Waleed Aly is one of Australia's most respected and versatile media talents. He is a broadcaster, author, academic and musician. For over a decade, Waleed was co-host of Network 10's The Project, which aired live on weeknights. In 2014 Waleed was awarded the prestigious Walkley Award for Commentary, Analysis, Opinion and Critique. He has been recognised with various other awards including the Voltaire Award for Free Speech, and the United nations Association of Australia Media Peace Award for Social Cohesion with producer Tom Whitty. Waleed is a lecturer in politics at Monash University, working in their Global Terrorism Research Centre.

Reece Corbett-Wilkins is the Head of First Response Australia, and is the Chief Strategy Officer at Atmos. For over 10 years, Reece has focused exclusively on cyber and privacy risk, having helped 1,000+ organisations through some of their most challenging times. Reece is particularly experienced in managing large scale multi-party data breaches, both locally and globally, and ransomware response. Reece works closely with the incident response industry, government, and law enforcement to achieve optimal outcomes for clients.

Leah is an accomplished intelligence professional with over 15 years of experience building intelligence teams and enabling organisations to leverage intelligence for informed decision-making across both public and private sectors. At CyberCX, she established and leads the Intelligence Engagement function within CyberCX Intelligence - a unique intelligence capability delivering operational and strategic intelligence to corporations, critical infrastructure providers, and government agencies. Leah works with organisations to translate cyber intelligence into meaningful operational settings and help uplift their cyber maturity.

Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness, CSC was appointed as Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator (the Coordinator) on 26 February 2024. As the Coordinator, LTGEN McGuinness leads whole-of-government coordination of the delivery of the Strategy, the coordination of responses to significant cyber incidents, whole of government cyber incident preparedness efforts, and the strengthening of Commonwealth cyber security capability. LTGEN McGuinness has served in the Australian Defence Force for over 30 years in a range of tactical, operational, and strategic roles in Australia and internationally.

Alastair is Australia’s foremost cyber security leader, and is the Chief Strategy Officer at CyberCX. Following a 15-year career as a Federal Agent in the Australian Federal Police, where he established Australia’s High Tech Crime Centre, Alastair held senior cyber security and safety roles across the private sector, including head of eBay’s Asia Pacific Trust & Safety team. Upon returning to public service, Alastair was appointed Australia’s inaugural eSafety Commissioner, before going on to roles as National Cyber Security Adviser, head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on Cyber Security.

Jana serves as Counter Adversary Operations Practice Lead at CrowdStrike. She is overseeing the Threat Intelligence and Threat Hunting business across Australia and New Zealand. Prior to her current role, Jana was a Senior Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst at CyberCX, crafting a wide range of analytical products across strategic, operational and tactical levels of intelligence for a diverse customer base. Jana brings experience from intelligence analyst positions at Merck and Amazon in the Czech Republic, along with her service in NATO commands across Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands in areas of political advisory and public diplomacy.

Ahmed Khanji is the CEO and Founder of Gridware, one of Australia’s leading cybersecurity consultancies headquartered in Sydney. With more than 20 years of experience in senior cybersecurity roles, he is widely recognised for his expertise in offensive security and emerging cyber threats. Ahmed is a frequent contributor to national cybersecurity discussions and is regarded as a trusted advisor to major Australian enterprises.

Admiral Rogers headed the US National Security Agency (NSA) and commanded US Cyber Command as a four-star Admiral under both President Obama and President Trump. He now serves as a member of CyberCX’s Global Advisory Board, leveraging his extraordinary experience in cyber and geopolitics to provide strategic policy advice to our customers and partners. Admiral Rogers has a unique understanding of the world’s most advanced cyber security technologies and practices, an intimate knowledge of threat actor behaviours and motivations, and deep insights into how current and emerging geopolitical trends will impact public and private organisations.

Will has extensive experience in organisational, program, and change management. His core skills AI implementation, strategic and financial planning, program design, and stakeholder engagement. As Chief Operating Officer for Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA), Will manages operations, strategy, finance, governance, and program delivery. Working with the COSBOA Board, he has transformed the organisation from two staff to a robust team of ten plus an extensive network of contractors and delivery partners.

Jeremy Kirk is a Director based in Sydney with Okta Threat Intelligence, the threat intelligence team of the identity company, Okta. He is part of a team that produces actionable intelligence and advisories on emerging cyber threats, with a focus on issues such as account takeover, social engineering, phishing and AI security. He previously worked on the intelligence analysis team at Intel 471, a cyber threat intelligence firm, writing about and analysing the evolving cybercriminal underground.

