Events Speakers 6D AI Brisbane 25

Stefan Hajkowicz, Chief Research Consultant, CSIRO

Stefan works at the interface between science and technology and policy and strategy. His work helps decision makers in government, industry and community organisations explore plausible futures and make wise choices.Over the past 15 years he’s led a body of strategic foresight research at CSIRO involving scenario planning, megatrends analysis, risk analysis and decision support. Stefan is widely published in the peer-reviewed international research literature and his book “Global Megatrends” is a CSIRO Publishing best seller. His research expertise is in the fields of geography, economics, decision theory, management science and strategic foresight. He has a doctorate from the University of Queensland and post graduate diploma in economics from the University of New England. He has been a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Foresight Community and the OECD’s Government Foresight Community for over ten years. He is a fellow of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Leonie Valentine, Chief AI Officer, Regional AI Network

Leonie Valentine is a distinguished executive with extensive experience in technology and telecommunications, currently serving as Chief AI Officer at the Australian Regional AI Network. She previously held c-level executive leadership positions at Telstra, Google and Australia Post.

Leonie is a digital industry leader with 30 years’ experience in general management, sales, marketing and operations, including 20 years in digital technology and telecommunications.

Over the years Leonie has been an active member of a number of boards including Not For Profits and ASX-listed Pro-Pac Packaging Ltd. She currently serves as a board member for Save the Children Australia.

Sanja Marais, Chief Technology and Security Officer, Aspen Medical

A seasoned technology and innovation leader with over 14 years’ experience in the Australian health sector, Sanja excels in strategic leadership, global stakeholder management, and integrated solutions development. As CTSO at Aspen Medical, she instilled a responsive IT environment that aligns technology with business goals, boosting operational and clinical service delivery. She recently spearheaded thier new tech start-up from ideation to market ready MVP product and led the company through various cyber and privacy certifications including an IRAP assessment, GDPR readiness and ISO 27001 certification. Her career spans multiple leadership roles, including board memberships, driving IT visibility and robust cybersecurity at the executive level.

Chris Fechner, Chief Executive Officer, Digital Transformation Agency

Chris Fechner, Chief Executive Officer, Digital Transformation Agency
Before joining the Australian Public Service, Chris was the Queensland Government Chief Customer and Digital Officer throughout 2020 and 2021. Chris was previously the Chief Digital and Product Officer at Service NSW. Prior to that, Chris held a number of senior positions across the NSW and Queensland governments as well as in freight and rail organisations. As CEO, Chris is responsible for leading the DTA to ensure it delivers on the Government’s digital transformation agenda, in accordance with the agency’s executive order and the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013. Chris is also the Head of the Digital Profession; he started his two-year term in January 2023.

Olivier Salvado, Lead, AI for Missions, CSIRO’s Data 61

Olivier is a CSIRO Chief Research Scientist leading the AI for Missions initiative, a $25M program developing next-generation AI technology for large-scale missions. Formerly head of CSIRO Imaging and Computer Vision, he expanded the medical imaging team significantly. Dr. Salvado is an Honorary Professor at Queensland University of Technology and Griffith University, holds an executive MBA from the University of New South Wales, and has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers with more than 14,000 citations. He is also actively involved in organizing and chairing international conferences and reviewing for major scientific journals and grants.

Jelena Nikolic, Chief Digital Officer, Department of Tourism and Sport

Jelena leads the Digital Services team at the Department of Tourism and Sport, overseeing ICT delivery, strategic digital initiatives, governance frameworks, and information management. An experienced professional, she has led ICT strategy, digital transformation, and modernization programs across the Queensland Government. Jelena is a champion for digital service delivery, focusing on customer-centric design, culture, value for money, and data insights. She has held executive roles at the Residential Tenancies Authority, Department of Justice and Attorney-General, Public Trustee, Department of Education, Department of Public Works, and Smart Service Queensland.

Nathan Bines, Executive Director Data and AI, Queensland

Nathan is dedicated to harnessing the power of data and AI technologies to deliver a more effective and efficient public service, for the benefit of the citizens of Queensland. He is passionate about building a genuinely positive and outcomes-based culture in the teams he lead, allowing people the safety to bring their ideas to life. Responsible for leading the Queensland Government’s Data and AI policy, strategy and innovation function, as well as delivering core data analytics and AI platforms services to foster innovation and uplift government capability.

Rebecca Stephens, Chief Transformation Officer, Auswide Bank

Rebecca is an experienced executive specialising in innovation methods to uncover new sources of organizational value. With excellent general management skills, she empowers people to achieve their goals. Rebecca has honed her expertise through postgraduate qualifications and an academic background in Innovation, Shared Services, and Finance, with over 25 years of experience in the Australian and UK banking and insurance sectors.
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Craig Hayes MAICD, Head of IT Transformation, Sonic Healthcare,

Craig is an experienced IT leader and general management executive with a demonstrated track record of personal delivery and team performance. Passionate about leadership and development, and focused on building global teams to deliver on daily operations as well as large-scale IT change projects. Craig was previously with Icon Group, RSL Queensland and Mastercard.

Chris Malcolm, Chief Data Officer, P&N Bank

With over 20 years of leadership experience in financial services, Chris specialises in building high-performance teams that deliver results. His expertise spans Enterprise Data & Analytics, Open Banking, strategy development and execution, transformation, and mergers and acquisitions. Chris’ key achievements include adding significant book value through mergers and acquisitions, increasing sales and retention with GSB’s Enterprise Data Strategy, and successfully delivering a $33 million technology and data program.

