The SlashNEW 2025 speaker lineup features experts in a broad range of technology fields, representing the diverse community in Newcastle and nationally.
Our first speakers to be announced are:
Carolyn Breeze
Keynote: Importance of tech in the current capital raising landscape’ and ‘unlocking product led growth
with diversity
CEO of Scalare Partners
Carolyn’s purpose is to empower organisations to drive inclusion and equality through technology and accessibility.
Carolyn Breeze, currently the CEO of Scalare Partners (ASX:SCP), is a distinguished leader in the technology sector with over 20 years of experience in payments, fintech, e-commerce, and telecommunications. She has held significant roles at renowned companies such as Zepto, GoCardless, PayPal, Braintree, and eBay.
Carolyn is celebrated for her vibrant personality and is a sought-after NED and keynote speaker, recognised for her contributions to the industry with accolades like CEO Magazine’s IT and Telecommunications Executive of the Year in 2018 and being named one of Business Insider’s top 20 Women in Fintech. In 2021, she was awarded ‘Fintech Leader of the Year’ at the Women in Finance Awards in 2023.
Leveraging her background and passion for continuous development, Carolyn partners with her clients across corporate, entrepreneurial and not-for-profit organisations. Complementing this work Carolyn provides advisory services in payments, open data, fintech, automation, and commercialisation strategies. Additionally, she continues to conduct public speaking engagements and is seen as a thought leader within the startup, payments and tech sectors.
Carolyn’s dedication to the principle of lifelong learning, and generosity in sharing her expansive leadership and commercial aptitude make her a sought-after and invaluable resource, both in Australia and internationally.
Carolyn’s purpose is to empower organisations to drive inclusion and equality through technology and accessibility.
Carolyn Breeze, currently the CEO of Scalare Partners (ASX:SCP), is a distinguished leader in the technology sector with over 20 years of experience in payments, fintech, e-commerce, and telecommunications. She has held significant roles at renowned companies such as Zepto, GoCardless, PayPal, Braintree, and eBay.
Carolyn is celebrated for her vibrant personality and is a sought-after NED and keynote speaker, recognised for her contributions to the industry with accolades like CEO Magazine’s IT and Telecommunications Executive of the Year in 2018 and being named one of Business Insider’s top 20 Women in Fintech. In 2021, she was awarded ‘Fintech Leader of the Year’ at the Women in Finance Awards in 2023.
Leveraging her background and passion for continuous development, Carolyn partners with her clients across corporate, entrepreneurial and not-for-profit organisations. Complementing this work Carolyn provides advisory services in payments, open data, fintech, automation, and commercialisation strategies. Additionally, she continues to conduct public speaking engagements and is seen as a thought leader within the startup, payments and tech sectors.
Carolyn’s dedication to the principle of lifelong learning, and generosity in sharing her expansive leadership and commercial aptitude make her a sought-after and invaluable resource, both in Australia and internationally.
Michelle Sandford
Keynote: /New – No turning back
Developer Engagement Lead @ Microsoft
Tedx Speaker, developer community mentor, Microsoftie and international conference Speaker. I live at the heart of the coding community and help drive awareness and engagement as a developer advocate and technology evangelist. I advocate for STEM, the Games Industry and Developers. I present at around 50 Conferences and Events around the world on Technology, Learning to Code, Open Source and Building Bots. I judge hackathons and encourage the next generation into technology careers.
Tedx Speaker, developer community mentor, Microsoftie and international conference Speaker. I live at the heart of the coding community and help drive awareness and engagement as a developer advocate and technology evangelist. I advocate for STEM, the Games Industry and Developers. I present at around 50 Conferences and Events around the world on Technology, Learning to Code, Open Source and Building Bots. I judge hackathons and encourage the next generation into technology careers.
Kris Howard
Eff-Off Money – Financial independence for tech workers
Kris worked in the Australian tech industry for more than 20 years at companies like Channel Nine, Canva, YOW, and AWS, where she most recently led the APAC Developer Relations team. She’s now trying on early retirement, which gives her a lot more time to think about technology and how we can do better
Michelle “MishManners” Duke
The Art of Git-based content management with GitHub
Developer Advocate at SSW
Michelle “MishManners” Duke, is a multi-talented personality in the tech and gaming communities. As a developer advocate, she has made significant contributions to GitHub, and is known for her expertise in sharing technical knowledge. Mish is a successful entrepreneur and founder, having co-founded several companies. She has been a driving force in Melbourne’s entrepreneurial culture and sits at the forefront of the city’s science, tech, esports, and startup scenes. She has been instrumental in pioneering esports to become mainstream and has been recognised as an influential woman in the industry. Throughout her career, Mish has been a dedicated advocate for diversity, inclusion, and community building, inspiring others to pursue their passions in tech, gaming, and entrepreneurship.
