Judges

Bob Bishop holds a Bachelor of Business Marketing from QUT and various professional certifications, with extensive experience as Founder and Chairman of Azentro in 1992, overseeing company operations and 7 acquisitions across Australian states. He served as Founding Board Director of Sheldon College for 28 years, contributing to strategic planning, governance, and expansion efforts, and later chaired the Sheldon College Foundation Board, introducing initiatives such as the Alumni Advisory Board, Sheldon Space Academy and mentoring business units. His community involvement includes leadership roles in multiple body corporates, judging national awards in Space, Defence, AI, and Cybersecurity, and presidencies and directorships in various associations and organizations. With a 59-year career, Bishop emphasizes his commitment to community service and not-for-profit organizations, holding prominent positions including President of the Aquatic Paradise Residents Association and President of the Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce for 22 years, Director roles in the RSL, Sports and Government.

Warren supports customers in leveraging the value of Artificial Intelligence at scale, his focus is on identifying and overcoming blockers to adoption. Currently he is leading the roll-out of Agentic AI services to enable enterprises to benefit from the new technology in a safe, responsible and effective manner.

Prior to AWS Warren was a General Manager at Commonwealth Bank of Australia and was accountable for the digital transformation of a subsidiary bank in Vietnam which contributed to a 25% improvement in CIR and 10X increase in profit over 3 years. He was also involved in a number of other large transformation programs within the main Australian bank.

Warren also co-founded a cyber company which provided network governance and endpoint security across hybrid environments.

Ben has over 15 years of experience specialising in cyber risk, privacy, technology law, insurance, data governance and dispute resolution. He has acted in over 400 data breaches providing triage, privacy, strategic and claim support to Australian and international companies. Ben leads WTW’s Australia and New Zealand cyber and technology risk team providing insurance, advisory and consulting services to domestic and international clients. Ben focuses on helping clients understand their exposure and developing responsive risk management, resiliency and business strategies.

Tania Ezra is a nationally recognized business security leader in Australia with over 20 years’ experience in the tech industry. She is known for her strategic insights and innovative solutions. Tania’s leadership in secure business focused initiatives underscore her impactful collaboration and customer-focused approach. She brings a unique blend of technical acumen and inspirational vision, driving empowerment and success.

Thomas Green is an award-winning project manager who has worked extensively across government, aerospace and defence sectors and the research sector. He is a member of the International Institute of Space Law; the Royal Society of NSW; and, the Australian Institute of Project Management.

Thomas has also previously worked on software projects and start-ups related to machine learning, worked in private equity, established Neumann Space, served as a Ministerial Advisor on emergency services and road safety, and was a program coordinator for the COVID-19 tiger team for Transport for NSW during the COVID outbreaks in NSW throughout 2020.

Born and educated in Perth in Western Australia, David attended Wesley College from 1967 – 1973 and then graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1981 with law degrees B.Juris LL.b.

David was elected to the Australian Parliament as a Senator for Western Australia in 2001 and was a Senator for 15 years.

Prior to that he was a Barrister and Solicitor in Western Australia practicing in the areas of Mining and Crime and lived and worked on the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia for 12 years before returning to Perth to continue in the Law and as a Barrister and In-House Counsel providing advice and representation mainly pertaining to mining matters in Western Australia.

In Parliament David was inter alia, chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee, was appointed by Prime Minister Howard as Minister for Justice and Customs in 2007, was Opposition spokesperson as Shadow Minister on Minerals Energy and Tourism and then Defence from 2009 to 2013 and then Minister for Defence 2013 and 2014.

David has a strong commitment to Australian Defence Industry and the current Australian Government’s budgetry support the Defence portfolio particularly focussing upon Australian naval ship and submarine building.

David is currently sits on the Board of SAAB Technologies Australia, Kalia Ltd (mining), International SOS (advisory board), The Centre for Defence Industry Capability (advisory board), The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (Council), Pelican Clean Energy Pty Ltd (LNG wholesaler) and is the Commonwealth’s Advocate for Australian Defence Industry Exports.

