive action, and ability to consistently bowl above 150 km/h, Brett was a formidable presence on the cricket field.

Throughout his career, Brett played 76 Test matches, taking 310 test wickets at an average of 30.81. In One Day Internationals, he claimed 380 wickets in 221 matches at an average of 23.36, equal most wickets for Australia along with Glenn McGrath.

After retiring from international cricket in 2012, Brett transitioned into the world of cricket broadcasting and commentary whilst continuing his domestic Big Bash career right up until 2015.

His deep understanding of the game, coupled with his engaging personality, made him a natural fit for this role. He continues to serve as a commentator for Fox Sports in Australia and Viacom 18 in India.

In India, Brett’s popularity soared as he embraced the culture by learning Hindi and connected with the fans on a personal level. His love for Bollywood endeared him to the Indian audience, making him a beloved figure in the cricket-crazy nation. This popularity led to numerous brand endorsements and appearances in Australian & Indian films.

Brett’s ability to connect the world of sport to business can be attributed to his strong

relationships with the subcontinent. He was once invited on a business delegation trip to India with then Prime Minister, the Honourable Tony Abbott, where the PM was quoted saying “I didn’t understand the power of cricket until I came to India with Brett Lee”.

Brett has been actively involved in promoting cricket in India and has worked closely with various organizations to foster collaborations and partnerships. His charisma, combined with his business acumen, has enabled him to create a significant impact in the sports industry, particularly in the Indian subcontinent.

Meg Lanning

Former Captain, Australian Women’s Test, ODI & T20 teams

Former captain of the Australian Women’s Test, ODI and T20 teams Meg Lanning boasts an incredible domestic and international record.

Meg made her T20 International debut on 30 December 2010 against New Zealand. She then made her One-Day International (ODI) debut on 5 January 2011 against England at the WACA Ground. Two days later, in just her 2nd international game, she scored her maiden ODI century against England, making 103 not out off 148 balls. In doing so, at 18 years and 288 days she became the country’s youngest ever centurion and youngest ever Australian cricket captain – male or female. Meg also holds the records for the fastest 50 and fastest 100 in an ODI by an Australian female cricketer, breaking the record in December 2012 scoring a century off just 45 balls.

Meg has also won the Belinda Clarke Medal twice – the prize for Australia’s top International Women’s cricketer.

Meg was #1 ranked batter in the world in the ODI and T-20 formats until she was forced to have surgery on a shoulder injury, that kept her out of the 2017/18 Ashes Series.

Meg captained the Southern Stars to an incredible Ashes Series win in the UK in August 2015 – this is the first time the feat has been achieved since 2001. She repeated the feat in 2019, where Australia dominated the series winning 12-4 on the points system. During the series, she set a world record highest score in a T20I, smashing 133 not out off just 63 balls at Chelmsford.

Meg has led the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars to three successive ICC World T20 titles and achieved the feat again in November, 2018, defeating England in the World Cup final. Then in March 2020, after carrying the weight of a home nation on her shoulders for 2 years, Meg led the Aussies to yet another brilliant World Cup victory at the MCG, in front of 86,000 spectators.

She played over 200 matches for Australia and scored 15 x ODI centuries at an average of over 50, plus 2 x T20I centuries. She scored 93 in the 2022 Ashes Test to record her highest score in the Test format.

In April, 2022 Meg captained Australia to victory in the ICC ODI World Cup in NZ – her 4th world cup title as captain. She was also the 5th highest run scorer in the tournament with 394 runs including a majestic 135 v South Africa.

In June 2022, Meg was acknowledged in the annual Queen’s Birthday Honours List and awarded Member of the General Division (AM) for significant service to women’s cricket at the elite level.

In 2023, she captained Australia to a record 5th ICC World Cup title, defeating South Africa in the T20 final in India.

Meg is captain of the Delhi Capitals in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in India and is consistently amongst the leading run scorers.

In November, 2023 Meg announced her retirement from international cricket, marking the end of an astonishing career spanning 13 years representing Australia, including a decade as captain.

Meg continues to play domestic cricket in the WBBL and also with Delhi Capitals in the WPL.