Andrew Burnet, Chief Technology Officer, Queensland University of Technology

A high-performing Information Technology executive with over 20 years of experience, I have led global, distributed, and complex environments. As a respected and transformative leader, I have built strong, efficient, and highly effective teams with top quartile engagement and retention. I have a proven record of delivering lasting organizational and technology change at scale within cost-sensitive environments. My diverse experience spans corporate, operations, engineering, and commercial divisions, with a track record of delivering large-scale projects while managing mission-critical 24/7 operations.

Jakob Højgaard, Chief Information Officer, LMG

Since 2018, I have been building up the Australian chapter of Danish IT company KMD as Managing Director as well as managing a team of 40+ people across the globe

Privately I am a father of two boys and a girl and married to a sociologist doing UX Research. We live in Brisbane Australia and are often hanging out at the local beaches trying to surf.

Matt Keays, Chief Information Officer, Michael Hill

Matt joined Michael Hill in June 2015, bringing with him extensive international IT experience in the retail space. Prior to joining the company, Matt led the global IT strategy for Forever New as their General Manager Information Technology, and prior to that worked as Chief Information Officer for Super Amart where his final project was successfully leading a full-scale disaster recovery process after the Queensland floods in 2011. He also worked for leading national footwear and apparel company, Colorado Group after enjoying his long retail apprenticeship with 11 years at Country Road, where he worked initially as a Finance Accountant, and also gained solid shop floor experience during his tenure.

Damian Fitzgibbon, Executive Enterprise Digital Platforms, NAB

Damian is a successful Technology leader with over twenty years of experience. He has delivery experience across multiple disciplines, from Engineering and Operations to Architecture and Strategy

He enjoys self-development and helping others realise their potential.

Emma McCudden, Head of Innovation, Suncorp Group

As the Head of Innovation at Suncorp Group, I lead a team of innovators who design and deliver customer-driven solutions that enhance the value proposition and competitive advantage of the organisation. I have a proven track record of managing large and complex projects, executing company-wide initiatives, and creating partnerships with external stakeholders.

I am passionate about fostering a culture of innovation and learning within Suncorp Group, and empowering my team to achieve measurable outcomes that align with the strategic vision and goals of the business. I am also adept at working with senior stakeholders across different functions and domains, navigating competing agendas, and mitigating reputational and operational risks. As a lifelong learner, I have completed a Leading Innovative Change credential from UC Berkeley Executive Education, and I am currently pursuing a Master of Teaching degree from QUT.

Daniel Evans, Chief Information Officer, Rio Tinto

Dan leads the Information Systems and Technology (IS&T) function and Rio Tinto’s efforts to build competitive advantage through technology and data, which are important enablers for the Group’s strategy and its digital transformation. IS&T delivers critical services that support Rio Tinto to produce mineral resources safely, efficiently and responsibly.
Dan has more than 15 years of service with Rio Tinto and is a seasoned executive in multiple technology disciplines. He has deep experience in leading global teams of professionals with a strategic focus on enabling business growth and transformation, and is recognised as a collaborative and insightful leader.

Simon Bush, CEO, AIIA

Simon is one of Australia’s most respected technology and policy business leaders. As the current CEO of the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), the longest running and largest tech association in Australia, he represents both global and local companies to federal and state governments and media. He also represents the sector at local and international conferences, parliamentary and government enquiries and runs international trade delegations with ministerial, government officials and industry attendees. Simon has been appointed to numerous government policy and industry advisory roles including the current Government AI Experts Advisory Committee that has developed the AI guardrails and proposed new laws for Australia. Simon has led major policy reforms in Australia driving legislative and regulatory changes in the digital, media and tech sectors on issues such as: tech skills, cyber security, sovereign procurement, AI, Quantum, R&D and tax policy, privacy law, copyright law and industry policy. He has authored major white papers that have generated significant policy changes and investments by governments. Prior to the AIIA, Simon ran his own successful business advisory practice for 20 years advising some of the world’s largest tech companies on how to grow their government business winning major procurements worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Clients included SAP, Accenture, Fujitsu, Telstra, Google among others.

Professor Cori Stewart, Founder & CEO, ARM Hub

Professor Cori Stewart is a skilled and versatile science and technology commercialisation leader, who works in executive and advisor roles across industry, government, and the research sector. She is passionate about driving impact through university and industry collaboration and building strategic and trusted collaborations in Australia and across the globe. As the Founder and CEO of the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Hub, Cori has built an Australian-first not-for-profit technology commercialisation company. ARM Hub has nurtured hundreds of businesses to validate, commercialise and modernise using cutting-edge technologies, design thinking, new IP and workforce development strategies in defence, energy, medical, resources, agriculture sectors and more. Cori is a member of the Australian Government’s Industry Innovation Science Australia Board and has graduated as one of Australia’s 2023 & 2024 ‘Superstars of STEM’ where she continues to lift the profile of women and science in our communities.

Conor O'Neill, Head of Data Science, Compare the Market

Conor is responsible for establishing, leading, and growing data science and business intelligence at Compare the Market. This includes everything from strategy and business engagement to machine learning solution design, architecture, and delivery. Ensuring focus on high value business problem solving and delivery with effective, reliable, and robust solutions built to best practice standards.