Freya is the Chief Legal and People Officer for Cuscal Limited (ASX:CCL), an ASX listed ADI and leading provider of payments and regulated data services in Australia. She is responsible for leading Cuscal’s Legal & Secretariat; People & Culture; and Procurement and Vendor Management functions. She has significant experience leading teams in complex and global organisations across various industries including payments, Fintech, financial services, Insurtech and emerging technologies.

John leads the Atmos Readiness, Directors + Officers, and Disputes + Investigations teams, and is the CEO of Atmos. With extensive experience in handling some of the largest and most complex data breaches, he is passionate about sharing his knowledge of what makes incidents severe for businesses and helping clients map their readiness journey. He is the market leader in guiding organisations on how to improve their incident response by enhancing crisis management teams’ performance through a range of Atmos services and products.

Andrew is the Equities Analyst at Macquarie Group for the Australian Insurance and Diversified Financials sectors. Prior to this, Andrew worked at Aon for six years in their consulting division, advising insurers on M&A and strategic growth options across Asia Pacific. Andrew is a CA and CFA charterholder.

Chris Krebs has spent his career at the intersection of cybersecurity, national security, and technology policy — in government, in the private sector, and in the rooms where the hardest decisions get made. As the first Director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), he stood up America's civilian cyber defence mission, led the protection of critical infrastructure, and ran the most secure election in modern U.S. history. Before CISA, he oversaw cybersecurity policy at Microsoft and held senior roles at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. After leaving government, Krebs co-founded Krebs Stamos Group (KSG), a cybersecurity consultancy later acquired by SentinelOne, where he served as Chief Public Policy Officer. He now leads The Krebs Group, an advisory firm helping organisations navigate cyber risk, AI, and the shifting global threat landscape. Known for speaking plainly about hard problems, Krebs brings a practitioner's perspective to the questions that keep boards, governments, and technology leaders up at night.

Heyrick Bond Gunning is S-RM’s Chief Executive Officer. His focus is setting the strategic direction for the business, working with key clients to understand their needs and investor relations. He also sponsors important projects within S-RM including new technology platforms, the ED&I and S-RM’s culture programs. He has played a pivotal role in S-RM’s growth since joining in 2007, leading the management buy-out of the company from Salamanca Group in 2015. S-RM now has nine international offices and employs 450 people, serving clients across cyber security and corporate intelligence, in 140+ countries.

Joe Tidy is a journalist, author and podcaster. He is the BBC’s first ever Cyber Correspondent and the foremost voice in the corporation on cybercrime and hacking. Over the past ten years he has covered all major cyber-attacks for BBC TV, Radio, social media and website and Sky News before that. He has made documentaries about cyber security travelling to the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Germany, Romania and Ukraine to track down stories and characters.

Georgia is a trusted advisor and has extensive experience helping organisations respond to cyber incidents, data breaches, privacy matters, and third-party litigation. She is also well-versed in assisting organisations with assessing and strengthening their cyber posture and incident response capabilities. With a background in law, public relations, and crisis response, Georgia brings a unique, strategic perspective to high-pressure situations.

Heath Renfrow, CISO, and Co-founder of Fenix24, has more than two decades of experience as a high-level information security specialist, much of it as a chief information security officer (CISO) in the United States Department of Defense, where he addressed some of the nation’s most significant cyber challenges. In 2017 he was named Global CISO of the Year by EC-Council, the largest cyber-training organization in the world. Prior to joining Fenix24, Heath was the vCISO at The Crypsis Group, one of the leading incident response firms in the country, which was acquired by Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42. He also served as the first CISO for U.S. Army Healthcare (the largest Healthcare organization within the Department of Defense and one of the largest providers globally), as CISO at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, CISO at the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, and as chief joint security officer at the Defense Information Systems Agency. A frequent public speaker on cybersecurity matters, Heath serves on a number of boards, including the National CyberWatch Center Foundation, the Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Security, the University of Indiana Cyber Advisory Council, and the Cyber Patriot Program Advisory Council.

lec is a recognised leader in digital, privacy, critical infrastructure and information law. Alec's deep understanding of privacy law allows him to create comprehensive risk solutions, especially in relation to tech innovations, digital transformation, financial services IT regulation and multi-jurisdiction projects. His practical and agile solutions focused approach, especially in a time of rapid tech and regulatory change, together with his extensive experience makes him a highly sought after trusted resource.