Mark Bouris

CEO & Founder Yellow Brick Road, Host of the Apprentice

Mark Bouris is an Australian entrepreneur who has been innovating for years, challenging the business landscape with disruptive models that help Australians succeed. Having built his reputation as a finance specialist taking on Australia’s banks, his unique brand of charisma & curiosity sees his influence cut across multiple worlds. From businesses large and small, to politics and sport, Mark pays forward his knowledge and experience, to help grow and nurture the next generation of Australian success stories.

Best known as the founder of ‘Wizard Home Loans’, Australia’s second largest non-bank mortgage lender, which he sold to General Electric in 2004. Mark is now the Executive Chairman of Yellow Brick Road, where he continues his mission to help Australians access their dream homes.

Appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2015 for his significant service to the finance industry, his sharp financial commentary and trademark “tell it straight” attitude resonates with everyday Australians and led to his foray into television. The former host of the Nine Network’s The Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice, as well as The Mentor on the Seven Network, Mark’s time on Australian screens cemented his place as a trusted voice in finance and business.

Making use of his media platform and decades of experience in business, Mark is committed to sharing the insights and knowledge of Australia’s leading business minds through the Mentored Platform, which helps small business owners and entrepreneurs come together, grow, and succeed. His 2019 three-city speaking tour brought together more than 9,000 small business owners and entrepreneurs keen to hear his advice.

He pays forward his knowledge and that of others to Australian entrepreneurs through his podcasts, The Mentor and Straight Talk, original series, Survive & Thrive, and his books, What It Takes and Rise.

Away from business, Mark sits on the board of the Sydney Roosters, and looks forward to the Roosters lifting the premiership trophy next season

Dylan Alcott

2022 Australian of the Year, Paralympic Gold Medalist & 23-time Grand Slam Champion

2022 Australian of the Year, Dylan Alcott AO, is one of Australia’s most successful and well recognised Paralympians, media personalities and disability advocates. In 2021 he became the only male in any form of tennis to win the 'Golden Slam', winning the Australian, French, Wimbledon and US Open Championships, and he is a Paralympic Gold Medallist in two different sports. He is a 23-time Grand Slam champion.

Since retiring from professional tennis Dylan has not slowed down in any way and his drive is stronger than ever when it comes to his purpose and mission: to change perceptions so people with disability can live the lives they deserve to live.

In 2017, Dylan launched the Dylan Alcott Foundation, providing grants, scholarships and mentoring to young Australians with disability to eliminate the barriers of entry to get involved in sports, study, training, employment and business ownership. In the same year, he co-founded consultancy firm Get Skilled Access with a purpose to create a new generation of disability inclusion that is equitable for all. More recently he co - founded and launched The Field Jobs – a dedicated platform to establish pathways between job seekers with a Disability and employers of all types in the marketplace as well as The Shift 20 Initiative - an education awareness and awareness campaign aimed at achieving increased representation in mainstream advertising and marketing.

Dylan was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2022 for distinguished service to Paralympic sport, particularly to tennis, and as a role model for people with disability, and to the community through a range of organisations.

A 23-time Grand Slam Quad Wheelchair Tennis Champion, he made history in 2021 as the first male tennis player to achieve the ‘Golden Slam’ by winning all four Grand Slams and the Paralympic Gold Medal in a single calendar year. Alcott has also won four Paralympic Gold Medals and two Silver Medals across wheelchair tennis and basketball. Beyond sports, he co-hosts the ListenABLE podcast, authored the biography ‘Able’, and has acted in various roles, including in “BUMP” and as the narrator for the 2024 Sydney run of the Rocky Horror Show. He hosted the Nine Network’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games and won the 2019 Logie Award for Best New Talent. Alcott’s achievements are further immortalized with a Madame Tussauds wax figure, and he was honored with the 2016 Newcombe Medal, the highest accolade in Australian tennis.

Janine Allis

Australian Businesswoman, Author, and Founder of Boost Juice

Janine is not your everyday self-made businesswoman. She grew her juice and smoothie empire in 2000 from her kitchen bench to an international success story. Since its inception three brands: Salsa's Fresh Mex Grill, CIBO Espresso and Betty's Burgers have joined Retail Zoo.

Janine’s business approach has made her a leader in her field, with BRW listing Janine as one of the top 15 people who have changed the way business is done in the last 25 years and Bastion Collective listing her as one of Australia’s top 20 most successful Australians. Her awards are numerous including Telstra Businesswoman of the Year.

