Agenda
Wednesday, 8 October 2025
“Control the Chaos: Defend Today & Secure Tomorrow”
Please note that 1:1 meetings will be running throughout the day.
Registration & Check-In
Welcome to the 11th Security Edge: Lead the Defence
Australia’s cyber-security market is on a double-digit growth path as boards rush to meet stricter regimes – APRA’s CPS 230 operational-resilience standard and the new Cyber Security Act 2024 – while a chronic skills shortage pushes organisations toward managed and cloud-delivered controls.
Recent breaches, including credential-stuffing losses at major super funds, and Australia’s world-first mandate to disclose any ransomware payments underscore stubborn exposure to extortion, supply-chain and identity attacks that must be contained even as plans for quantum-safe cryptography take shape.
Join your peers at ADAPT Security Edge to connect, learn, and lead through the challenges of our rapidly shifting security landscape.
ADAPT Research: Control the Chaos, Defend Today & Secure Tomorrow
Gabby Fredkin - Head of Analytics & Insights at ADAPT
ADAPT’s Research and Advisory team reveal the latest data-driven insights from over 1000 local surveys from regional Heads of IT, digital and finance enabling companies responsible for over 60% of Australia’s GDP.
Compare their resource allocation, investment priorities, barriers and the unique challenges of Australian IT Security and the Business leaders you serve.
Helping you to benchmark and validate your priorities and thinking, Gabby will reveal the core findings distilled from your aggregated pre-event surveys and examine which Security, AI and data protection strategies are creating the best outcomes.
Get an Edge: Making the Most of Your Day
Tenar Larsen - Head of People & Performance, Executive Programs
A Day in the Life of a CISO: Leadership and Resilience in the face of Complexity.
Adam Cartwright - CISO at Australia Post Daryl Pereira - APJ Head Office of the CISO at Google Cloud David Gee - Former CIO & CISO


Three world class CISOs share their tips.
In an era where cyber threats evolve daily and the role of the CISO has become more critical than ever, “A Day in the Life of a CISO” offers an unprecedented collection of real-world wisdom, practical strategies, and hard-earned lessons from cybersecurity’s most experienced practitioners. These CISOs are from all corners of the world and from many diverse sectors.
David Gee takes his own lessons and life experiences from 28 cybersecurity leaders, including 24 active and former CISOs including Adam Cartwright from AusPost.
Debating how to advance cybersecurity leadership and build more resilient organisations in an increasingly complex threat landscape:
• Leadership Development
• Strategic Thinking
• Crisis Management
• Career Resilience
• Global Perspectives
Strategic Insights
with MicrosoftMorning Break
Refreshments, Snacks & Connections
Quantum Readiness: What to Do Now, What to Plan for Later?
Alexey Bocharnikov - Asia Pacific Leader for Quantum Security at Accenture
The quantum threat is no longer theoretical; it’s a strategic concern. Built on robust theoretical knowledge and insights from case studies across industries and regions, Alexey will highlight how organisations are preparing for quantum risk in practical terms.
Giving a practical, grounded view of quantum security in action:
• Debunking quantum-security myths
• Assessing readiness: security teams’ high-stakes choices amid uncertainty
• Translating complex risks into near- and long-term action plans
• Field insights: how inventories, key management, and contracts cope with post-quantum demands
• Roadmap: what to act on, what to postpone, and how to brief tech and exec leaders
Alexey brings over 15 years of expertise in cybersecurity strategy, risk management, quantum risk, and cryptography. He served as a County Information Security Officer at Deutsche Bank’s Moscow Branch – then honed his expertise at EY, contributing to their Global Innovation Quantum Technology Lab and leading Global Quantum Security efforts.
He currently holds the position of APAC Quantum Security Lead and Director of Cyber Strategy at Accenture and is a vocal advocate for best practices and proactive risk management in cyber strategy and quantum security.
Mitigating Risk within Multi-Cloud Environments
Mitch Ryan - Senior Solutions Engineer at Wiz
In this session, Insignia Financial will share their journey of modernising data architecture and securing complex multi-cloud environments. James Ng, CISO at Insignia will share the strategies undertaken to re-imagine cloud infrastructure, implement continuous compliance, and gain unified visibility across cloud platforms using tools like Wiz. This session will explore real-world use cases in cloud risk prioritisation, secure cloud adoption, and embedding security throughout the development lifecycle. Walk away with actionable insights to drive both operational efficiency and risk mitigation in your own cloud journey.