Professor Dali Kaafar is the Founder and CEO of APATE AI, a counter-intelligence company building and deploying advanced conversational AI bots at scale to combat phone scams globally. APATE AI works with governments, banks, and telecommunications providers to disrupt fraud operations and extract actionable intelligence in real time.

Professor Kaafar is also a Professor of Cyber Security and Privacy-Preserving Technologies at Macquarie University, where he serves as Executive Director of the Macquarie University Cyber Security Hub and Chairman of the Cyber Skills Academy. He is the Director of the New South Wales Cyber Range Training Centre and leads the Cyber Signature discipline at the Institute of Applied Technology Digital (NSW). Since 2019, he has served as the New South Wales Cyber Ambassador.

An internationally recognised researcher, Professor Kaafar’s work is widely cited and respected for pioneering contributions to online fraud prevention, trustworthy AI, privacy-preserving machine learning, and networked systems security. His research has shaped both academic thinking and real-world cyber defence capabilities across Australia and internationally.

Professor Kaafar has been named among Australia’s Top 50 Innovators in both 2023 and 2024, and was awarded AI Researcher of the Year 2025 at the National Australian AI Awards. In the same year, APATE AI was recognised as AI Innovator of the Year and Consumer Banking AI Solution of the Year.

Dr. Alana Maurushat, is Professor of Cybersecurity and Behaviour at Western Sydney University where she holds a joint position in the School of Computers, Data and Mathematical Sciences, and in the School of Social Sciences. Alana is Director of a Level 1 Security Operations Centre, Western CACE (mycace.org). She is currently researching on Automation Cybersecurity of Legal and Risk Processes through ML and AI, Payment Diversion Fraud and Ransomware, Cyber Reputation Risk Management, Tracking Money-Laundering, Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Ethical Hacking. Having dual qualifications in IT and Law, she previously was Senior Lecturer in Law, Key Researcher on the CRC Data to Decisions – Big Data in National Security, and Senior Fellow with the Australian CyberSecurity Centre for Research and Education all at UNSW. She is the Cyber-Ambassador for the NSW Government and sits as an expert reviewer in cybersecurity and big data with the Australian Research Council. She is Special Advisor for the cybercrime investigation companies Cybertrace and IFW Global, and is cybersecurity advisory board member for Gridware. She volunteers her time and service on the advisory boards for the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, and NSW Crimestoppers. She lectures & researches in Cybersecurity, Privacy and Security by Design, Cyber Risk Management, and Artificial Intelligence across the disciplines of law, criminology, business, political science and information communications technology. Alana has done consultancy work on cyber security, open data, big data, technology and civil liberties for both the Australian and Canadian governments, industry and NGOs. Alana has done media with 60 Minutes, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Insight, ABC, and 730 Report, and is the author of many books and articles. She has won multiple prizes for her innovative and collaborative approach to projects and learning including the Australian IT Security Highly Commended Woman of the Year.

Kim Chandler McDonald is a globally respected thought leader in disruptive innovation, transformational trends, and strategic foresight. As the visionary Co-Founder and CEO of 3 Steps Data she has led her company to the forefront of technological advancements in cybersecurity, data sharing, observability, and governance across disparate systems.

Kim is a board member of and the Global Vice President of the Cybersecurity Advisors Network (CyAN), the Paris-based, multidisciplinary, international trust network of cyber professionals. She drives the organisation’s strategic growth, community engagement, and leads its Combatting Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Violence initiative.

A sought after keynote speaker, Kim is an acclaimed advocate, activist, lifelong storyteller and award-winning author. Her, latest work, ‘An Interviewer’s Guidebook - Turning Conversations Into Captivating Stories’, joins her other titles: ‘Innovation: How Innovators Think, Act and Change Our World’, ‘Flat World Navigation: Collaboration and Networking in the Global Digital Economy’, and ‘Postcards From Tomorrow’ (with all proceeds from Postcards going to Lou’s Place, Sydney’s only daytime drop-in centre for female victims of domestic abuse and coercive control). She is also the co-author of ‘Entrepreneurial Renaissance: Cities Striving Towards an Era of Renaissance and Revival’.

