Professor Chris Leckie (Cyber Security)

Department of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Melbourne, Associate Director of the Oceania Cyber Security Centre, and Director of the new University of Melbourne Academic Centre of Cyber Security Excellence.

Chris Leckie is a Professor with the Department of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Melbourne, is the Associate Director of the Oceania Cyber Security Centre, and is the Director of the new University of Melbourne Academic Centre of Cyber Security Excellence. He has over two decades of research experience in artificial intelligence and data mining, having led research teams at Telstra Research Laboratories, National ICT Australia (NICTA) and the University of Melbourne.

His research on using data mining for anomaly detection, fault diagnosis, cyber-security and the life sciences has led to a range of operational systems used in industry, as well as over 200 articles published in leading international conferences and journals. His work on filtering denial-of-service attacks on the Internet resulted in a commercial product that was developed a local company and sold overseas.

John Yates QPM (Corporate Security)

Director of Security
Scentre Group and Westfield Corporation

John has recently joined Westfield (November 2013) in a newly created role as Director of Security for Scentre Group in Australia and New Zealand & Westfield Corporation in the United Kingdom, United States and the emerging markets. He also has responsibility for the corporate security requirements of the Lowy family and their private assets.

John retired from the Metropolitan Police (Scotland Yard) in November 2011 after a 30 year career. He held a number of the most senior positions in UK policing. His last role was as the UK’s most senior counter terrorism officer and as the senior advisor the Prime Minister and Home Secretary on all law enforcement related security matters. Previous roles included leading the fight against serious and organised crime in London. He also led the UK’s response to the South East Asian Tsunami for which he was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal.

In between leaving policing and joining Westfield John spent time in the Middle East advising the government of Bahrain on police reform before joining G3, the Good Governance Group, a leading international strategic advisory firm, as their Group Executive Director.

John is based in Sydney.

Mike Bareja

National Network Program Manager
Australian Cyber Security Growth Network Ltd
(ACSGN)

Mike Bareja is the National Network Program Manager for AustCyber (the Australian Cyber Security Growth Network).

Prior to joining the AustCyber, Mike was an adviser on cyber security policy at the Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Mike spearheaded Australia's classified Cyber Security Review (2015), and was a key contributor to Australia's Cyber Security Strategy (2016).

Mike also taught cyber policy at the Australian National University's National Security College, developed cyber security legislation at the Attorney-General's Department, and helped establish the threat assessment team in the Australian Signals Directorate's Cyber Security Operations Centre. Mike also wrote the Australian Government's strategic analysis of the international cyber security environment, the classified National Cyber Threat Assessment (2011).

Mike also worked in counter terrorism at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Defence Intelligence Organisation.

Sue Wilkinson (Major Event Security)

Director, Emergency Management, Security & Safety at the Melbourne Cricket Club.

Sue has extensive experience across all portfolios. Sue previously held the position of Head of Olympic Intelligence for the London 2012 Olympics, responsible for the assessment and review all of risks and intelligence for this event, working with multiple agencies and government to ensure the security and safety of all.

Prior to this Sue fulfilled the position of Chief Executive Officer, with the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA), after an extensive career as a Commander in the UK Metropolitan Police Service, where she held a portfolio of serious and organised crime.

Sue holds an Honours degree in History, a Post Graduate Certificate in Police Management and Organisational Change, a Post Graduate Diploma in Criminology and a Masters in Terrorism and Security Studies. Sue was also awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in the Queen’s birthday honours in 2011.

Mark Wilson

Assistant Commissioner
Security and Intelligence Branch

Mark has in excess of 30 years experience with Corrective Services NSW. He has extensive experience in investigations, intelligence, security and emergency response coordination including specialised training. Mark previously held the position of General Manager at the High Risk Management Correctional Centre (HRMCC).

Mark has held appointments to a number of senior management roles in specialised Branches. He has extensive knowledge of the development and implementation of comprehensive strategic security principles and experience in the examination and review of security issues and the development of sound solutions.