Janine is a bestselling author of The Accidental Entrepreneur, has featured on Shark Tank, Australian Survivor, Celebrity Apprentice and Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars. This year she launched a new online Business course called The Business Academy, to help the next generation of Entrepreneurs.Janine is not your everyday self-made businesswoman. She grew her juice and smoothie empire in 2000 from her kitchen bench to an international success story. Since its inception three brands: Salsa's Fresh Mex Grill, CIBO Espresso and Betty's Burgers have joined Retail Zoo.

Janine’s business approach has made her a leader in her field, with BRW listing Janine as one of the top 15 people who have changed the way business is done in the last 25 years and Bastion Collective listing her as one of Australia’s top 20 most successful Australians. Her awards are numerous including Telstra Businesswoman of the Year.

Janine is a bestselling author of The Accidental Entrepreneur, has featured on Shark Tank, Australian Survivor, Celebrity Apprentice and Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars. This year she launched a new online Business course called The Business Academy, to help the next generation of Entrepreneurs.

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.

Toby Walsh

Scientia Professor of Artificial Intelligence, University of New South Wales & CSIRO's Data61

Toby Walsh is Scientia Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of New South Wales and CSIRO's Data61. He has a B.A. from the University of Cambridge and a M.Sc. and Ph.D. degree from the University of Edinburgh. He was named by the Australian newspaper as one of the "rock stars" of Australia's digital revolution.

Professor Walsh is a strong advocate for limits to ensure AI is used to improve our lives. He has, for example, been a leading voice in the discussion about killer robots, speaking at the UN, and to heads of state, parliamentary bodies, company boards and many other bodies on this topic.

He has been elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. He is the winner of the prestigious Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science and was named on the international "Who's Who in AI" list of influencers. His twitter account was voted in the top ten to follow to keep abreast of developments in AI. He has won both the Humboldt Prize and the NSW Premier's Prize for Excellence in Engineering and ICT.

He has given talks at public and trade events like CeBIT, the World Knowledge Forum, TEDx, New Scientist Live and writers festivals in Adelaide, Bendigo, Bhutan, Brisbane, Canberra, Geelong, Jaipur, Margaret River, Melbourne, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Sydney and elsewhere. He appears regularly on TV and radio, has been profiled by the New York Times and has authored four books on AI for a general audience, the most recent ones entitled "Faking It: Artificial Intelligence in a Human World" and "Machines Behaving Badly”.

Kim Krogh Andersen

Group Executive, Product & Technology, Telstra

Kim Krogh Andersen joined Telstra in January 2020 as Group Executive, Product & Technology.

In this role, Kim leads Telstra's Product & Technology function, which is responsible for creating and delivering products and solutions that customers across all segments value and that drive profitable growth for Telstra. He has accountability for Telstra's product strategy, lifecycle and P&L, as well as technology and innovation where products are incubated and brought to scale. As of December 2022, Kim is also accountable for Telstra's IT and Data & AI functions and accelerating the organisation's digital leadership as part of its T25 growth strategy.

Before joining Telstra, Kim was Senior Vice President, Head of Global Technology Strategy with the Telenor Group, a leading telecommunications company with operations across Scandinavia and Asia. He had responsibility for defining global technology roadmaps as well as leading Telenor's Global 5G Execution Program as it prepared for the launch of 5G across all of Telenor's markets.

Prior to this role, Kim held a very broad range of roles with Telenor including Director Customer Services Denmark with end-to-end responsibility for customer service and Chief Marketing Officer for Telenor Global Services with responsibility for product development and management.

Prior to joining Telenor in 2008, Kim served as an officer in the Danish Army for 13 years.

Kim is a father of three and is living in the beautiful city of Sydney with his wife and children.

Archana Vemulapalli

Corporate Vice President, AMD

Archana Vemulapalli is AMD CVP, Global Commercial Sales, overseeing the Global Server and Data Center Sales teams and leads GSI/SI alliances worldwide across the Data Center ecosystem. She also serves in Paycom’s Board of Directors, a leading provider of comprehensive, cloud-based HR and pay-roll management software.