Dane has over a decade of experience leading two security businesses helping organisations address some of their most pressing security challenges.

Distinguished Professor Rahat Munir is the Head of the Department of Accounting and Corporate Governance at Macquarie University, Sydney. A specialist in forensic accounting, Distinguished Professor Munir has expertise in financial crime investigation and financial statement integrity. Before embarking on his academic career, he held several senior roles within the banking sector, while actively pursuing research in his field. He holds the titles of FCA (Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand), FCPA (Certified Practising Accountant Australia), SFHEA (Senior Fellow Higher Education Academy), and earned his PhD from Macquarie University.

Distinguished Professor Munir is globally recognized for his expertise in curriculum development, innovative teaching practices, and accreditation, including AACSB and AMBA. He has played a pivotal role in fostering strong relationships with external stakeholders, such as professional associations, universities, and communities in regions including China, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Europe. He has also served on various faculty and course review panels across Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the USA. His close engagement with industry includes leading prestigious national forums such as the CFO Forum, Women Thought Leadership initiatives, and Business Leaders Roundtables and Think Tanks.

He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles in leading global journals, along with books, book chapters, monographs, conference papers, and commissioned reports. His extensive research, which primarily focuses on management accounting and controls, extends into other significant fields such as education, corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate governance, corporate culture, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Distinguished Professor Munir has conducted research across diverse industries, including Big Four accounting firms, banking, manufacturing, airlines, and politics, particularly in countries China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Nepal, Bangladesh, India and Germany, to name a few. He has delivered numerous invited and keynote presentations and his expert opinions have been featured in international media outlets, including radio, television, newspapers, newsletters, and websites. He has successfully supervised over 20 doctoral students to completion and assessed the theses of many others from both Australian and international universities.

Distinguished Professor Munir is affiliated with a range of professional bodies, including the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, the Professional Risk Managers International Association (USA), the American Accounting Association, the British Accounting Association, the Canadian Accounting Association, and the European Accounting Association. He also serves on various high-level committees and advisory boards, including the national Education Board of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and the TAFE NSW Higher Education Academic Board in the past. Additionally, he is serving on the editorial boards, guest editor, referee, and member of scientific program committees for numerous international journals, and has organised conferences and workshops.

His commitment to teaching and research excellence has been recognized through several international awards. These include the Business/Higher Education Roundtable Award for excellence in accounting teaching collaborations and CPA Australia’s awards for achievements in academia. His contributions have also been acknowledged at the Wharton-QS Stars Reimagine Education Awards at the University of Pennsylvania in the Nurturing Employability Award category in 2015, 2021, and 2024, recognizing his innovative pedagogical approaches to learning and teaching. Distinguished Professor Munir has served on the judging panels for the Momentum Media and Accountants Daily’s Australian Accounting Awards, Australian Digital Technology Awards, Women in Finance Awards, and the 30 Under 30 Awards. His case study on The Ethics of Profit in the Australian Retail Industry was recognized as one of the top four teaching cases globally by the Decision Sciences Institute, Washington DC, in the ‘Best Teaching Case Studies Award’ competition.

I am the Faculty of Engineering Lead, UNSW Institute for Cybersecurity, IFCYBER and Associate Professor (equivalent to US Full Professor) in the School of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), UNSW, Sydney.

My primary research interests are in applied cryptography, post-quantum cryptography, cybersecurity, blockchains and data privacy. I design practical, efficient and provably secure protocols that can be deployed in real-life applications.

Dr Paul Scully-Power is an integrator, strategist and orthogonal thinker and is Australia’s first astronaut. He has a unique international background in Industry, Government, Defence, Space and Academia in the US, UK, Australia, and NZ, and is well known for his network of people and institutions around the world. A leader in applying technology, he has broad expertise in national security & intelligence, aviation & aerospace, cybersecurity, remote sensing, and systems analysis & ICT. He is currently engaged in AI (national iAward for innovation), UAVs, microsatellites, smart sensors, nanotechnology and big data analytics.