Mark continues to work collaboratively with Custodial Corrections to improve the security, safety and good order of correctional facilities by partnering in project initiatives such as the Extreme Threat Inmate Management Committee. Mark has consulted to most Australian correctional jurisdictions on such matters.

In 2012 Mark was appointed as Assistant Commissioner of the Security and Intelligence Branch where he has led important reform agendas in areas such as, improvements in the management of critical incidents within prisons, new training initiatives and anti-radicalisation interventions. Mark is currently responsible for the following business units:

• Court Escort Security Unit
• Security Operations Group
• Corrections Intelligence Group
• Electronic Monitoring Unit
• Fire Control Unit
• Technical Security Unit

He also currently holds the position of Chair of the National Emerging Technologies Working Group and is responsible for coordinating the National Mobile Phone Jamming Trial at Lithgow and Goulburn Correctional Centres.
Mark is actively involved in the development and enhancement of operational capabilities of the Electronic and External Monitoring Group through the deployment of latest generation technologies, control room facilities, and the implementation of best practice operational procedures.

He is a key stakeholder in building counter terrorism and countering violent extremism capacity across Corrective Services NSW.
In 2017, Mark was recognised in the Australia Day Honours List, when he was awarded the Public Service Medal for outstanding public service to the correctional sector in New South Wales.

Duncan Anderson

Department of Home Affairs

Duncan is the Director, Identity Security Policy with the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs.  He leads a team responsible for providing strategic policy advice to the Minister for Home Affairs on identity security, identity crime and related issues, focusing on the implementation of Australia’s National Identity Security Strategy.

This Strategy provides the framework for collaborative national action to promote the security and integrity of the systems that are relied upon by governments, the private sector and the broader community to manage and protect Australians’ identities. Key initiatives under the Strategy include the National Identity Proofing Guidelines, the national Document Verification Service and biometric Face Matching Services being implemented through an intergovernmental agreement reached between the heads of all Australian governments in October 2017.

Prior to his current role, Duncan held a range of positions within the AttorneyGeneral’s Department (between 2009 and 2017) and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (between 2003 and 2009) leading policy teams responsible for advising on a range of national security, law enforcement and related issues. Prior to joining the Australian Public Service in 2003, Duncan spent around six years in the NSW public service in various law enforcement policy development roles.

Dr Sarah Benson

Chief Forensic Scientist
Australian Federal Police

Dr Sarah Benson is currently employed as the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Chief Forensic Scientist. In this role Sarah leads and manages the AFP Forensics function providing operational support leadership across the entire range of AFP’s domestic and international policing responsibilities and provides high-level strategic and operational advice to the AFP Executive and external working groups and committees. Sarah recently led the development and implementation of structural reform across the Forensics portfolio, repositioning AFP Forensics to be more operationally responsive and effective in the changing and complex law enforcement environment.

Sarah joined the AFP in 2000 upon graduation from the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Chemistry – Forensic Science (Honours). Sarah has over seventeen years of operational experience in support of community, national and international policing. Sarah’s experience has been drawn locally in support of ACT Policing and AFP national operations including illegal importations and counter terrorism disruption operations. Sarah has undertaken deployments to countries in South East Asia to assist local authorities with scene and laboratory examinations, and performed the Forensics-DVI Commander role in The Netherlands and Ukraine in support of the MH17 disaster (2014).

Sarah performed the Capability Advisor role to the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee (ANZCTC) Forensic Support Capability between 2014-2016, ensuring best practice forensic science in support of CT operations; high level advice to government and national policy development. Prior to this, Sarah drove the establishment of the Australian Forensic Explosives Chemist Network (2007) and played a key role as the ANZCTC Forensic Assistant Capability Advisor (2009-2013) in the development of the National Guide for Forensic Support to Multi-Jurisdictional Counter Terrorism Operations and the development of the first ANZCTC Forensic Coordinators course, both in 2011.

A secondment to DSTO in 2012 as a Science and Technology Program Manager in the National Security Science and Technology Centre afforded Sarah the opportunity to coordinate and facilitate programs to address Whole of Government science and technology requirements in support of national security.