Archana has extensive experience from her previous leadership positions at AWS, where she was the Head of Product Management and Global Strategy for Data and AI services at AWS spanning AI/ML, Generative AI, Next Generation Developer experience, Analytics and Database products. She served as a Senior Advisor to CEOs, Boards, Government and C-Suite leaders as they form their Data and AI corporate strategy and is helping leaders embrace Generative AI. She joined AWS in 2021 as the Head of Solutions Architecture for North America, where she led a team of more than 1,400 solutions architects to enable some of the world’s largest companies to leverage the latest innovations in cloud computing technology. Archana is an accomplished business leader with deep technology expertise. She is recognized for executing strategies that help global companies build teams, develop the right organizational structures and create value with data services that rapidly transform their business.

Prior to AWS, Archana was the General Manager (P&L) and Global CTO for IBM's $22B Infrastructure Services business with direct oversight of global portfolio strategy, software product development, and offerings portfolio for 175 countries and more than 7,000 clients. In her role, Archana transformed product strategy, investments, and management to drive double digit software led cloud services growth globally. Prior to IBM, Archana served as the CTO for Washington DC, where she held a key cabinet position overseeing the central technology agency overseeing $1B in IT spend citywide, managing enterprise applications, infrastructure, and delivering services to 33,000 employees and 670,000 district residents.

Archana serves on the Trustees Council of Penn Women, the James Brister Society at the University of Pennsylvania, and is a member of the Board of Advisors for the Global Good Fund. She is the recipient of several honors, including the Washington Business Journal’s C-Suite Award, The Washingtonian Tech Titan Award, State Scoop’s Golden Executive of the Year Award, and Top Women in Tech Award.

She has a master’s degree in leadership from McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, a master’s degree in Telecommunications from the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree in Engineering from the University of Madras.

Michael Ruttledge

CIO & Head of Technology Services, Citizens Bank

Michael Ruttledge is the Chief Information Officer and Head of Technology Services for Citizens Financial Group. He oversees all aspects of the bank’s technology environment, from customer- and client-facing applications to the people, processes and infrastructure supporting Citizens’ day-to-day business operations. He spearheaded our Next Generation Technology transformation to modernize the bank and deliver personalized, digital solutions for customers and delivered a major up-skilling initiative and strong culture of learning through immersive Engineering and Architecture Academies, digital credentialing and building of critical skills for the future such as AI, Blockchain, Modern API’s and Cloud.

Before joining Citizens in 2019, he previously held the position of Unit Chief Information Officer of American Express Co. He has more than 20 years of experience in infrastructure and engineering roles within the financial services industry including payments, merchant services, customer service, risk, fraud, banking and finance. He has been recognized for developing the vision, strategy and innovative culture to execute new digital capabilities, big data, payments, and next generation analytics platforms that advance business strategies. He received a graduate degree in Information Systems from the University of Brighton in the United Kingdom.

Susan Redden Makatoa

MD, Strategem Corporate Advisory

Susan is one of Australia’s leading corporate communications advisers, having led large practice teams and provided high-level counsel to organisations including PayPal, Infosys, Mitsubishi, GSK, Danone, VMWare, LinkedIn, eBay, Mars, AstraZeneca, DPWorld, Microsoft and American Express.

Before forming Stratagem, Susan was Executive Vice President APAC for Edelman, leading the Corporate practice across eleven markets, and Group Managing Director Corporate for Ogilvy Public Relations. Susan brings a strong public affairs and advocacy skills set and many years of issues and crisis management experience, particularly in highly regulated and complex stakeholder environments.

Susan is a sought-after public speaker, commentator and moderator, including:

• TedX address at Macquarie University

• Keynotes to Customer Owned Banking Association, Executive Women Australia, University of Technology, Charles Sturt University, Sydney University, Centre for Economic Development Australia, Australian Institute of Company Directors, International Association of Business Communicators, Consumer Health Forum, Corporate Affairs Network, University of Queensland, NSW Business Chamber, Government Connect, Amazon, Twitter (X).

• Host/MC of three Public Relations Institute of Australia conferences, including panel moderation

• Moderator of panels for CPRA, Mumbrella, Corporate Affairs Summit

• Panellist for IABC, Mumbrella, Lion Nathan, Sanofi, CommsCon, Local Government Summit, Edelman APAC.

Susan also teaches in the Masters of Strategic Communication program at Sydney University, Australia’s highest ranked educational institution, and sits on the board of the Touched By Olivia Foundation.

She has won a range of national and international awards for her work with corporate, government and not-for-profit clients, and regularly speaks on business and communication issues.