Michelle “MishManners” Duke, is a multi-talented personality in the tech and gaming communities. As a developer advocate, she has made significant contributions to GitHub, and is known for her expertise in sharing technical knowledge. Mish is a successful entrepreneur and founder, having co-founded several companies. She has been a driving force in Melbourne’s entrepreneurial culture and sits at the forefront of the city’s science, tech, esports, and startup scenes. She has been instrumental in pioneering esports to become mainstream and has been recognised as an influential woman in the industry. Throughout her career, Mish has been a dedicated advocate for diversity, inclusion, and community building, inspiring others to pursue their passions in tech, gaming, and entrepreneurship.
Aaron Powell
Tackling the developer inner loop
Cloud Advocate for Microsoft
Aaron is a a Cloud Advocate for Microsoft based in Sydney. His area of specialty is .NET web development, focusing on the intersection of .NET and JavaScript applications.
Find out more about Aaron.
Aaron is a a Cloud Advocate for Microsoft based in Sydney. His area of specialty is .NET web development, focusing on the intersection of .NET and JavaScript applications.
Find out more about Aaron.
Nelly Sattari
Case study – Managing a complex engineering project
Senior Engineering Manager at Atlassian
Nelly Sattari is a Senior Engineering Manager at Atlassian, leading the Platform team. She is a Microsoft Cloud Native MVP, community leader, public speaker, and mentor. With a background in software engineering, Nelly thrives on problem-solving and is passionate about building engaging software while empowering teams to achieve both enthusiasm and high performance.
For the past decade, Nelly has been dedicated to making the tech community a more inclusive space for collaboration and learning. She has co-organized tech events like Serverless Days ANZ and Programmable, spoken at numerous international conferences, and led Technical Leadership Workshops for tech leaders. You can explore more of her insights at Nelly Sattari .
Nelly Sattari is a Senior Engineering Manager at Atlassian, leading the Platform team. She is a Microsoft Cloud Native MVP, community leader, public speaker, and mentor. With a background in software engineering, Nelly thrives on problem-solving and is passionate about building engaging software while empowering teams to achieve both enthusiasm and high performance.
For the past decade, Nelly has been dedicated to making the tech community a more inclusive space for collaboration and learning. She has co-organized tech events like Serverless Days ANZ and Programmable, spoken at numerous international conferences, and led Technical Leadership Workshops for tech leaders. You can explore more of her insights at Nelly Sattari .
Cordelia Prangley
Driving Transformational Change through Creative Research and Storytelling
Co-speaking with Dr. Ben Shelton
Cordelia Prangley is a User Experience Specialist at the University of Newcastle, with qualifications in Service Design and Information Technology. Cordelia excels in user research, human-centred design, and service design, bringing a deep understanding of user needs and behaviours to her work. Her expertise ensures that the solutions developed are both user-centered and effective.
Cordelia Prangley is a User Experience Specialist at the University of Newcastle, with qualifications in Service Design and Information Technology. Cordelia excels in user research, human-centred design, and service design, bringing a deep understanding of user needs and behaviours to her work. Her expertise ensures that the solutions developed are both user-centered and effective.
Dr. Ben Shelton
Driving Transformational Change through Creative Research and Storytelling
Co-speaking with Cordelia Prangley
Dr. Ben Shelton is the Senior Manager, Student Systems and Business Enablement at the University of Newcastle. With a PhD in Computer Science and extensive experience, he bridges academic research and practical application, making him a key component of this research.
Dr. Ben Shelton is the Senior Manager, Student Systems and Business Enablement at the University of Newcastle. With a PhD in Computer Science and extensive experience, he bridges academic research and practical application, making him a key component of this research.
Jacob Moran
Decentralising Data at Scale: Lessons from Building ANZ Plus’s Data Mesh on GCP
Product Owner: Data Mesh & Data Ops at ANZ
Jacob Moran is the Product Owner for ANZ Plus’s Data Mesh team, where he works daily with several teams building and supporting Australia’s biggest data mesh. A proud Novocastrian, Jacob started his career in website analytics at nib before spending the last decade working in the data teams of start-ups, government, and corporations in Sydney and Melbourne. Away from data, Jacob likes to pretend his hobbies include golf, music, and history, but with a young family, time for these pursuits is becoming increasingly rare.
Jacob Moran is the Product Owner for ANZ Plus’s Data Mesh team, where he works daily with several teams building and supporting Australia’s biggest data mesh. A proud Novocastrian, Jacob started his career in website analytics at nib before spending the last decade working in the data teams of start-ups, government, and corporations in Sydney and Melbourne. Away from data, Jacob likes to pretend his hobbies include golf, music, and history, but with a young family, time for these pursuits is becoming increasingly rare.
