Events Agenda 6DAI Sydney 2026
9.00am – 9.10am
Welcome by MC: Mark Jones, Author, Journalist and Entrepreneur
9.10am – 9.30am
Opening Fireside Chat: How CBA Leverages AI to Build Trust and Create Exceptional Customer Experiences
Ranil Boteju, Chief AI Officer, Commonwealth Bank
9.30am – 10.00am
THE CHIEFS Panel: CXO Leaders Panel
- Super-AI – what leaders must do to balance innovation with long-term safety, privacy and trust
- The Buck Stops Where? – accountability, governance, and ownership when AI gets it wrong
- Sovereign AI – how national data control, regulatory compliance, and locally governed AI infrastructure is a strategic enabler for trust, resilience and market differentiation
- Leading Organisational Transformation – redesigning operating models, leadership and decision-making for the AI era
Panellists:
- Sid Baidwan, Group Executive, AI & Data, Colonial First State
- Lee Hickin, Executive Director, National AI Centre
- Maggie Shi, Chief AI Innovation Officer, Westpac
- Dr Tom Gao Chief Information Officer, City of Sydney
- Travis Murphy, AI & Data Evangelist, Snowflake
10.00am – 10.15am
Fireside Chat
Paul Arthur, Regional Vice President, ANZ, Outsystems
10.15am – 10.30am
Fireside Chat: From AI Ambition to Agentic AI ERP – How ANZ Leaders Can Fund Innovation Without Disrupting What Works
Joe Locandro, EVP & Global Chief Information Officer, Rimini Street
10.30am – 11.15am
Morning Tea
11.15am – 11.30am
Fireside Chat
Anthony Rees, Solutions AI Engineer, APAC, Airia
11.30am – 12.15pm
THE STAND OUTS: Best Use Cases Panel
- Competitive Edge – how future-ready enterprises are leveraging AI-enabled products, services and operations to outperform rivals
- From AI Ambition to Enterprise Value – what separates measurable outcomes from expensive experimentation
- The Next Frontier – harnessing agentic AI, Large Language Models, small language models, and synthetic data at scale
- Beyond the Horizon – Automated Super Intelligence, quantum, immersive enterprise collaboration and other frontier technologies set to redefine the next 5 years
Panellists:
- Luiz Pizzato, Distinguished AI Scientist, Commonwealth Bank
- Memo Hayek, Chief Information Officer, Zip Co
- Alex Taylor, Global Head of Emerging Technology, QBE Ventures
- Jesse Arundel, General Manager, AI, Analytics & Data Science, Optus
- CXO, Avanade
12.15pm – 12.30pm
Fireside Chat: Every AI Playbook Needs a Chapter on Security
Kendal Cole, Senior Security Specialist, Splunk
12.30pm – 1.30pm
Lunch
1.30pm – 2.00pm
THE AGE OF AGENTS: Autonomous Enterprises & the Future of Work Panel
- The Human-Agent Enterprise – real-world cases where people and AI agents work together to improve productivity, reduce costs and enhance decision-making
- Careers Rewired – the rise of new roles, operating models and the skills and recruitment processes that CIOs leaders can’t afford to ignore
- Future-Proof Leadership – why investing in AI fluency and talent pipelines secures tomorrow’s edge
Panellists:
- Stela Solar, Chief Executive Officer, Stone & Chalk
- Sadeer Maghak, Chief Technology Officer, NGS Super
- Dr Simon Longstaff AO, Executive Director, The Ethics Centre
2.00pm – 2.15pm
Keynote Address: The Next Billion Identities Won’t Be Human
Toby Allen, Senior Solutions Engineer, Okta
2.15pm – 2.45pm
THE ACCELERATORS: The Data Readiness Panel
- Data Priority One – how to manage retention, cost, risk and accessibility and what to prioritise when everything can’t be stored, governed or used
- Human-in-the-Loop Governance – how leading organisations are enforcing data and AI policies in real time
- Sovereign Data Control – balancing data residency, regulatory requirements and model strategy, and what it means for ownership, risk and long-term architecture
Panellists:
- Sarah Bradley, Director of Data Science & AI, Nasdaq
- Ashish Khurana, Chief Data & AI Officer, Transurban
- Craig Price, Head of Artificial Intelligence & Data Science, Suncorp Group
- Susan Gibson, Head of Data Analytics & AI, UTS
2.45pm – 3.30pm
INDUSTRY VOICE: Audience Questions Answered
Pose your burning AI questions on the registration form and have them answered live from industry experts in this dynamic Q&A session.
Key topics to be discussed include:
- How to Generate Value from AI – beyond AI tools to true capability uplift
- Human-Agent Workforces – preparing for 10 years from now
- Techonomics – managing AI spend while still funding growth
- What’s Next – the emerging opportunities and hidden blind spots to watch
Panellists:
- Devesh Maheshwari, Chief Technology Officer, Lendi Group
- Andrew Friar, Chief Technology Officer, Macquarie University
- John Sutherland, Chief Digital & Information Officer, Calvary Health Care
- Aurélie Jacquet, Expert on AI Classification, OECD.AI
3.30pm – 4.30pm
Prizes Giveaway, Canapes, Music & Networking!