Darren specialises in advising businesses on cyber resilience, digital forensics, and incident response, helping organisations strengthen their security posture and effectively respond to cyber threats. A highly respected forensic technology expert and qualified investigator, Darren has over 30 years of specialist experience, including more than five years as a foundation member of the Forensic Computer Examination Unit with the Queensland Police. Held in high regard by attorneys and the courts, he has led complex forensic investigations for both criminal and civil litigation in Australia and overseas. Darren works closely with boards, executives, and senior business leaders to develop and implement cyber resilience strategies, covering cybersecurity, privacy, data protection, and incident response. He has deep expertise in Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR), regularly applying his forensic and investigative skills to assist organisations in navigating data breaches, ransomware incidents, business email compromise, insider threats, and other cyber crises. His extensive experience spans a wide range of industries, including business services, construction, entertainment, financial services, government, healthcare, insurance, leisure, manufacturing, retail, and technology. Darren is a trusted advisor in both proactive cyber risk management and rapid response to high-stakes cyber incidents, helping organisations recover from attacks while enhancing their long-term resilience.

Heather Osborne is the Director of Global Event & Programming for NetDiligence, where she leads the content, speaker strategy, and marketing for the company’s four annual Cyber Risk Summit conferences in Miami Beach, San Diego, Toronto, and Philadelphia. As part of the Philadelphia Summit, Heather launched the Women in Cyber Program and a Career Pathways Program for Students and Young Professionals, focused on expanding access, education, and inclusion within the cyber risk industry. Heather also supports NetDiligence’s strategic alliances and clients and is a key contributor to eRiskHub®, the company’s industry-leading cyber risk management portal. She works closely with eRiskHub-listed vendors to develop timely, topical content and provides direct support to eRiskHub licensors. With a background spanning law, the public sector, arts administration, and nonprofit leadership, Heather brings a multidisciplinary perspective to cyber risk programming. Prior to joining NetDiligence in 2011, she held executive roles at arts and social services organizations and served as an Assistant Public Defender for the State of Maryland.

Ashley Bell is acting First Assistant Secretary for the Counter Foreign Interference, Cyber and Technology Division at the Department of Home Affairs. The division leads the development and coordination of national cyber security policy, security policy on for critical and emerging technologies and counter foreign interference efforts. Ashley’s substantive role is the Assistant Secretary for Cyber Policy and Programs in the Department of Home Affairs, responsible for the development of whole-of-economy cyber security policy, program and legislative measures.

Andrew is the Head of Cyber Advisory in the Readiness team and the Chief Information Security Officer at Atmos, where he also oversees internal IT support operations. With over 15-years' experience in cyber security, business continuity, privacy, and risk management, he is widely regarded as a trusted authority in governance, risk, and compliance, including by some of the most prominent enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region.

James Taliento ("JT") has spent the last 20 years moving from penetration testing and red team operations to specialised research on ransomware and the underground cybercrime ecosystem. Leveraging that hands on experience, he founded AFTRDRK to turn hard won, human verified intel from private threat actor venues into actionable protection for enterprises worldwide.

Nick Nemetz is the Cyber Insurance and Technology Industry Practice Manager for Chubb in Australia and New Zealand. In this role, he is responsible for leading the underwriting practice, developing innovative coverage and risk transfer solutions, and creating strategies to address and respond to emerging cyber threats and regulatory changes for Chubb’s clients. Nick’s experience spans underwriting, product, and portfolio management areas across global markets, including New York, London, and Sydney. Nick holds CISSP certification and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Johanna Weaver is Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Tech Policy Design Institute. A reformed commercial litigator, a recovering diplomat, and an escaped professor, Ms Weaver champions tech policy as a tool to shape technology for the long-term benefit of humanity. Prior to founding TPDi’s predecessor – the Tech Policy Design Centre – at ANU, Johanna completed her term as Australia’s independent expert and lead negotiator on cyber issues at the United Nations. In 2022, she was appointed Professor in the Practice of Tech Policy at ANU. Earlier Johanna led the Cyber Affairs Branch at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, working closely with Australia’s inaugural Ambassador for Cyber Affairs. Johanna is a member of several board, including International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Global Advisory Board on digital threats during conflict, and the Independent Advisory board to the Australian Minister for Government Services.

Rhett Tregunna is the Chief Executive Officer at BoardRoom and is responsible for the overall strategic direction, operational performance, and growth of BoardRoom Australia. Under his leadership, the firm has evolved into a premier provider of technology-driven corporate services, specialising in registry solutions, employee equity plans, and payroll. Rhett has over 30 years of leadership experience, including nearly 18 years as CEO of BoardRoom. His tenure has been defined by a commitment to innovation and an entrepreneurial approach to client service, transforming BoardRoom from a traditional registry into a diversified market leader. Prior to joining BoardRoom, Rhett held senior executive and commercial roles within the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. Rhett holds a Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry) and is recognised for his ability to scale complex service organisations while maintaining a culture of excellence and high-value client partnerships.