Dr Shiva Pedram
Human-Centered Design in the Age of AI: Building Better Tech Through Human Factors and UX
Lecturer – School of Information and Physical Sciences University of Newcastle
An experienced UX Research Specialist and Service Designer, I specialize in the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and service design within emerging technologies. With 10+ years of dedicated work in industry & academic environments, I’ve honed my capabilities to intricately understand and innovate at the nexus of user needs and technological advancements. In pivotal roles, I have strategically led efforts to research, design, and refine services that significantly improve user interactions and satisfaction in multiple sectors – health, insurance, tourism, e-commerce, and digital government services.
An experienced UX Research Specialist and Service Designer, I specialize in the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and service design within emerging technologies. With 10+ years of dedicated work in industry & academic environments, I’ve honed my capabilities to intricately understand and innovate at the nexus of user needs and technological advancements. In pivotal roles, I have strategically led efforts to research, design, and refine services that significantly improve user interactions and satisfaction in multiple sectors – health, insurance, tourism, e-commerce, and digital government services.
Dr John Brøndum
The Architecture of (Solution) Architecture
Consultant
Dr John Brøndum has spent a life time working as a solution, enterprise, business, domain etc architect. He has worked for large corporations, government companies, and start-ups. He achieved The Open Group IT Architect certification in 2005, Ph.D. software architecture in 2013, and has battle tested many architecture ideas on the front line of large scale digital transformation projects and fintech startups. Full resume is available here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbrondum
Dr John Brøndum has spent a life time working as a solution, enterprise, business, domain etc architect. He has worked for large corporations, government companies, and start-ups. He achieved The Open Group IT Architect certification in 2005, Ph.D. software architecture in 2013, and has battle tested many architecture ideas on the front line of large scale digital transformation projects and fintech startups. Full resume is available here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbrondum
Opemipo Disu
Optimizing Performance with the Next.js Image Component: Beyond the Basics
Developer Relations at Latitude
Opemipo Disu is a Developer Advocate and Keynote Speaker, He has engaged over 100,000 professionals across various industries through his speaking engagements and blog posts. Opemipo is dedicated to exploring technology and making developer tools accessible, actively supporting developer communities with his expertise. Opemipo aims to empower over 1 million developers through his keynote talks and tutorials. He has spoken at 50+ tech events, including events hosted by IBM. Recognized for his contributions, Opemipo holds achievements such as IBM Champion for Developers (2020), Couchbase Champion, and Bitrise Expert. Currently serving as a Developer Advocate, Opemipo focuses on innovating with next-generation technologies, showcased on his YouTube channel, “Opemipo’s Thoughts.” His insights have been featured on Code Newbies Podcast, Channels TV, BBC, Legit.ng, among others.
Opemipo Disu is a Developer Advocate and Keynote Speaker, He has engaged over 100,000 professionals across various industries through his speaking engagements and blog posts. Opemipo is dedicated to exploring technology and making developer tools accessible, actively supporting developer communities with his expertise. Opemipo aims to empower over 1 million developers through his keynote talks and tutorials. He has spoken at 50+ tech events, including events hosted by IBM. Recognized for his contributions, Opemipo holds achievements such as IBM Champion for Developers (2020), Couchbase Champion, and Bitrise Expert. Currently serving as a Developer Advocate, Opemipo focuses on innovating with next-generation technologies, showcased on his YouTube channel, “Opemipo’s Thoughts.” His insights have been featured on Code Newbies Podcast, Channels TV, BBC, Legit.ng, among others.
Andrew Goodwin
Digital Forensics in the Intensive Care Unit
Research Collaborator at The Hospital for Sick Children
Andrew is an experienced engineer with a track record of developing innovative and novel tech solutions. Andrew completed a degree in environmental engineering at the University of Newcastle in 1999 and worked locally as consultant developing and operating flood, noise and dust models to the mining industry for more than a decade. In this role he developed early versions of the software used for spatial analysis at Anditi, a Newcastle based company that develops high performance analytical solutions for geospatial projects. Andrew moved to Toronto, Canada in 2011 where he developed a clinical data collection and storage system for the Intensive Care Unit at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). This system, called AtriumDB, has been collecting physiological waveforms continuously from the 42-bed unit since early 2016, resulting in a database of over 2 million patient-hours of high frequency physiological signals from over 20,00 critically ill children. These signals collected using this system are being used for multiple clinical research projects spanning several different countries. AtriumDB was released as an open-source in 2023 and is now in use at several other children’s hospitals in Canada, Israel, the USA, and at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead in NSW. in 2023 Andrew completed a PhD in Biomedical Engineering through the university of Sydney where his research focused on modelling data flow through clinical systems. Andrew now works from his home in Newcastle to assist hospitals internationally who wish to incorporate high frequency physiological signals into their clinical decision support systems.
