Our Speakers

Catherine is an accomplished senior executive with extensive expertise in cyber security, risk management, technology, law, and governance. She has a proven track record of leading cyber security operations and transformation initiatives, specialising in protecting businesses from evolving cyber threats and implementing effective risk management strategies.

As a trusted advisor to senior leaders, Catherine works closely with executives, boards and regulators to drive strong customer and business risk outcomes.

Most recently, she served as the Global CISO for QBE Insurance Group. Prior to that, she held senior leadership roles in the finance industry, where she led the delivery and transformation of enterprise-wide critical cyber security controls, as well as programs of work to uplift non-financial risk governance across board and senior executive teams.

Catherine began her career as a lawyer, spending 15 years in both private practice and in-house roles, advising major corporations and government entities on technology, cyber security, outsourcing and compliance.

Her unique blend of legal, technical, and strategic expertise positions her as a dynamic and influential leader in the ever-evolving cyber security landscape.

David has just retired in July 2024 and is building out his portfolio. He is an Advisor with Bain Advisory Network and also an Advisor to JS Careers (Cyber Recruitment) and Emertel (Software Commercialization). ​

He is a seasoned technology executive with significant experience and has over 25 years’ experience in CIO and CISO roles across different industries and countries. At Macquarie Group David served as Global Head Technology, Cyber and Data Risk. Previously was CISO for HSBC Asia Pacific. His career as a CIO spans across multiple industries and geographies including - Metlife, Eli Lilly and Credit Union Australia. He was winner CIO of the Year 2014, at CUA where he successfully completed a significant Transformation of Core Banking, Online and Mobile Banking systems.​

David is past Chairman for the FS-ISAC Strategy Committee and awarded Global Leaders Award in 2023 for his contributions to the cybersecurity industry. A regular conference keynote speaker and 150+ published articles for CIO Australia, Computerworld, ITNews and CSO (Cyber Security), David now writes for Foundry CIO.com and AICD.​

His most recent book - the Aspiring CIO & CISO was published in June 2024 and David is writing his second - A Day in the Life of a CISO with a number of CISOs from around the world for 2025.​

Greg Rattray is Partner and Co-Founder of Next Peak LLC, a cybersecurity and risk management firm. He is also currently the Executive Director of the Cyber Defense Assistance Collaborative (CDAC), as well as the Chief Strategy and Risk Officer for Andesite. Dr. Rattray works closely with Andesite’s senior management team and Board to shape corporate objectives, guide product evolution, and drive go-to-market strategy. In addition, he is a senior advisor to the Red Cell Partners Cyber practice, supporting the evaluation of cyber start-ups for potential investments and providing strategic guidance on growth and management initiatives.

Dr. Rattray previously served as the Global Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at JPMorgan Chase and established their cyber defense strategy and program. As head of Global Cyber Partnerships, he led key industry initiatives including the establishment of the Financial Systemic Analysis and Resiliency Center (FSARC) and the Financial Cybersecurity Profile. Prior to JPMC, Dr. Rattray was founding partner and CEO of Delta Risk LLC, a cybersecurity risk management. He served as the ICANN Chief Internet Security Advisor from 2007-2010. He has also served as Director for Cybersecurity in the White House, commanded the Operations Group of the Air Force Information Warfare Center, pioneered the Department of Defense (DoD) and US national cyber exercise programs, and initiated Air Force and DoD partnership with defense industry.

I am an award-winning cybersecurity leader and board advisor with more than 20 years of experience across IT and OT security, critical infrastructure, government, and enterprise transformation.

My work sits at the intersection of cyber resilience, operational technology, supply chain risk, and responsible AI governance. I have led in complex environments where cyber decisions carry operational, regulatory, and societal consequences. That experience has shaped how I see leadership. Security is never only about technology. It is about judgement, accountability, resilience, and the ability to build trust when it matters most.

Over the course of my career, I have helped organisations strengthen resilience, navigate disruption, and manage risk in increasingly interconnected systems. My background across both IT and OT has given me a practical understanding of how cyber risk affects operations, governance, public trust, and long-term organisational stability.

I am particularly interested in the broader implications of cybersecurity leadership, including critical infrastructure resilience, digital trust, responsible AI adoption, and the governance challenges emerging from connected systems. Through leadership roles, public speaking, mentoring, and my work with TISP, The Innocent Souls Project, I continue to contribute to conversations that connect security, trust, and social responsibility.

I value clarity, integrity, and calm decision-making under pressure. I believe the purpose of security is not only to protect systems, but to protect people, organisations, and the conditions that allow communities to function safely and confidently in a digital world.