Kieran Byrne

CTO, One NZ

Kieran Byrne is the Chief Technology Officer at One New Zealand, based in Auckland

Kieran joined then-Vodafone NZ in January 2021, initially leading Technology Commercial Operations and later serving as General Manager of Strategy & Transformation. He was appointed a Director of the Rural Connectivity Group in October 2023, a joint venture between the three NZ mobile network operators.

Kieran holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Canterbury and an MBA from London Business School. Prior to joining One New Zealand, Kieran spent seven years as a management consultant for Bain and Company, specializing in telecommunications and working across Australasia, Asia, and Africa.

Tess Bennett

Technology Reporter, The Australian Financial Review

Tess Bennett is a technology reporter with The Australian Financial Review, based in the Brisbane newsroom. She began her career in trade publications including Inside Retail and iTNews, before joining the Financial Review as its work & careers reporter in 2021.

Yannie Onsen

Head of Credit & Sales, ANZ Bank, Institutional Technology Division

Yannie is the Head of Credit & Sales Institutional Technology. Yannie leads a newly formed team of specialists who work in partnership with and support our Wholesale Credit, Corporate Finance and Research & Economics businesses to innovate and help shape our ANZ Institutional Bank strategy. Yannie’s tech portfolio includes carriage of ANZ’s Institutional Tech Strategies for Credit, Data & Analytics, ESG and CRM.

Previous to ANZ, Yannie held multiple global and regional roles at Lehman, Nomura Securities and Citi. Yannie’s career has focused on business transformation with demonstrable success in large scale productivity, change, innovation and client delivery across Operations and Technology (O&T). Her banking career has spanned multiple business lines in Venture Investment, FinTech, Enterprise O&T, Institutional Banking, and locations such US, Japan, Hong Kong, Philippines, and Australia.

Yannie holds a Bachelor of Business in Finance and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies. She is a strong advocate of women in finance.

Brendan Harrap

General Manager of Business Services, ANZ

Brendan Harrap is the General Manager of Business Services at ANZ, where he focuses on building common services and platforms across the ANZ Group enhancing operations and customer outcomes. With extensive experience in technology and financial services, Brendan has held key positions at CBA, Bankwest, Deloitte, and Suncorp, driving significant initiatives and transformations. Known for his expertise in technology architecture, service management, and business transformation, Brendan is a recognized thought leader in the industry and an active participant in industry forums and conferences.

Lionel Chatelet

CCO, Pacific International Lines

Aged 50, with 25+ years working in the transportation and logistics sector as a BU executive in various continents and organizations, Lionel Chatelet has since 2 years taken a leadership role in Singapore as Pacific International Lines (PIL) Chief Commercial Officer.

Pacific International Lines (PIL) is the 12th largest worldwide and 1st South East Asian Container shipping line, operating 100 vessels connecting Asia to the Global South and Oceania.

He is in charge of PIL Worldwide Agencies Network, PIL Business Processes and Shared Services, and PIL Global Accounts. He is contributing actively to PIL’s transformation.

Before that, he spent the past 2 years leading in the IT Consulting business for the Indian tech giant Infosys, as Associate Partner in their European Logistics practice. Before that, he had various roles in France, Canada and Brazil in a major French based global container shipping line, taking care successively of Rail Operations, Agency Management, East Coast South America Region and IT Transformation over a 13 years period. He started his career in West Africa (Cote d’Ivoire), working as a project director for the European Commission, focusing on supporting Fruits exports. Lionel completed Insead’s Advanced Management Program (July 2019). He is post graduated in Economics in the Universities of Montpellier and Saint-Etienne (France). He is married and father of two daughters, Loïs (22) and Marine (19).

Nadia Cameron

Editor – Marketing | Associate Publisher, Mi3 Australia

Over her 25-year career, Nadia has worked as a Publisher, Managing Editor, Editor, News Editor, Journalist, content strategist and facilitator and speaker across digital media properties, magazine publications and events supporting professional and consumer audiences. It’s a career that has seen her build substantial expertise and knowledge working across marketing, B2B, technology and business publications in Australia and the UK. An award-winning industry journalist and editor, Nadia is best known for founding and running CMO Australia, the dedicated publication for Australia's marketing leadership community from 2013 - 2023, where she was Editor and Publisher. She also created the acclaimed CMO50 program, recognising Australia's most effective marketing leaders. Nadia has maintained a focus on technology and business throughout her career, spearheading titles including CIO, Australian Reseller News (ARN), Exhibition News, Exhibition World, FaceTime Magazine, PC World, Computerworld, Australian Telecom and Business Asia.