High Risk Users & Where to Find Them
Garrett O’Hara - Senior Director, Sales Engineering, Mimecast APAC
68% of cyber incidents are attributed to human error however risk isn’t evenly distributed with recent statistics revealing that 80% of security incidents are caused by just 8% of employees, underscoring the critical importance of identifying high-risk users within an organisation.
This session will explore the factors contributing to user vulnerabilities that lead to certain individuals being classed as high-risk. Participants will gain insights into measuring user risk effectively and implementing tailored strategies to enhance cybersecurity across their organisations. This session will also highlight how a personalised and adaptive security approach can provide customised security measures for each user. By focusing on these high-risk individuals, organisations can safeguard their workforce while maintaining operational productivity.
ADAPT Executive Insight Roundtables - share with confidence under the Chatham House Rule
Attend your preselected roundtable to participate in a peer discussion moderated by ADAPT analysts with subject matter experts.
Peer Networking Seated Lunch
ADAPT Executive Insight Roundtables - share with confidence under the Chatham House Rule
Attend your preselected roundtable to participate in a peer discussion moderated by ADAPT analysts with subject matter experts.
Afternoon Break
Refreshments, Snacks & Connections
CISO Panel: No-Spin Reality Check - 6 Cyber Risks to tackle before 2026
Peter Hind - Principal Research Analyst at ADAPT Emily Mailes - Chief eHealth Strategy Officer at VIC Department of Health

In the run-up to 2026, Australian security leaders face a tight set of concrete risks – not wish-list futures. This panel focuses on what’s hitting budgets, board agendas and incident queues right now. Senior practitioners will trade straight talk on where controls really break, where regulators are tightening screws and which fixes move the risk needle fastest.
• Ransomware as a profit engine – exfiltration-plus-extortion still wins when backups and segmentation fail.
• Credential-stuffing drain – reused passwords, slow MFA uptake and direct fraud losses.
• Third-party & SaaS exposure – one weak supplier or shadow tenant can unravel your whole stack; SBOMs and live vendor scores are now board questions.
• Generative-AI sprawl – prompt-injection, data leakage and “shadow-AI” tools opening fresh attack paths.
• Post-quantum crypto clock – ASD guidance says inventory and crypto-agility must start before NIST standards drop.
• Regulatory heat – tougher privacy fines, APRA CPS 230, and SOCI Act extensions raise the bar on reporting and resilience.
Winning the Boardroom: Helping Businesses Lead, Not Just Comply
Darren Argyle - Former Group Chief Information Security Risk Officer & Board Advisor at Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore)
In an era of mounting regulatory pressure and rising cyber threats, many organisations struggle to balance compliance with true leadership. Boards and regulators want assurance, clarity, and confidence—but too often, cyber and risk leaders fail to bridge the gap between technical jargon and actionable business impact. This keynote offers a roadmap for attendees to gain influence, avoid fines, and transform their organisations into the go-to examples of excellence in cyber resilience and delivering business value.
This workshop session will give you:
• Practical Tools: leave with a clear framework for engaging stakeholders, simplifying complex risks, and demonstrating business value.
• Real Outcomes: Darren shares how he helped go from regulatory scrutiny to trusted leadership by building confidence with the regulators.
• Relatable Lessons: Through storytelling, he’ll bring to life the challenges and triumphs of working with boards, regulators, and resistant stakeholders.
Key Takeaways:
1. How to Get Off the Naughty List: Proven strategies to regain regulators’ confidence and avoid costly fines or oversight.
2. Building Boardroom Influence: Practical steps to become a trusted advisor and align cybersecurity with business goals.
3. From Compliance to Leadership: Lessons on how to shift from simply “meeting standards” to setting them, becoming the example others follow.
Closing Comments
Security Edge Peer Networking Drinks
An opportunity to stay, mingle and meet other attendees over drinks and food and discuss the day.