Andrew is an experienced engineer with a track record of developing innovative and novel tech solutions. Andrew completed a degree in environmental engineering at the University of Newcastle in 1999 and worked locally as consultant developing and operating flood, noise and dust models to the mining industry for more than a decade. In this role he developed early versions of the software used for spatial analysis at Anditi, a Newcastle based company that develops high performance analytical solutions for geospatial projects. Andrew moved to Toronto, Canada in 2011 where he developed a clinical data collection and storage system for the Intensive Care Unit at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). This system, called AtriumDB, has been collecting physiological waveforms continuously from the 42-bed unit since early 2016, resulting in a database of over 2 million patient-hours of high frequency physiological signals from over 20,00 critically ill children. These signals collected using this system are being used for multiple clinical research projects spanning several different countries. AtriumDB was released as an open-source in 2023 and is now in use at several other children’s hospitals in Canada, Israel, the USA, and at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead in NSW. in 2023 Andrew completed a PhD in Biomedical Engineering through the university of Sydney where his research focused on modelling data flow through clinical systems. Andrew now works from his home in Newcastle to assist hospitals internationally who wish to incorporate high frequency physiological signals into their clinical decision support systems.
Brendan Marsh
Talk title TBD
Organisation and Product Coach at Organa
Brendan is a Product Coach at Organa, a boutique consulting agency, where he coaches product leaders and serves as a Fractional CPO for scale-ups in Australia. Previously, he was the Product Manager for Spotify’s Desktop product, responsible for one-third of their monthly active users, along with coaching teams at Spotify to utilise Product Discovery and Lean Startup methods to test innovative ideas. He’s passionate about mental health and brings his experience as a CPO for a mental health non-profit and his advocacy for wellbeing in the workplace to his coaching. Brendan is currently pursuing a Master in Psychotherapy, further deepening his commitment to mental well-being.
Brendan is a Product Coach at Organa, a boutique consulting agency, where he coaches product leaders and serves as a Fractional CPO for scale-ups in Australia. Previously, he was the Product Manager for Spotify’s Desktop product, responsible for one-third of their monthly active users, along with coaching teams at Spotify to utilise Product Discovery and Lean Startup methods to test innovative ideas. He’s passionate about mental health and brings his experience as a CPO for a mental health non-profit and his advocacy for wellbeing in the workplace to his coaching. Brendan is currently pursuing a Master in Psychotherapy, further deepening his commitment to mental well-being.
Julian Burr
The Web is Your Ally — Building Accessible Web Apps By Using the Platform
Senior Software Engineer at Askable
Senior Developer from Germany with over 15 years of experience building web apps and leading frontend teams, currently living and working down under in Australia. Pragmatic perfectionist, always looking for opportunities to learn and grow.
Find out more about Julian.
Senior Developer from Germany with over 15 years of experience building web apps and leading frontend teams, currently living and working down under in Australia. Pragmatic perfectionist, always looking for opportunities to learn and grow.
Find out more about Julian.
Phil Nash
Let’s build an AI agent
Developer Relations Engineer at DataStax
Phil is a developer relations engineer for DataStax and Google Developer Expert living in Melbourne, Australia. He’s been working in developer relations for a decade, speaking at conferences since 2012, and writing JavaScript since before jQuery. Away from the keyboard, Phil enjoys travel, live music, and hanging out with his mini sausage dog, Ruby.
Phil is a developer relations engineer for DataStax and Google Developer Expert living in Melbourne, Australia. He’s been working in developer relations for a decade, speaking at conferences since 2012, and writing JavaScript since before jQuery. Away from the keyboard, Phil enjoys travel, live music, and hanging out with his mini sausage dog, Ruby.
Damian Hamilton
Slow Coffee & Mental Health
Head Roaster at Pirate Coffee
A proud Maori man, Damian Hamilton has spent most of his career working in senior roles in global technology companies like HP, Dimension Data and VMware. With a strong belief in the power of culture and the ability for a good story to change lives, Damian gravitated towards alliances, sales and channel partner roles, driving dramatic growth in cloud services and channel revenue year on year for over two decades.
Combining his career and passion for coffee, his newly founded Pirate Coffee business and roastery at Port Stephens blends tech, food manufacturing and workflow systems with his passion for storytelling and conversation. With a goal to positively impact mens wellbeing, Pirate Coffee helps create moments for men of all ages to deeply connect through conversations that matter – one micro-roasted coffee at a time.
A proud Maori man, Damian Hamilton has spent most of his career working in senior roles in global technology companies like HP, Dimension Data and VMware. With a strong belief in the power of culture and the ability for a good story to change lives, Damian gravitated towards alliances, sales and channel partner roles, driving dramatic growth in cloud services and channel revenue year on year for over two decades.
Combining his career and passion for coffee, his newly founded Pirate Coffee business and roastery at Port Stephens blends tech, food manufacturing and workflow systems with his passion for storytelling and conversation. With a goal to positively impact mens wellbeing, Pirate Coffee helps create moments for men of all ages to deeply connect through conversations that matter – one micro-roasted coffee at a time.
