Our Speakers

Nam Je Cho is an accomplished technology executive and thought leader with over 20 years of experience driving digital transformation and leveraging latest technologies deliver customer value.

He currently serves as the Director of Solutions Architecture at AWS where he has spent over a decade helping customers transform their business in the cloud. Throughout his career, Nam Je has honed his skills in presales, consulting, and systems integration underpinned by latest and emerging technologies.

He brings deep expertise in cloud computing, data analytics, artificial intelligence, enterprise applications, resilience, cybersecurity, and aligning digital solutions to business strategies that drive value. Outside of work, Nam Je is passionate about promoting STEM education to youths and career in technology.

Nam Je holds a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Technology, Sydney.

Dedicated to empowering individuals, businesses, and enterprises to thrive through cutting-edge IT solutions, Patrick serves as an esteemed ADAPT Advisor.

With a profound passion for facilitating success in the realm of high-performing IT, Patrick brings forth a wealth of expertise, specialising in the Financial Services Industry, honed across diverse domains.

Having collaborated closely with regulatory bodies like the European Commission, EBA, ECB, and Executive Boards of prestigious institutions, Patrick offers invaluable counsel on critical facets including risk & security, compliance, IT strategy & transformation, digitisation strategies (in collaboration with MIT CISR), and large-scale cloud adoption.

Patrick’s leadership has seen the creation and nurturing of a top-tier global IT organisation spread across 45 countries, leading a team of 2000+ FTEs to unparalleled success.

His vision and expertise have resulted in the successful implementation of multi-year IT strategies, groundbreaking digitisation initiatives, and the establishment of market-leading practices in application development and infrastructure engineering encompassing cloud, AI & ML, API, Agile, and DevOps methodologies.

Patrick’s track record boasts the creation and delivery of pioneering capabilities such as the world’s first online IPO engine, Unified Payments Platform, and innovative New Way of Working initiatives.

A stalwart in the field, Patrick leverages his profound knowledge and experience to navigate the complex landscapes of IT operations and program management, optimising services on a global scale, all while focusing on elevating employee (EX) and client experience (CX).

In his role as an ADAPT Advisor, Patrick serves as a beacon of expertise and guidance, offering invaluable insights and strategies to propel businesses towards unparalleled success in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Harry is a passionate leader in the data centre industry, bringing over 15 years of dedicated experience from his roles at Commonwealth Bank and Equinix. His expertise lies in building teams and driving transformation, where he has successfully managed both day to day and significant change projects within both the property and IT sectors.

As a Fellow and Executive Engineer with Engineers Australia, he holds Chartered status in Asset Management, Risk Management, and Leadership & Management, underscoring his commitment to professional excellence and ethical standards.

Harry is particularly passionate about enhancing customer loyalty and fostering innovation in response to the rapid advancements in technology.

He is dedicated to developing the next generation of data centre leaders, recognizing the importance of diversity, inclusion and mentorship in support of nurturing talent.

A collaborative leader with over 25 years working in the built environment and mission critical fields. From initial roles with the Ministry of Defence in the UK, now based in Sydney, where he specialises in the design and development of Data Centre facilities. Career highlights include working with major international organisations including NEXTDC, Global Switch, Equinix, IBM, Telstra, Metronode, Woolworths, ANZ and Amazon.

As Director of Strategic Research at ADAPT Matt Boon, is responsible for directing and developing ADAPTs research content and positions. In his role at ADAPT Boon advises C-Suite executives across the end-user and technology provider landscape. Boon is also responsible for bringing together groups of C-Suite leaders to discuss and prepare for the myriad of challenges and opportunities they face.

ADAPT host’s numerous industry leading IT focused events annually and Boon is responsible for hosting, chairing and delivering ADAPT independent content and positions to help attendees make informed IT decisions.

Dr. Michael G. Kollo is recognised as an accomplished executive leader and educator within the realm of artificial intelligence’s significance in business strategy and product development across various sectors including financial services, technology, and public services. Holding a portfolio of leadership roles, Michael has contributed his expertise to renowned institutional investors such as Blackrock, Fidelity, Renaissance Asset Management, Axa Investment Managers, and HESTA. Additionally, he served as a non-executive director for Clime Investment Managers, an ASX-listed entity.

In the entrepreneurial sphere, Michael has been involved with AI and software companies, notably as a key figure at Faethm Pty, an Australian AI software company that was acquired by Pearsons in 2021, and at the Blockchain company Clanz. Beyond entrepreneurship, he actively participates in mentoring and supporting fintech and cybertech startup ecosystems in London and Australia.

In the realm of academia, Michael boasts a PhD in Finance from the London School of Economics, coupled with extensive lecturing experience at esteemed institutions such as the LSE and Imperial College. He has also been invited as a speaker at TedX events, focusing on the responsible utilisation of AI. With publications addressing machine learning’s application in investment management and contributions to the World Economic Forum’s AI/Fintech panel, Michael’s expertise is widely recognised. Moreover, he has cultivated a global audience through educational podcasts like “Curious Quant.”

As well as Director of AI at ADAPT, Michael is also the CEO of Evolved AI, a distinguished executive education and software development firm dedicated to empowering individuals through effective and responsible AI usage, thereby fostering resilient, transparent, and rapidly evolving enterprises.

Jim founded ADAPT with a vision to help Australia thrive commercially, now and for the future.  To enable that, Jim leads ADAPT’s mission to connect, inform and equip our local business and tech leaders.

Leading the development of ADAPTs agenda’s and content strategy whilst also advising executive leadership teams from global technology service providers, Jim is uniquely experienced to be the voice of the end-user, the customer and the vendor.

Bringing his deep knowledge of the local market, Jim regularly presents “Know your Customer” webinars and guides the world’s largest vendors with their G-T-M and content strategies.

Through entrepreneurial product development and a servant leader mentality with his team and clients, ADAPT grows annually with clearly differentiated value for all stakeholders.

Peter Hind has spent the last 25 years as an analyst and commentator on the ICT industry. He says his primary areas of interest are the potential of technology to transform the way organisations operate, the change management obstacles executives encounter in realising this potential and the tactics and techniques leaders have deployed to overcome these difficulties.

Peter now takes on multiple roles within ADAPT including the moderation of private events and roundtables, interviewing business executives about the strategies they are pursuing and assisting with the structuring of our delegate surveys and the interrogation and analysis of ADAPT’s treasure trove of end-user and C-level data

Gabby’s primary role is managing ADAPT’s overall strategy for Data Analytics. He has extensive experience in using data to identify trends in technology that help shape Australian organisations. Utilising modern Data Science techniques, he provides ADAPT and their customers with confidence in the accuracy and validity of the information used for ADAPT’s Research, Advisory, and Events.​

With a passion for creating stories with data, Gabby is consistently rated as one of the top speakers at ADAPT Events. In round table discussions, he specialises in using statistics to initiate thought-provoking discussions. Gabby is effective in translating information into insights, enabling ADAPT’s customers to become more data-driven.​

Gabby’s primary areas of expertise are: ​

• Advanced AI and ML practices, including AI ethics.​
• Building models to benchmark and predict IT performance.​
• End-user behaviour and human-centred design.​
• Cross-functional team design and value, such as DevSecOps.​