Sarah was awarded a PhD in 2009 for her thesis on the application of isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) for the forensic analysis of explosives. Sarah has authored a number of peer-reviewed publications across a range of forensic capabilities and technologies and received awards for these.

In September 2015, Sarah was awarded the Bravery Award at the 2015 Excellence in Policing Awards acknowledging bravery required to improve policing for all members of the community. The award recognised her international expertise used in numerous priority operations and contribution to enhanced forensic science capabilities in Australia and overseas.

Dr Richard Davis

Chief Technology Officer National Security
Australian National Security Science and Technology Centre (NSSTC)

Dr Davis has a BSc and MSc in Psychology and a PhD in Human Computer Interaction.

Prior to becoming Chief Technology Officer National Security, Dr Davis held a number of senior roles within DST, including acting Chief of Joint Operations and Analysis Division and Research Leader of Strategic Capability Analysis. As Research Leader, Dr Davis was responsible for the provision of strategic advice to shape Defence and national security policy, strategy and capability, through horizon scanning and technology foresight; strategic context, risks and mitigation approaches, and future whole-of-force design.

His previous roles include Director General, Science Strategy & Policy; and Assistant Secretary, National Security Science and Technology (NSST) Branch within the Office of National Security in the Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet.

Richard’s career started as a Defence consultant in the UK where he worked for a number of years before moving to what was then the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (now DST Group) in 1991. He has spent much of his working life in the areas of command and control systems; and whole-of-force capabilities, such as future concepts of operation and military experimentation, networked warfare, systems of systems and modelling and simulation.

Mr Joseph (Jay) Martin

Director of Research and Development Partnerships, S&T Directorate
US Department of Homeland Security

Jay Martin currently serves as the Director of the Research & Development Partnerships Group, within the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The R&D Partnerships Group brings technology from all sectors – government, industry, academia and from around the world into DHS to better protect the homeland and support the Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE). As the Director, Mr. Martin provides leadership and strategic policy guidance for the Office of University Programs, Office of National Laboratories, International Cooperative Programs Office, and Public-Private Partnerships. Mr. Martin actively oversees the five DHS laboratories supporting the department’s R&D needs in explosive detection, chemical and biological security research, agricultural bio-defense, and First Responder technology evaluation. As the Executive Agreement Director for the International Cooperative Programs Office, Mr. Martin guides international engagements and R&D programs through 13 active bilateral agreements with Science and Technology agencies around the world. Mr. Martin provides the strategic direction for the Directorate’s interagency coordination within the U.S. government. In this role, he seeks to leverage homeland security related research and oversees the execution of new cooperative agreements that address mission needs. His portfolio also includes industry outreach and engagement, leveraging private sector innovation and investments for multiple Science and Technology Directorate programs.

Before leading the R&D Partnerships Group, Mr. Martin served as the Acting Director to the First Responders Group (FRG) at S&T. FRG helps provide first responders at all levels—state, local, federal, tribal and territorial—with better technology for protecting the homeland. Mr. Martin focused on developing tools and technology for several evolving areas: communications technology, responder safety, information sharing and radiological/nuclear response, and recovery capabilities. He also oversaw FRG’s international engagements to develop partnerships and share technologies with response agencies and technology developers in other countries.

Mr. Martin has also served in other positions and capacities within the Department. He began his DHS career in the Office of Health Affairs (OHA), working for the Chief Medical Officer of DHS, where he had responsibility for the development and implementation of medical standards, guidelines and requirements for occupational and operational medical services, supporting the DHS workforce and those within its care and custody.

Prior to joining DHS in 2007, Mr. Martin worked for the Annapolis Fire Department, Annapolis, Maryland. He worked as a firefighter/paramedic, code enforcement official, fire prevention officer, and public information officer, retiring as a Captain in 2007 to come to DHS. Mr. Martin graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, earning first a Bachelor’s degree in 2000, and then a Master’s degree in Emergency Health Services in 2002. He has an extensive background in first responder training and education, most notably with the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute and the National Fire Academy within the U.S. Fire Administration.