Claire Quigley
Building High-Value Relationships between Technology and the Business: Three Essential Strategies to Delivering Successful Projects
Director of Tech Team Whisperer
Claire, Director of Tech Team Whisperer, is a transformative leader guiding teams to break free from outdated norms and drive meaningful organisational change through technology and innovation. As Deputy Chair of Hunter iF, she plays a crucial role in fostering regional growth by building impactful connections and driving collaboration.
With over 25 years of experience in technology, strategy, and innovation, Claire’s journey spans high-tech startups, major corporate roles, and regional development. Her expertise ranges from commercialising research at the Walton Institute to leading businesses through economic transition as 2IC at Waterford Chamber, and driving innovation in global collaborations at Canon Australia.
Claire’s mission is simple yet powerful: challenge the status quo, prioritise people, and deliver results. Her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion as the foundation of creativity and innovation fuels everything she does. As a judge for the TechDiversity Awards, she champions radical collaboration as the key to transformational outcomes.
When she’s not sparking connection and creativity, Claire draws inspiration from life in the Upper Hunter NSW, surrounded by her lively family of humans, horses, and dogs.
Claire, Director of Tech Team Whisperer, is a transformative leader guiding teams to break free from outdated norms and drive meaningful organisational change through technology and innovation. As Deputy Chair of Hunter iF, she plays a crucial role in fostering regional growth by building impactful connections and driving collaboration.
With over 25 years of experience in technology, strategy, and innovation, Claire’s journey spans high-tech startups, major corporate roles, and regional development. Her expertise ranges from commercialising research at the Walton Institute to leading businesses through economic transition as 2IC at Waterford Chamber, and driving innovation in global collaborations at Canon Australia.
Claire’s mission is simple yet powerful: challenge the status quo, prioritise people, and deliver results. Her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion as the foundation of creativity and innovation fuels everything she does. As a judge for the TechDiversity Awards, she champions radical collaboration as the key to transformational outcomes.
When she’s not sparking connection and creativity, Claire draws inspiration from life in the Upper Hunter NSW, surrounded by her lively family of humans, horses, and dogs.
Leanora Horne
From Legacy to Leading Edge: How Human-Centered Design Wins in Industry
Corporate Innovator | Product Strategist | Industrial UX Specialist
Leanora is a leading advocate for Human-Centered Design in heavy industry, bringing Silicon Valley-style UX thinking into high-stakes industrial environments. With a background in corporate product innovation and lean methodology, she has helped Bradken successfully bring industrial solutions to market, driving usability, safety, and adoption through data-driven design strategies.
She is passionate about bridging the gap between engineering and real-world users, cutting through corporate red tape with “wagile” execution, and ensuring that the best industrial products are built for the people who rely on them most.
Want to transform your industry with HCD-driven innovation? Let’s talk.
Leanora is a leading advocate for Human-Centered Design in heavy industry, bringing Silicon Valley-style UX thinking into high-stakes industrial environments. With a background in corporate product innovation and lean methodology, she has helped Bradken successfully bring industrial solutions to market, driving usability, safety, and adoption through data-driven design strategies.
She is passionate about bridging the gap between engineering and real-world users, cutting through corporate red tape with “wagile” execution, and ensuring that the best industrial products are built for the people who rely on them most.
Want to transform your industry with HCD-driven innovation? Let’s talk.
Shweta Reddy Chenigaram
Maximise your coding potential – how AI-assisted coding helps you ship faster
Software Technical Lead at BMT Tax Depreciation
Shweta is a Senior Technical Lead with BMT Tax Depreciation Quantity Surveyors based in Newcastle. She is a graduate of the Computer Science school of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University of India, moving to Australia in 2010. She lives with her husband and their two sons, and a fluffy, friendly cat. When she is not cutting code, Shweta loves to travel. She also likes a nice hot spicy curry.
Shweta is a Senior Technical Lead with BMT Tax Depreciation Quantity Surveyors based in Newcastle. She is a graduate of the Computer Science school of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University of India, moving to Australia in 2010. She lives with her husband and their two sons, and a fluffy, friendly cat. When she is not cutting code, Shweta loves to travel. She also likes a nice hot spicy curry.
Tom Howard
We’ve outgrown CRUD. What comes next?
Co-Founder of Well Financial Technology
As a seasoned engineering leader and consultant with over 25 years of experience, I bring a wealth of knowledge in IT architecture and software engineering. My expertise lies in advising large organizations and providing technical guidance to medium-sized organizations looking to re-engineer their systems and procedures. I have a proven track record of managing technical engineering teams, delivering value to stakeholders, and leveraging my deep understanding of technology, business strategies, and product management to provide insightful leadership. In my recent roles at Greater Bank, Pacific National and Westpac, I have demonstrated my ability to drive significant digital transformation projects, implement modern software delivery processes, and improve system security and efficiency. I have successfully navigated complex challenges, providing strategic foresight and mitigating risks to keep projects moving forward. I am passionate about reducing unnecessary costs to business processes and have consistently demonstrated this through my work. I am seeking opportunities to act as an advisor to executive boards, providing recommendations for service improvements and project development. My goal is to add value to technical teams and help organizations navigate the complexities of digital transformation.