Dr Scully-Power has led many high-tech, defence and security programs. He held executive appointments under Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, and was Deputy to the Associate Technical Director, US Naval Undersea Warfare Center, where he held the US Navy Distinguished Chair of Underwater Acoustics He was a Research Associate at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Chairman of Membership of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, President of the Fort Trumbull Federal Credit Union, and served on the Universities & Colleges Accreditation Board and the US Office of Naval Research.
Dr Scully-Power qualified for very high altitude full pressure suit flying at Edwards Air Force Base, and was a flight crew instructor in the NASA Astronaut Office, Johnson Space Center, Houston Texas, where he became Australia’s first astronaut flying aboard Challenger on the 13th mission of the Space Shuttle

Troy Swan is the Group General Counsel and Board Member of the $1.3 billion office products company Winc. Winc was formed following the acquisition and merger of Staples, OfficeMax and Corporate Express in Australia and New Zealand by leading US based private equity firm Platinum Equity.

He has been publicly recognised as one of Australia's leading corporate lawyers and was previously an Australian Lawyer of the Year and an Australian General Counsel of the Year triple finalist. He was also the Association of Corporate Counsel Global Member of the Year, from over 43,000 lawyers worldwide, with this being the first time this honour was ever awarded to a lawyer outside America.

He became only the second Australian lawyer to win the International Value Champions Award in San Francisco and was also named the Association of Corporate Counsel Winner for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility.

Known for his business judgement, he is highly active within the legal and business community, being named a Judge at the Australian Law Awards, New Zealand Law Awards, Corporate Counsel Awards, Partner of the Year Awards and the 30 Under 30 Law Awards.

He is a long standing Member of the Law Society Corporate Lawyers Committee, is a regular commentator and speaker on legal and business affairs and leads an award winning legal team based in Sydney, Australia.

Adrian Tembel is an economics and honours law graduate of the University of Adelaide. He began practising corporate and technology law in 1993 at his law firm Thomson Geer. He became a Partner of that firm in 1997 and its Chief Executive Partner in 2009. He is also a part-time Commissioner of the South Australian Productivity Commission and a Director of the Hackett Foundation.

Marcus Thompson is a retired Major General who served 34 years in the Australian Army. Graduating from the Royal Military College in 1988, Marcus was allocated to the Royal Australian Corps of Signals. He served in a variety of command, regimental and Special Operations appointments including: Command of the 3rd Combat Signal Regiment; secondment to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet as the Senior Advisor Defence Policy and Operations; Director General Special Operations Capability; Commander 6th Brigade; and deployments to East Timor, Iraq, and Afghanistan. His final appointment was as the inaugural Head of Information Warfare for the Australian Defence Force.

Marcus holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering with honours from the University of New South Wales, a Bachelor of Business from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, a Masters Degree in Defence Studies from the University of Canberra, a Masters Degree in Strategic Studies from Deakin University, and a PhD in Cyber Security from the University of New South Wales. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Since leaving the Australian Army, Marcus has founded Cyber Compass Pty Ltd, an independent advisory focused on improving cyber security and developing sovereign Australian capability. He has worked with and supported several Australian entities, including Bank Australia, Macquarie Telecom Group, NAB, Macquarie Bank, ParaFlare, and Melbourne Business School. He is the Chair of the Board of Penten and an elected Board Director of Engineers Australia.

Initially starting his working career as a commercial and property lawyer in Queensland, Michael Williams eventually found his calling as a Financial Adviser.

He made this decision because he wanted to help clients before they got in trouble rather than sort out their issues afterwards as a lawyer.

Michael had a simple yet powerful vision – to help his clients establish financial well-being and achieve a financially independent future. This was his vision when he first started as a financial advisor, which is still his vision today as the Managing Director of The Hopkins Group (THG).

As the Group's Managing Director, Michael has led THG's strategic operations and is an integral member of the Group's executive board. Since his appointment in 2004, Michael has grown THG from a boutique firm to a multi-disciplinary, end-to-end, holistic financial advisory agency with over 55 staff and an extensive range of service offerings including financial planning, property (management, investments, sales and development), accounting and taxation, mortgage advice, estate planning and SMSFs.

Michael is also an accredited Senior Financial Adviser trusted by our most tenured and respected clients.