Mr. Martin is currently a first responder with the Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department. He resides in Calvert County, Maryland with his wife Kelly and 6 children.

Professor Craig Valli

Research Director
ECU Security Research Institute

Craig’s diverse career has evolved from working within the secondary education sector to his currently position as the Director of ECU’s Security Research Institute and Fellow of the Australian Computer Society.

His area of expertise is cyber security, an area that has rapidly developed in both importance and relevance over the last 20 years as we become increasingly dependent on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to run our economies and many facets of everyday life.

Craig has worked in the ICT education and research sector his entire life. Initially within the secondary sector teaching ICT across a period of 12 years. In addition to this in 1995 Craig was part owner and director of one of Perth’s first Internet Service providers (Global Data Access). Focusing on a new direction in his career he re-entered postgraduate study in 1999 at ECU, completed a Masters of Management Information Systems (Deans List) in 2000 and then started his Doctorate. Shortly thereafter hejoined ECU’s School of Management Information Systems as Lecturer (Computer Security) and in 2007 became Head of the School of Computer and Information Science which in 2009 became the School of Computer and Security Science. That same year Craig became a Professor of Digital Forensics and ECU was recognized by the Australian Computer Society as being a Centre of Expertise in Security. In 2012 Craig became Director of the ECU Security Research Institute (ECU SRI).

Given his extensive experience in the IT industry, Craig regularly consults with industry and government, focusing on securing networks and critical infrastructures, detection of network borne threats, forensic analysis of cyber security incidents, network security and digital forensics.

He has an active research profile with in excess of 100 publications to his name.

Dr Alex Zelinsky

Chief Defence Scientist
Department of Defence

Dr Alex Zelinsky was appointed Chief Defence Scientist and head of the Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group (then DSTO) in March 2012.

Dr Alex Zelinsky is Australia’s Chief Defence Scientist. His scientific career includes working as a computer scientist, a systems engineer and a roboticist. His career spans innovation, science and technology, research and development, commercial start-ups and education. As Chief Defence Scientist since March 2012, he leads the Defence Science and Technology program within the Department of Defence.

Prior to joining Defence, Dr Zelinsky was Group Executive for Information Sciences at the CSIRO. Dr Zelinsky was Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Seeing Machines, a high-technology company developing computer vision systems. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a start-up from the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, where Dr Zelinsky was Professor of Systems Engineering.

Dr Zelinsky has received numerous awards and recognition of his work. In 2017, he was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday honours.  He has been included in Engineers Australia’s list of the 100 most influential engineers since 2009 and in 2015, Engineers Australia awarded him the prestigious M A Sargent Medal. In 2013, he was awarded the Pearcey Medal, the ICT industry’s premier prize for lifetime achievement. In 2003, 2004 and 2005, the World Economic Forum selected Dr Zelinsky as a Technology Pioneer. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, the Institute of Engineers Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Academic qualifications

Dr Zelinsky has been awarded a:

• Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences (Honours), University of Wollongong
• Doctor of Philosophy, University of Wollongong
• Graduate Diploma, Australian Institute of Company Directors
• Completed Advanced Management Program, Harvard University
• Honorary Doctor of Science, University of Wollongong
  

Achievements

Dr Zelinsky's contributions to science have been recognised by numerous science and industry awards including:

• Australian Engineering Excellence Awards, 1999 and 2001
• Business-Higher Education Round Table Award, 2001
• Australian Information Industries Award (iAward), 2002 and 2006
• Australian Eureka Science Prize, 2002
• US R&D magazine Top 100 Award, 2002
• ATSE Clunies-Ross National Science & Technology Award, 2005
• Professional Engineer of the Year (Sydney Division), 2009
• IEEE Inaba Technical Award for Innovation Leading to Production, 2010
• Warren Centre, Innovation Hero Award, 2012
• Pearcey Foundation, Pearcey Medal for lifetime achievement in ICT sector, 2013
• Engineers Australia M A Sargent Medal, 2015

