Our Speakers Include...

A seasoned cybersecurity leader with extensive expertise in establishing and overseeing cybersecurity teams. A published author in the field of cybersecurity, notably with the book ‘Ransomware: Enhancing Threat-Centric Cyber Defense’. Demonstrates strong leadership skills, fostering the growth of individuals within the industry.

Bringing a wealth of experience as an IT executive, adept at customizing security strategies according to specific industry sectors and threat landscapes. Proficiently manages security budgets spanning from $5 million to $160 million. Successfully established both in-house onshore and offshore security operations centers, collaborating with partner organizations to achieve robust security outcomes.

Possesses a rich background working with major global financial institutions such as American Express, Commonwealth Bank, ANZ Bank, as well as prominent players in the technology sector like IBM, and within the manufacturing vertical.

As the Chief eHealth Strategy Officer at the Department of Health in Victoria, my role encompasses two core areas: driving digital strategy for the future of healthcare and ensuring the cybersecurity and operational integrity of critical health systems.

On the digital strategy side, I am responsible for setting an ambitious agenda that shapes the future of the Victorian health system through innovation and transformation. By collaborating with policymakers, funders, and healthcare leaders, I work to align strategic initiatives and emerging technologies that drive improvements across the system and enhance the health and wellbeing of Victorians.

In parallel, I oversee a 24/7 cybersecurity operation dedicated to protecting Victorians’ health data and securing the critical systems that keep our healthcare services running. My leadership in cybersecurity is focused on ensuring robust protections against emerging threats while maintaining operational excellence in the face of evolving challenges.

My dual role allows me to balance high-level strategic vision with the practical, day-to-day oversight of security operations, ensuring both the future and the present of the health system are secure, resilient, and forward-thinking.

I am an advocate for technology leadership, people development and cross-industry partnerships. Steering Google Cloud’s ‘Office of the CISO’ in the Asia Pacific, my leadership extends to shaping cybersecurity principles and cyber governance frameworks, enhancing digital trust across various industries. The role demands a strategic fusion of security expertise, thought leadership, executive sponsorship and partnership with CISOs, CIOs, regulators and government bodies to elevate cybersecurity measures at both a national and global level.

Alexey, a Director at Accenture, brings over 15 years of expertise in cybersecurity strategy, risk management, quantum risk, and cryptography. He currently holds the position of APAC Quantum Security Lead and A/NZ Cyber Strategy Delivery Lead.

Prior to Accenture, Alexey honed his expertise at EY, contributing to the Global Innovation Quantum Technology Lab and leading Global Quantum Security efforts. In parallel with advancing quantum security, he successfully delivered over a dozen cyber strategy projects for clients across the A/NZ region. Before EY, Alexey served as a County Information Security Officer at Deutsche Bank’s Moscow Branch. His focus was protecting business interests and infrastructure from cyber threats and balancing headquarters objectives with local branch needs.

Alexey is a vocal advocate for best practices and proactive risk management in cyber strategy and quantum security. His thought leadership includes authoring articles, contributing to international reports, producing educational videos, and speaking at industry conferences.

Tara is the Chief Information Security Officer at Victoria University, responsible for cyber and physical security, risk and assurance and business resilience.

With a foundation in network engineering and extensive experience across security, she has worked across diverse sectors including financial services, telecommunications, e-conveyancing and higher education, leading high-performing teams across threat intelligence, offensive security, strategy, risk and governance and security culture. Her career spans senior leadership roles in highly regulated industries, notably at PEXA and Telstra.

Tara also contributes as an advisor to national security forums and higher education institutions and serves on the Victorian Committee for the Australian Information Security Association (AISA).

She is passionate about empowering people, fostering inclusive and secure environments and embedding resilience at the heart of organisational strategy.

Darren is an accomplished executive with close to 20 years of international cyber risk/security experience and served as the Group Chief Information Security Risk Officer at Standard Chartered bank. He was recently appointed as Ambassador for the Global Cyber Alliance in recognition of his collaborative work advising small businesses in a voluntary capacity and is the Co-Founder/ Chairman of Cyber Leadership Institute.

Darren has a wealth of real-world hands-on leadership experience to impart; he was the former Group Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Qantas Airlines and, before coming to live in Australia, the former Chief Information Security Officer at IHS Markit, a global FinTech headquartered in the UK, and also held various senior international cyber security leadership roles at Symantec and IBM.

In 2016, Darren was featured on the front cover of SC Magazine (an award-winning cybersecurity media publication) then, in 2017 and 2022, was named in the top 100 Chief Information Security Officers globally, and, in 2018, was listed in the top 100 IT security influencers globally. Darren is adept at using real-world stories to demonstrate the critical importance of striving for cyber resilience.