Kelly Butler is the Head of Cyber for Marsh UK, leading the strategic development and delivery of innovative cyber insurance solutions. With more than 24 years of experience in the insurance industry, she drives growth and retention strategies through dedicated regional practices, ensuring clients receive cutting‑edge advisory and placement services. A passionate leader and respected voice in the industry, she champions client needs by educating stakeholders on business risks and tailoring coverage to address specific challenges. Her commitment to excellence empowers organizations to navigate the complexities of cyber, technology, and media risks effectively.

Patrick Gray has been a cyber security journalist for 25 years and the host of the Risky Business podcast since 2007. Today he is the CEO of Risky Business Media, which publishes several podcasts and newsletters in addition to the original weekly Risky Business podcast.

Mark Luckin leads Lockton Companies’ Pacific Cyber & Technology Sector Practice, providing risk advisory, insurance strategy and placement services specific to cyber, data and technology risks, as well as cyber incident and claims response advocacy. His experience encompasses all sectors advising the ASX top 50, large Private entities, to start-ups and scale-ups, nationally and internationally. In his role, Mark regularly advises Boards, the Executive and C-Suite, risk managers and founders across three key phases, Inform, Improve, Insure.

Claudia is a leader in cyber incident response in Australia. She partners with all entities from ASX listed to SME, not-for-profits and government agencies at all levels to guide organisations through the life cycle of a cyber incident with a steady hand to minimise the fallout from legal, regulatory, reputational and commercial perspectives. Claudia has a unique mix of experience at the crossover of cyber, data privacy, financial services, regulatory and litigation and is dual qualified in UK/Australia. Prior to joining Atmos, Claudia practised in global, top tier and national firms and also extensively as a Proceeds of Crime prosecutor in London. Claudia's particular focus is in complex privacy and financial services regulatory compliance.

Megan is an experienced leader in education sector planning, infrastructure, governance and risk management, currently serving as the Deputy Director of Stewardship at Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited (DOBCEL). Megan's career in Catholic education spans more than two decades, with a focus on strategic planning, infrastructure development and organisational growth. Before her current role at DOBCEL, Megan held prominent positions including Director of Planning and Infrastructure at the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools where she was instrumental in the planning and delivery of educational facilities that supported the growing needs of Catholic schools and communities.

Jacky is an experienced commercial litigator with a focus on privacy litigation, large loss multi-party recoveries and regulatory response. As an integral member of the Atmos Disputes and Investigations team, Jacky is known for his pragmatic and calm approach. He provides clients with strategic counsel and unwavering support, ensuring they navigate complex situations with confidence and clarity.

In his role as Chief Technology Officer for Asia Pacific & Japan, Steve advises organizations across the region on approaches to implementing modern, mature security postures as they digitally transform and progress on their cloud journey. He has spent half of his 30-year career in IT focused on cyber security in Asia. Steve is a prolific public speaker and has delivered keynotes at security events across the APJ region on a broad range of security topics. He specializes in presenting highly technical subject matter in plain language easily understood by non-technical executives. Steve delivers security briefings to Boards of Directors weekly, and has been featured as a TEDx speaker. Prior to Mandiant, Steve managed the security sales engineering team in Asia at Cisco Systems. Before relocating to Asia, he worked for Silicon Valey startups for over 10 years. Steve holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from Rutgers University.

Mitch Colton is the founder and Managing Director of Colton Computer Technologies, the largest IT service provider serving the Central West of NSW. Actively involved in his regional and industry communities, Mitch is the Vice President of Business Orange, Director of SMBiT Professionals and also Technical Director at CCT Productions.

Anthony is a cyber security specialist, leading crisis response, regulatory engagement, and data protection strategies. He has advised on major breaches across APAC, shaping cyber risk management and helping businesses navigate complex security challenges. With experience across New Zealand, Australia and Europe, he specialises in privacy compliance, data security, and the integration of AI-driven solutions. He has handled high-stakes public and corporate matters, protecting sensitive health, financial, and commercial data while ensuring regulatory compliance. Anthony has led major cyber incident responses and helped align New Zealand’s privacy laws with global standards. He holds legal qualifications in Australia and New Zealand, is a Certified Information Privacy Professional in Europe.

James is the Head of Government Relations at Atmos, leading efforts to strengthen ties with government agencies and manage large-scale cyber incidents. Previously, he founded ID Support NSW, an NSW Government department dedicated to aiding victims of identity theft with innovative tools and resources. James also contributed to the National Strategy for Identity Resilience, collaborating with various agencies to enhance identity security. His career is distinguished by his leadership in cybersecurity, data breach response, and public service innovation, earning him recognition and accolades in the field.