Dr Zelinsky has been elected as a:

• Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE)
• Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (FIEEE)
• Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia (FIEAust)
• Fellow of Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD)

The World Economic Forum named Dr Zelinsky a Technology Pioneer in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Professor-Bob-Williamson

Research School of Computer Science
Australian National University and Data61

Bob Williamson obtained a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Queensland in 1990. He joined the Australian National University as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Systems Engineering in 1990 and held a series of appointments before becoming a professor and head of the Computer Sciences Laboratory in the Research School of Information Sciences and Engineering for several years.

He is now a professor in the Research School of Computer Science. From 2003 to early 2006 Professor Williamson was the Director of NICTA’s Canberra Research Laboratory. From 2006 to 2010 he served as NICTA’s Scientific Director. From 2011-2015 he led NICTA's Machine Learning group.

He served as interim CEO of NICTA from May to August 2015. From September 2015 to October 2016 he served as director of the Analytics program at Data61. From September 2015 to September 2017 he served as Chief Scientist and Deputy Director of Data61.

He is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Sciences and the Australian Mathematical Society. He recently led the creation of a report on Technology and Australia's Future.

His scientific research interests are in machine learning. See his Google Scholar Profile or his ANU home page for more details and links to papers.

Mark A. Williamson

Director General, Defence Research and Development Canada - Centre for Security Science
Government of Canada

Mark A. Williamson is Director General of Defence Research and Development Canada’s Centre for Security Science, which operates in partnership with Public Safety Canada. DRDC CSS is responsible for leading the Canadian Safety and Security Program on behalf of the Government of Canada, a program whose mission is to strengthen Canada’s ability to anticipate, prevent/mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters, serious accidents, crime and terrorism through the convergence of science and technology (S&T) with policy, operations and intelligence.

Mark has performed and managed S&T activities across the academic, industry and government sectors for over 20 years.  He began his government career as a petroleum geoscience research scientist with Natural Resources Canada.  Throughout the 90’s he coordinated and led several multidisciplinary academic, industry and government initiatives that evaluated and assessed petroleum potential in Canada’s frontier basins.  

In 2006, Mark was appointed Director of Chemical, Biological, Radiological-Nuclear and Explosives Research and Technology Initiative at DRDC CSS where he was responsible for making strategic investments in CBRNE related S&T.  This involved efforts to harness existing intellectual capacity across Canada’s federal science based departments and in creating linkages with industry and academia.  Subsequently he assumed the role of DG for DRDC CSS with responsibility for the Canadian Safety and Security Program. This program is designed to develop and sustain frameworks for collaboration as a basis for investments in S&T innovations. The goal is to enhance Canada’s preparedness and response and recovery capabilities from both natural and terror related events as well as for the provision of credible and timely advice to safety and security decision makers.

Dr Linzi Wilson-Wilde OAM

Director National Institute of Forensic Science
Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency

Dr Linzi Wilson-Wilde OAM is the Director of the National Institute of Forensic Science Australia New Zealand. Linzi obtained her PhD at the University of Canberra in species identification of Diprotodontia for wildlife crime investigations.

Linzi has over 20 years’ experience in forensic science, having worked for Victoria Police, New South Wales Police and the Australian Federal Police. During this time Linzi was involved in legislative reform, policy development, the investigation of a number of high-profile murder cases, cold case reviews and the highly publicised mass DNA screen in the town of Wee Waa, NSW. Linzi coordinated the DNA analysis of all samples involved in the disaster victim identification and criminal investigation of the Bali Bombing in October 2002.

Recently Linzi has been involved in the development of forensic specific Australian and International Standards and is the current Chair of ISO TC272 – Forensic Sciences. Linzi is a member of the International Forensic Strategic Alliance and represents them on the International Criminal Court Office of the Prosecutor Scientific Advisory Board. Linzi has received a Medal in the Order of Australia for her work and was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2014.