As a seasoned engineering leader and consultant with over 25 years of experience, I bring a wealth of knowledge in IT architecture and software engineering. My expertise lies in advising large organizations and providing technical guidance to medium-sized organizations looking to re-engineer their systems and procedures. I have a proven track record of managing technical engineering teams, delivering value to stakeholders, and leveraging my deep understanding of technology, business strategies, and product management to provide insightful leadership. In my recent roles at Greater Bank, Pacific National and Westpac, I have demonstrated my ability to drive significant digital transformation projects, implement modern software delivery processes, and improve system security and efficiency. I have successfully navigated complex challenges, providing strategic foresight and mitigating risks to keep projects moving forward. I am passionate about reducing unnecessary costs to business processes and have consistently demonstrated this through my work. I am seeking opportunities to act as an advisor to executive boards, providing recommendations for service improvements and project development. My goal is to add value to technical teams and help organizations navigate the complexities of digital transformation.
Ashlea Rendell
Continuous Product Discovery: How to Democratise Conversations with Customers to Build a Better Product
Research Manager at Bupa
Ashlea Rendell Research Manager at Bupa Ashlea is an experienced UX leader with over a decade in the industry working across the insurance and federal government landscapes. Currently Research Manager for Health Insurance at Bupa APAC, Ashlea leads a team of design and behavioural researchers helping shape product strategies and improve user experiences. With a PhD in Information Systems, and a background in both research and UX design, she combines academic rigour and practical expertise to bring actionable research into the product development lifecycle and strategic decision making. Ashlea is a strong advocate for building high-performing teams and mentoring the next generation of UX professionals, and has been a mentor in the University of Newcastle HunterWiSE program.
Ashlea Rendell Research Manager at Bupa Ashlea is an experienced UX leader with over a decade in the industry working across the insurance and federal government landscapes. Currently Research Manager for Health Insurance at Bupa APAC, Ashlea leads a team of design and behavioural researchers helping shape product strategies and improve user experiences. With a PhD in Information Systems, and a background in both research and UX design, she combines academic rigour and practical expertise to bring actionable research into the product development lifecycle and strategic decision making. Ashlea is a strong advocate for building high-performing teams and mentoring the next generation of UX professionals, and has been a mentor in the University of Newcastle HunterWiSE program.
Kat McCrabb
Resilient by design: Strengthening incident response for compliance and stability
Managing Director at Flame Tree Cyber
Kat is a cyber security professional based in Brisbane with over 15 years of experience working across government, education, and not-for-profit sectors. She lived in Newcastle during her schooling years and graduated from the University of Newcastle. She has led cyber teams in governance, risk and compliance and incident response. Kat has been involved with the Essential 8 since its origins in 2010 and is an IRAP assessor. Kat is passionate about reducing risk, business growth and resilience.
Kat is a cyber security professional based in Brisbane with over 15 years of experience working across government, education, and not-for-profit sectors. She lived in Newcastle during her schooling years and graduated from the University of Newcastle. She has led cyber teams in governance, risk and compliance and incident response. Kat has been involved with the Essential 8 since its origins in 2010 and is an IRAP assessor. Kat is passionate about reducing risk, business growth and resilience.
Islam Ghanim
Improve SaaS applications availability using Cell-based Architecture
Principal Technical Account Manager at AWS
I am a Principal Technical Account Manager at AWS, supporting software companies in ANZ. I’m passionate about system reliability and love sharing knowledge. You might’ve seen me on stage at AWS re:Invent in 2023 and 2024, or at the Public Sector Symposium 2024, where I talked about keeping cloud systems resilient and efficient. I’ve also written a couple of blogs and created workshops on operational excellence and reliability. When I’m not geeking out over cloud tech, I’m a dad to three awesome kids. Big Liverpool fan here! Let’s chat about tech, sports, or anything in between!
I am a Principal Technical Account Manager at AWS, supporting software companies in ANZ. I’m passionate about system reliability and love sharing knowledge. You might’ve seen me on stage at AWS re:Invent in 2023 and 2024, or at the Public Sector Symposium 2024, where I talked about keeping cloud systems resilient and efficient. I’ve also written a couple of blogs and created workshops on operational excellence and reliability. When I’m not geeking out over cloud tech, I’m a dad to three awesome kids. Big Liverpool fan here! Let’s chat about tech, sports, or anything in between!