Skills: CISO, Cloud and Platform Architect (AWS and Azure), Principal Cyber Security Architect, Operational Technology, Critical Infrastructure, Machine Learning, AI, Cyber Threat Intelligence, Pathology Systems Architecture, Enterprise/Solution Architecture, Security Architecture, Infrastructure Architecture, AWS Outpost, Integration, Security Consulting, Threat Modelling, Mergers and Acquisitions, Divestitures, Digital Transformation, Unix, Linux, Windows, Networks, Healthcare, Defence, Government, ISACs, Public Speaking, Published author of text books and several articles, referenced on a key industry patent, certifications for security, cloud, etc.

Most recently I have been focussing on innovation using distributed cloud architectures in the healthcare, defence, critical infrastructure and security spaces, and building on AI and machine learning techniques for rapid response and adaptive use cases. Cyber threat intelligence allows adaptation of controls faster than a human. Defence, critical and operational technologies make use of my original Aeronautical Engineering background.

I also write books and magazine articles, such as in Pen Testing and Hakin9 magazines; and Pro WebSphere Application Server 7 Internals. I contributed to several industry architecture text books.

Most recently I have worked with government, large vendors and industry bodies to consult on critical infrastructure security and resilience, setting up cyber threat intelligence capabilities and ISAC integration, and a resilient distributed cloud model so large organisations and government can recover key services locally when a region is lost. I have delivered remote AWS Outpost capabilities, and designed the equivalent using Azure.

With over 24 years in the IT industry, Nathan has worked with some of the leading security vendors in the industry. With experience across Financial Services, Insurance, Government, Critical Infrastructure, Retail, Health and Education. Nathan is a regional thought leader with involvement across many events where he discussed the importance of cyber security and how it helps to drive business outcomes.

As Splunk’s Head of Security (APJC) Nathan Smith leads a team of Security Specialists across APJC, dedicated to helping organisations in the public and private sectors address Security Operations challenges with the ever evolving threat landscape.

Working with organisations on modernising Security operations, elevating Cyber Defense and response capabilities with the goal of achieving an elevated level of Cyber and Digital resilience.

Jatin Sachdeva is currently the Chief Security Architect for Cisco APJC. He has been working at Cisco as a Security Specialist for the last 22 years. In his current role, he works with Cisco’s large and strategic clients, advising on security solutions and architectures, with a focus on cross-architectural, business as well as deep technology outcomes. As Field Advisor, Jatin is actively involved with Cisco’s product teams providing guidance on the security strategy and product futures and also regularly provides guidance and technical enablement to Cisco’s Systems Architects. Jatin is an avid speaker at Cisco Live and other security industry events as well as local professional groups. He has been in the security industry for a total of 25 years. Prior to joining Cisco, Jatin has worked in security consulting, design, implementation and auditing. Jatin holds an engineering degree and maintains several respected industry security certifications to have a vendor neutral view on all things security. 

Brione Smink is a CISO Advisor and cybersecurity specialist at Cisco, where he works with enterprise and government organisations to strengthen cyber resilience and navigate an increasingly complex threat landscape.

With more than two decades of experience in cybersecurity and enterprise technology, Brione helps security leaders develop practical strategies across cloud security, threat protection, identity, networking, and secure digital transformation. He is known for his collaborative approach, building trusted relationships with executives and translating complex security challenges into actionable outcomes.

Drawing on extensive experience supporting large organisations across Australia and New Zealand, Brione brings a pragmatic perspective on balancing innovation, risk, and resilience in today’s evolving security environment.

Rodney Heron is Director of Security Sales for Australia and New Zealand at Cisco, where he leads the company’s cybersecurity go-to-market strategy across the region.

With more than 20 years of experience in technology and cybersecurity, Rodney has worked with organisations across a broad range of industries to strengthen cyber resilience, modernise security operations, and navigate an evolving threat landscape. His expertise spans security strategy, incident readiness, cloud security, and security operations transformation.

A passionate leader and mentor, Rodney is known for making complex security challenges accessible to both technical and executive audiences. He brings a practical, customer-focused perspective on helping organisations build resilient security capabilities while enabling innovation and business growth.

Pierre-Alain Gran is the Business Information Security Officer (BISO) for Sovereign Cloud Services, Sovereign Cloud Technology & Delivery at SAP, and a recognized member of SAP’s international security and compliance leadership community.

Pierre-Alain’s organization is responsible for defining and enforcing the information security governance and compliance posture across SAP’s Sovereign Cloud Services global portfolio. The organization develops and maintains end-to-end ISMS frameworks, compliance programs, and audit readiness capabilities that underpin SAP’s regulated cloud offerings for the public sector and highly regulated industries.

Pierre-Alain joined SAP in 2012 as an Enterprise Architect in Presales in Paris, where he quickly evolved from solution and technical architecture advisory into enterprise and security architecture. He became a recognized security presales specialist, community hub leader, and an active evangelist for cloud innovation, including SAP S/4HANA and SAP Business Technology Platform, building strong relationships with customers and internal stakeholders across multiple countries.