Today, Nadia is the editor of marketing and associate publisher of leading Australian marketing and media title, Mi3, and creator and program manager of the new CMO Awards, celebrating the country’s most innovative and effective marketing leaders.

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!

Andrew Groth

EVP, Asia Pacific, Infosys

Andrew is the Region Head for Infosys Asia Pacific and as an Industry Head, he is also part of the Global Financial Services Executive Leadership team. In addition, Andrew serves on the Boards of Infosys Compaz and Infosys Portland.

Having lived and worked across Europe, Asia Pacific and the United States, Andrew has rich strategic experience with many of the largest organisations in the world – including major financial institutions.

Andrew is a Senior Associate of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance, a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management.

Raja Shah

EVP - Global Markets, Infosys

Raja Shah, Executive Vice President and Industry Head at Infosys, is an accomplished business leader. He has over 27 years of diverse experience and consistent track record of scaling trusted client relationships and building high-performing teams. He leads the CMT & SURE sectors (Technology, Media, Energy, Utilities, Communications, and Services) across global markets, helping clients leverage Infosys' vast expertise to drive innovation and growth. At Infosys, Raja has been instrumental in transforming the company into a trusted advisor and strategic partner, and helped secured numerous industry awards and Industry first for its clients.

As a senior leader for global markets, Raja also serves on the Board of Directors for Infosys Malaysia and Infosys Thailand along with leadership council for Asia Pacific and Middle east. A strong advocate for Diversity and Inclusion, he actively promotes an inclusive workplace culture within Infosys.

Raja holds a Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering. He has also completed the Global leadership programs at Stanford university and Harvard Business School. Based in Melbourne, he enjoys spending time with his family, watching live cricket, and playing the sport in his spare time.

Dinesh Rao

Chief Delivery Officer, Infosys

Dinesh Rao has over three decades of experience in the IT services industry where he has played diverse roles heading Global Delivery across several IT services offerings and industry verticals at Infosys with a strong track record of driving digital transformation for enterprises.

Dinesh Rao as Co-Head of Delivery, sets and evolves the strategic direction for the portfolio of offerings, while nurturing a strong leadership team to drive its execution.

He currently heads Infosys’ service offerings - Enterprise Application Services, Infosys Quality Engineering, Consulting Services, Engineering Services and Strategic Technology Group for IT services delivery across global clients. Additionally, Dinesh holds the geography responsibility of Global Delivery for EMEA, APAC and AnZ

Under Dinesh’s leadership Infosys won many awards demonstrating great customer success and business growth with clients, analysts, and partners. He has successfully led M&A effort for Infosys cutting across geographies to strengthen the offerings and global expertise.

Dinesh Rao is on the board of Fluido, Simplus, Panaya, Base life science, Kaleidoscope, Infosys Consulting and InSemi, wholly owned subsidiaries of Infosys.

Dinesh Rao is also an active member of several non-profit organisations. He is the founder and managing trustee of “UDAYA”, the social support organisation which is actively involved in the field of education for under privileged & orphan children.

Dinesh is also a member of the representative council of the Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce and member of the Confederation of Indian Industries’ (CII) National Committee.

David Wilson

SVP, Partner Ecosystem and Head of Global Alliances, Infosys

David Wilson is the Senior Vice President Infosys Partner Ecosystem and Head of Global Alliances. In this role David is responsible for all aspects of the Infosys partner ecosystem, including extending current alliances, designing new partnership models, developing new channel business lines and the corporate global business partner management system. Partnerships have long been a critical component of the Infosys core business and are rapidly increasing in importance with the shift to Digital.

Prior to joining Infosys, David was the Vice President, IBM Business Partner and Cloud Ecosystem. In this role David lead IBM’s global software business partner channel and the IBM Computer Services Industry mission. This included all "sell to", "sell through" and "sell with" software channel business across IBM’s global network of resellers, distributors, ISVs / MSPs and the next generation partner ecosystem. The business bridged from traditional transactional revenue to consumption-based revenue across IBM's entire SaaS, PaaS and IaaS offerings. David joined IBM as part of the acquisition of Toronto based Footprint Software and relocated to the United States in 2004 where he worked from IBM's corporate offices in Armonk New York. Prior to Footprint, David held senior leadership roles at Corepoint Technologies and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC).