Stephen Craig
How we are building a National Energy Analysis Centre from the ground up
Director, National Energy Analysis Centre (NEAC) at CSIRO
Dr Stephen Craig is the Smart Energy Lead at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. Stephen has more than 25 years of experience in applied research, strategy development and commercial innovation in systems engineering, digital technologies, and communications. Prior to joining CSIRO, Stephen led the national centre of excellence for Digital Engineering at Boeing Defence Australia, and he was Head of Strategy and Business Development at a spatial data analytics start-up. Stephen received his PhD in climate system modelling from Stockholm University. He spent many years in Sweden in leadership roles in mobile communication systems research, development and optimisation at Ericsson before returning to Australia in 2015. Tony Wybrow Tony Wybrow is the Principal of Innovate Design Build, a company he founded in 2025 to help research institutions, startups, and industry partners turn ideas into reality. Previously, Tony served as Lead Solution Architect at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, where he led CSIRO’s architecture team, collaborated with researchers, and developed a strategic technical vision for the organisation’s future. His career spans government, academia, and industry, giving him a deep understanding of the challenges faced by institutions and businesses looking to bridge the gap between research and implementation.
Dr Stephen Craig is the Smart Energy Lead at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. Stephen has more than 25 years of experience in applied research, strategy development and commercial innovation in systems engineering, digital technologies, and communications. Prior to joining CSIRO, Stephen led the national centre of excellence for Digital Engineering at Boeing Defence Australia, and he was Head of Strategy and Business Development at a spatial data analytics start-up. Stephen received his PhD in climate system modelling from Stockholm University. He spent many years in Sweden in leadership roles in mobile communication systems research, development and optimisation at Ericsson before returning to Australia in 2015. Tony Wybrow Tony Wybrow is the Principal of Innovate Design Build, a company he founded in 2025 to help research institutions, startups, and industry partners turn ideas into reality. Previously, Tony served as Lead Solution Architect at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, where he led CSIRO’s architecture team, collaborated with researchers, and developed a strategic technical vision for the organisation’s future. His career spans government, academia, and industry, giving him a deep understanding of the challenges faced by institutions and businesses looking to bridge the gap between research and implementation.
Adam Cassar
When Home Networks Become Weapons
Co-Founder at Peakhour.io
With over two decades of experience in web security and infrastructure, I’ve had a front-row seat to the evolution of cyber threats. As co-founder of Peakhour.IO, I’ve been particularly fascinated by how attackers are leveraging residential proxy networks (RESIPs) to bypass traditional security controls and execute account takeovers. This led me to develop innovative network fingerprinting techniques that go beyond conventional IP-based security, helping Australian businesses detect and block sophisticated attacks that appear to come from legitimate residential networks. My passion lies in finding fresh approaches to security challenges. Through research and hands-on experience dealing with real-world attacks, I’ve developed new methods for identifying malicious traffic, even when it’s hiding behind seemingly legitimate residential IPs. I regularly share these insights at security conferences across Australia, helping organisations understand how to protect themselves against the rising threat of RESIP-based account takeovers. At Peakhour.IO, we’ve built Australia’s leading full-site delivery service that specialises in advanced threat detection, combining innovative fingerprinting techniques with behavioral analysis to distinguish between legitimate users and attackers, even when they’re using residential proxy networks.
With over two decades of experience in web security and infrastructure, I’ve had a front-row seat to the evolution of cyber threats. As co-founder of Peakhour.IO, I’ve been particularly fascinated by how attackers are leveraging residential proxy networks (RESIPs) to bypass traditional security controls and execute account takeovers. This led me to develop innovative network fingerprinting techniques that go beyond conventional IP-based security, helping Australian businesses detect and block sophisticated attacks that appear to come from legitimate residential networks. My passion lies in finding fresh approaches to security challenges. Through research and hands-on experience dealing with real-world attacks, I’ve developed new methods for identifying malicious traffic, even when it’s hiding behind seemingly legitimate residential IPs. I regularly share these insights at security conferences across Australia, helping organisations understand how to protect themselves against the rising threat of RESIP-based account takeovers. At Peakhour.IO, we’ve built Australia’s leading full-site delivery service that specialises in advanced threat detection, combining innovative fingerprinting techniques with behavioral analysis to distinguish between legitimate users and attackers, even when they’re using residential proxy networks.
Matt Shepherd
Shaping your tech career through self-directed learning
Senior Engineering Manager at Octopus Deploy
Matt is a Senior Engineering Manager at Octopus Deploy where he leads teams focused on developer experience and bottom-up product adoption. Matt’s passion as a manager is on building teams and workplaces that allow anyone to thrive. This passion leads Matt into topics such as hiring, DE&I and building team culture. Outside of work, Matt enjoys watching and playing, and spends his weekends running around after his two young children.