Mitch Ryan is an Enterprise Solution Engineer at Wiz, specializing in cloud security, threat detection, and compliance. With over 17 years in IT and cybersecurity, he has worked across enterprise, government, and vendor environments, helping organizations strengthen their security posture.

Before Wiz, Mitch was a Senior Security Solution Architect at Splunk, where he designed complex security solutions, drove revenue growth, and spoke at industry events. He also held key roles at Varonis, VMware, and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, focusing on data security, automation, and infrastructure architecture. 

A member of the PreSales Collective, Mitch is passionate about security innovation, attack simulation, and Al-driven threat detection, frequently sharing insights through workshops and conferences. 

James is a leader with a range of experience across various cyber security, technology risk and audit domains, bringing a global lens across a diverse background in financial services, telecommunications, entertainment, consulting and FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods). 

James is currently the General Manager Cyber Security & CISO at Insignia Financial and most recently was at AARNet (Australia’s Academic and Research Network) where he oversaw a managed Security Operations Centre (SOC) capability for a number of Australian universities. Prior to this James held a number of roles at Telstra including leading the information security function at Belong and in parallel, the Telstra cyber governance and risk team.

Field CTO combining a strong technical background with two decades of real-world sales acumen. Seasoned leader of technical sales teams in the Asia Pacific region with experience of growing new-to-country businesses. Media experience across conference speaking, keynotes, podcasts and TV.

A technology strategy thought leader with a legacy of shaping and delivering high-stakes digital transformations, Samrat is known for leading from the front—where innovation, security, and business value converge. With a sharp strategic lens and deep domain expertise, he has successfully built and managed complex portfolios across cross-section of business, while delivering enterprise-wide transformation initiatives, with end-to-end P&L ownership and NorthStar commercial acumen.

Samrat brings an unique combination of strategic clarity, technical depth, and business-first mindset to every engagement—driving change at scale, mitigating risk, and unlocking long-term value for stakeholders. He is adept at navigating ambiguity and aligning technology investments with business outcomes, while ensuring agility, regulatory compliance, and secure-by-design principles remain at the core of delivery.

A proven people leader, Samrat has built and led high-performing, cross-functional teams across geographies—fostering collaboration, ownership, and continuous innovation. His leadership approach empowers talent, nurtures future leaders, and builds a culture of excellence, accountability, and resilience.

With a strong foundation across cybersecurity, AI, cloud computing, API ecosystems, and over-arching digital transformation, Samrat is committed to advancing enterprise capabilities through secure, scalable, and future-ready platforms. He is passionate about shaping the next frontier of technology, translating vision into execution, and delivering measurable business impact in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

Peter Wolski is the General Manager Reliability and Security at MYOB. With a career spanning over two decades in the technology and finance industry, Peter has established himself as a strategic leader with a knack for driving operational efficiency and implementing innovative solutions.

Peter joined MYOB in 2020, bringing with him a wealth of experience from his previous roles in various multinational corporations. At MYOB, he has been instrumental in leading the company’s digital transformation efforts, streamlining processes, and enhancing customer experience.

Jim is known for exceeding expectations in execution.

His entire career has been spent connecting the right people at the right time in roles across Europe and Asia Pac. ​
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He founded ADAPT to deliver quality outcomes with integrity – 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. ​
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At the centre of agenda creation and strategic partner management for two decades, Jim is uniquely experienced to be the voice of the end-user, the customer and the vendor. ​
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He satisfies C-suite attendees with all agendas across ADAPT EDGE events. He also regularly presents “Know your Customer” webinars and guides the world’s largest vendors with their g-t-m and content strategies.​
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Through entrepreneurial product development and a servant leader mentality with his team and clients, ADAPT grows annually with clearly differentiated value for all stakeholders.

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.​

With over 20 years of experience in start-ups and the broader technology industry, I am a renowned advocate for cyber security in Australia. My journey has been marked by fostering collaboration and propelling the growth of Australia’s cyber security industry.

Key Achievements:

• Developed strategic initiatives and partnerships that fuel innovation in collaboration with start-ups, industry leaders, government agencies and academia.
• Recognised thought leader, sharing insights on entrepreneurship, cyber security and public-private sector collaboration.
• Featured in reputable media outlets, amplifying the significance of cyber security in today’s digital landscape.

I am committed to driving innovation and resilience in the field, leveraging my expertise to align strategies with industry needs and address evolving cyber threats. My role at AustCyber involved close collaboration with various stakeholders to develop strategic initiatives and forge partnerships that fuel innovation.