In 2016, Pierre-Alain relocated to Zürich to join the HR Technology Advisory practice, serving as a Cybersecurity and Privacy Advisor working directly with customer legal, privacy, and security departments. In 2021, Pierre-Alain joined SAP Global Security & Cloud Compliance (SGSC), where he drove the Financial Services Agreement framework and managed global C-level negotiations on cybersecurity and privacy risk mitigation. Soon thereafter, he transitioned to managing security audits for major banking and life science customers, advising on regulated industry obligations.

Since July 2023, Pierre-Alain has led compliance for the newly created Sovereign Cloud Technology & Delivery. Within his first nine months, he built and implemented a complete ISMS and Information Security Risk Management framework from the ground up. His leadership directly resulted in the successful achievement of ISO 27001 (including ISO 27017 and 27018) certification and SOC2 Type I and II audit reports with zero findings in 2024, 2025, and 2026—a landmark achievement for a newly established line of business operating across highly regulated sovereign environments.

With more than 13 years of experience in cybersecurity, compliance, and data privacy—and over 19 years as a trusted advisor to customers across finance, life sciences, public sector, and defense—Pierre-Alain brings rare breadth to the intersection of business and security.

Pierre-Alain holds a Diplôme d’Ingénieur (Master of Science) in Computer Science from the École Supérieure d’Informatique Électronique Automatique (ESIEA, France), with a final year completed at Concordia University and John Molson Business School in Montréal, Canada. He is fluent in French, English, Spanish, and German, and holds professional proficiency in Italian.

Candice Smith is a Solutions Engineer at DigiCert, where she works closely with customers to help them navigate the practical and strategic challenges of digital trust. With a background in Account Management before moving into Sales Engineering, Candice brings a strong understanding of how security decisions impact both technology teams and the wider business.Candice is passionate about translating complex concepts into clear, meaningful conversations, building trusted partnerships, and supporting customers through change. She is an active contributor to customer events, webinars, and cross-functional initiatives, and is particularly focused on creating inclusive, supportive environments where people can learn, connect, and grow together. 

Serkan is the Head of Solutions Engineering for Tenable Australia & New Zealand. Serkan has worked globally across various industries to help organisations in achieving their objectives to improve their overall security posture, reduce risk, achieve compliance and gain operational efficiencies. His experiences include designing, advising, and consulting on projects, frameworks, and architectures across multiple cybersecurity disciplines, including exposure management, identity security platforms, and security information & event management solutions. 

Alex Harmer has spent over a decade working across the Asia Pacific technology sector, with experience spanning data infrastructure, enterprise architecture, IT governance, and cybersecurity. He holds certifications in COBIT 5, TOGAF, and ITIL, reflecting a long-standing interest in how organisations govern and improve their technology environments.

Before joining Vanta, Alex held senior management roles at some of the region’s most recognised cybersecurity vendors, leading large APJ teams and partnering with security leaders to help organisations strengthen their security posture and stay ahead of an evolving threat landscape.

Today, Alex leads APJ Commercial Sales Development at Vanta, where his focus is helping security and GRC teams move from fragmented, manual compliance toward continuous automated assurance. He is passionate about the role technology can play in turning compliance from an overhead into a genuine foundation for good security.

Maryam Bechtel is the General Manager of Cyber Security at TAL Australia, where she leads TAL’s cyber protection strategy and security operations. With more than 19 years of experience in the Cyber Security sector, she has worked across multiple continents and held senior roles with organisations including Deutsche Telekom, Deloitte, and AGL.

Ms Bechtel also serves as a board member of the Australian Women in Security Network and is a committed advocate for advancing the participation of women in the
security industry. She holds a Master’s degree in Information Security from Stockholm and a Bachelor of Software Engineering.

Alex Loizou is a seasoned cybersecurity leader with a proven track record of building and leading high-performing security teams. He has extensive experience as a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for major organisations such as Medibank, Flybuys, and Bupa. Notably, he served as the CISO at Medibank during their 2022 cyber incident, where he played a crucial role in leading the response and recovery efforts. Since departing Medibank in January 2025, Alex has founded Intrinsic Security, a boutique cybersecurity consultancy with the goal of improving security practices in Australian companies.

Jim is well known in the local market for delivering on his promise and his entire career has been spent connecting the right people at the right time in roles across Europe, China and Australia.

He founded ADAPT to deliver quality outcomes with integrity and since 2011, growth has been consistent. Jim is still positioned across sales and account management where he delivers innovative results and programs and leads by example.

He also runs entrepreneurial product development and the evolution and clear differentiated value of ADAPT’s offerings. As well as a NSW Small Business Excellence nomination, ADAPT were 55th in BRW’s 2014 Top 100 Start Ups - Jim’s 3rd time there - previously as Founder of Strategic Path, an award-winning ICT publisher, he steered the company to make the list in both 2009 and 2010.

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.​

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