David is a graduate of the University of Toronto and resides in Connecticut with his wife and two daughters.

Andrew Duncan

CEO & Managing Partner, Infosys Consulting

Andrew Duncan leads the Infosys Consulting business globally – the company’s signature management consulting practice which drives transformative strategy and innovation for some of world’s largest brands.

Andrew joined Infosys Consulting in 2019 and has transformed the European business into a high-performance entity with double digit revenue growth and industry-leading profitability. Andrew has significantly influenced the culture of the firm, creating an organization where people have a strong sense of pride and belief in the company and where top talent aspires to work.

Following his degree in electrical engineering from Imperial College London, Andrew has had a very successful and diverse background in consulting, having served in MD or CEO roles for several technology and services companies. A dual citizen of the UK and the USA, Andrew has lived and worked in both Europe and North America and built high-performing teams across a range of sectors over the last 25 years. As a partner for AT Kearny, he helped start up the firm’s IT strategy practice and several new service offerings. He also built and co-founded a large professional services business that was subsequently acquired in 2007 by Capgemini.

Since joining Infosys, Andrew has become a significant influencer in the industry and among clients for his thought leadership and innovative mindset. Under his leadership, the firm has relaunched several cutting-edge new service offerings, elevated its brand, and repositioned itself as a formidable leader in the market.

His insights are regularly featured in top business publications, and he is a frequent and sought-after speaker at industry and client events. Due to his latest achievements, he was recognized as a Global Leader in Consulting for 2022 by Consulting Magazine, one of the top industry bodies representing the space.

Andrew is a visionary and inspirational leader who has made a stellar contribution to Infosys, and whose influence extends beyond the company to the entire consulting industry.

Syed Q Ahmed

Head of Responsible AI Office and Innovation Leader for AI, Infosys

Syed is an industry leader in AI, with a specialized focus on Responsible and Ethical AI. As the Head of the Infosys Responsible AI Office, Syed plays a crucial role in promoting and advancing Responsible AI across various geographies. He collaborates closely with policymakers, industry bodies, academic institutions, and policy think tanks to shape the future of AI governance.

Syed is instrumental in developing comprehensive technical, process, and policy-driven guardrails at Infosys. His work ensures that AI solutions are aligned with legal, security, and data privacy standards. His contributions to the field are recognized globally, as evidenced by his active involvement in key organizations such as ISO SC42 for AI, BIS LITD 30, and his role as NIST Primary for AI Safety. Additionally, Syed is a member of the Forbes Technology Council, where he continues to influence and lead discussions on the ethical implementation of AI technologies

Balaji Sampath

SVP & Segment Head Marketing, Infosys

Balaji has nearly 30 years of industry experience with close to 25 years with Infosys. In his current role Balaji and his team lead marketing for all the services offerings at Infosys, drive industry analyst relations for the company and manage regional marketing for ANZ. Prior to Infosys, Balaji was part of the product marketing team at Microsoft in Redmond. He has a wonderful family that he credits for keeping him balanced in life. Besides work, Balaji enjoys listening to music, keeping up to date with current affairs and following the latest in sports.

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.

Dom Chambers

Award-winning Magician & Comedian

Dom Chambers is a talented, entertaining and an internationally award-winning magician and comedian.

Well known for his modern take on magic, his viral internet videos, artistic live performances and welldeserved place as a semi-finalist on America’s Got Talent. Howie Mandel described him as “The Steve Jobs of Magic”, Simon Cowell as a “Genius”.

Dom’s internet videos have been viewed over 100 million times and his magic has appeared on many of America’s and Australia’s major TV networks.

Dom was the first Australian based magician to appear on the hit international TV series, ‘Penn & Teller: Fool Us!’, and the first and only Australian solo act to make the semi-finals of America’s Got Talent.

Dom’s critically acclaimed one-man show ‘RanDom’ was awarded the prestigious award for “Best Magic Show”, at the Adelaide Fringe in 2019.

Charming and approachable, Dom puts on a show is like none other.