Matt is a Senior Engineering Manager at Octopus Deploy where he leads teams focused on developer experience and bottom-up product adoption. Matt’s passion as a manager is on building teams and workplaces that allow anyone to thrive. This passion leads Matt into topics such as hiring, DE&I and building team culture. Outside of work, Matt enjoys watching and playing, and spends his weekends running around after his two young children.
Chris Gilbert
What makes a real MVP?
Consulting Director @ SixPivot / Co-organiser @ DDD Brisbane / Common Sense Enthusiast
Chris is a software consultant with more years than he cares to admit. In that time he’s become extremely passionate about how different projects run, how different people tick, and how there’s always six different ways to solve any technical problem. As a speaker, Chris has presented at user groups and conferences across Australia on a range of technical and non-technical topics. He loves sharing war stories and giving people something tangible to take home from every session. Chris is the Consulting Director at SixPivot. In his spare time he co-organises DDD Brisbane, a not-for-profit community event run by developers for developers.
Chris is a software consultant with more years than he cares to admit. In that time he’s become extremely passionate about how different projects run, how different people tick, and how there’s always six different ways to solve any technical problem. As a speaker, Chris has presented at user groups and conferences across Australia on a range of technical and non-technical topics. He loves sharing war stories and giving people something tangible to take home from every session. Chris is the Consulting Director at SixPivot. In his spare time he co-organises DDD Brisbane, a not-for-profit community event run by developers for developers.
Jay Rovacsek
Supercharging System Builds Reproducibly (not just repeatably)
IT Threat Management Lead @ nib
Jay is a tech enthusiast from Newcastle; their professional day-to-day focuses heavily on a guidance and governance of security technologies at nib Group while their alter-ego by night is an home-lab addict that insists on not just repeatability but reproducibility (https://reproducible-builds.org/) as a facet of auditability and validation. Jay also assists in running the Newcastle Cybersecurity Meetup with any left-over time
Jay is a tech enthusiast from Newcastle; their professional day-to-day focuses heavily on a guidance and governance of security technologies at nib Group while their alter-ego by night is an home-lab addict that insists on not just repeatability but reproducibility (https://reproducible-builds.org/) as a facet of auditability and validation. Jay also assists in running the Newcastle Cybersecurity Meetup with any left-over time
Craig Williams
Building Cutting-Edge Military Simulators with LS Core 2.0
CTO at Applied Virtual Simulation
Craig Williams is the Chief Technology Officer at Applied Virtual Simulation (AVS), where he leads the development and product management of cutting-edge military simulation technology for the Australian Defence Force. A technology expert with more than 15 years of experience in the Defence simulation community, Craig has worked as a software designer and developer, managed software and hardware development teams, and overseen the successful delivery of complex technical projects and products. With deep expertise in software engineering, simulation systems, and Defence technology, he has played a pivotal role in architecting, designing and delivering the Land Simulation Core 2.0 (LS Core 2.0) Common Simulation Software (CSS)—a foundational suite that powers the next generation of simulators. Under his leadership, AVS has developed advanced training solutions, including the Protected Mobility Tactical Trainer (PMTT) and the Remote Weapon Station Desktop Trainer (RWSDT). He is currently spearheading the development of the software system for the Land 400 Phase 3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle Trainer (L400-3 IFV-T). Passionate about bridging the gap between defense needs and modern technology, Craig brings deep technical expertise in software architecture, simulation frameworks, and the challenges of military training to ensure that Defence personnel have access to realistic, scalable, and interoperable simulation environments. As a speaker, he provides unique insights into how simulation software is transforming Defence training, offering practical lessons for software engineers, system architects, and technology leaders interested in complex system development and large-scale simulation frameworks.
Craig Williams is the Chief Technology Officer at Applied Virtual Simulation (AVS), where he leads the development and product management of cutting-edge military simulation technology for the Australian Defence Force. A technology expert with more than 15 years of experience in the Defence simulation community, Craig has worked as a software designer and developer, managed software and hardware development teams, and overseen the successful delivery of complex technical projects and products. With deep expertise in software engineering, simulation systems, and Defence technology, he has played a pivotal role in architecting, designing and delivering the Land Simulation Core 2.0 (LS Core 2.0) Common Simulation Software (CSS)—a foundational suite that powers the next generation of simulators. Under his leadership, AVS has developed advanced training solutions, including the Protected Mobility Tactical Trainer (PMTT) and the Remote Weapon Station Desktop Trainer (RWSDT). He is currently spearheading the development of the software system for the Land 400 Phase 3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle Trainer (L400-3 IFV-T). Passionate about bridging the gap between defense needs and modern technology, Craig brings deep technical expertise in software architecture, simulation frameworks, and the challenges of military training to ensure that Defence personnel have access to realistic, scalable, and interoperable simulation environments. As a speaker, he provides unique insights into how simulation software is transforming Defence training, offering practical lessons for software engineers, system architects, and technology leaders interested in complex system development and large-scale simulation frameworks.