Tom Huth leads cyber incident coordination and preparedness initiatives across Australia’s electricity and gas markets. He works closely with energy market participants and government agencies to strengthen the resilience of Australia’s critical energy infrastructure against cyber threats. His work focuses on ensuring that Australia’s energy sector can respond to and recover from high-impact cyber and system disruption while maintaining operational stability. Tom designs and delivers large-scale, multi-organisation exercises that test cross-sector coordination, decision-making under uncertainty, and the resilience of highly interconnected systems. He works regularly with senior leaders on complex operational and resilience challenges and holds degrees in Computer Science and Law.

Steph is Director, Response for the National Office of Cyber Security. Steph has worked in a variety of government roles over the past 16 years. More recently, Steph’s focus has shifted to National Security and Cyber Security, where she currently leads efforts to bolster coordinated cyber response activities. Reporting to the National Cyber Security Coordinator, Steph works alongside Commonwealth, state and territory agencies to coordinate consequence management activities for nationally significant cyber security incidents. Steph is passionate about bolstering industry-government relations through genuine collaboration in response to cyber incidents, believing we can best protect our nations interests through transparency and cooperation.

Stuart is an insurance and commercial disputes litigator, specialising in cyber and technology risks. He helps clients resolve their most complex and highest-profile disputes across a range of matters, including the supply of technology products and services, data and privacy litigation, including class actions and representative complaints, and recovering losses arising out of a cyber incident from responsible third parties. Stuart is appreciated by clients for delivering his forensic analysis of legal, factual, and strategic issues in a friendly and accessible manner, which focuses on commercial results and real-world outcomes.

Richard is a Partner in the First Response team and Chief Technology Officer at Atmos. He has been at the forefront of cyber and privacy risk for over 10 years and supports a diverse client base, including many ASX200 and NZX50 companies, global multi-nationals and government agencies. As a recognised leader in cyber innovation, Richard has driven the development of a broad range of technology-led solutions that allow clients to respond more efficiently and effectively to cyber and privacy events.

Stefanie is a trusted leader in cyber incident response based in Brisbane, known for her considered and strategic approach to high-pressure incidents. She brings clarity and control to crises, helping organisations regain stability, mitigate reputational harm and navigate complex regulatory challenges, including engagement with the OAIC, ASIC, and other government bodies. Specialising in ransomware and business email compromise, she provides decisive guidance to minimise risk. She also advises on funds recovery and claims mitigation, assisting organisations in tracing misdirected funds. Having advised ASX-listed companies and SMEs, Stefanie is a recognised authority in cyber response and regulatory compliance.

David Kruse is the Director of Insurance Alliances at Arctic Wolf, the leader in security operations and incident response. At Arctic Wolf, David works with cyber insurance carriers and brokers to deliver services and tools that help businesses of all sizes and industries reduce the frequency and severity of cyber-attacks, and should one occur, respond to them with a full-service incident response program. Prior to his current role, David was the Cyber Practice Leader at Hausmann Group, an insurance brokerage and risk management firm based in the United States, where he advised hundreds of the firm’s clients on how to align their cybersecurity practices with cyber insurance requirements to achieve the best risk transfer results.

Ryan is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Retrospect Labs, an Aussie cyber security company that specialises in cyber security exercises; helping organisations prepare for their next incident. Before joining Retrospect Labs, Ryan spent several years working at the Australian Cyber Security Centre, leading the Australian Government's response to a number of high profile national cyber security incidents (and a bunch that will never become public knowledge!). Ryan has also spent some time in the private sector, heading up Incident Response and Threat Intelligence for a major energy provider.

Michael is the Director of the National Cyber Watch Office, where he leads Australia’s technical engagement and response during cyber security incidents impacting Australian critical infrastructure, organisations and government services. In this role, he serves as a central point connecting government, industry, and international partners, ensuring that Australia’s technical response to cyber threats is timely, informed, and collaborative. Michael also represents Australia as Chair of the Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team (APCERT). This is the Asia Pacific’s largest cyber security community where Michael contributes to regional cooperation and strengthening collective cyber resilience across the region. Michael’s career began in the Royal Australian Corps of Signals as an Electronic Warfare Operator, where he developed the discipline, composure, and operational mindset that continue to define his leadership today. His military experience, shaped by operations as well as deployments and technical missions around the world, instilled a calm, methodical approach to crisis situations that has become one of his defining strengths.