Dr Liming Zhu is a Research Director at CSIRO’s Data61, the AI/digital arm of Australia’s national science agency, and a conjoint professor at UNSW. He contributes to the OECD.AI’s AI Risks and Accountability, the Responsible AI at Scale think tank at Australia’s National AI Centre, ISO AI standards committees, and Australia’s AI safety standard. His research division innovates in AI engineering, responsible/safe AI, blockchain, quantum software, privacy, and cybersecurity, and hosted Australia’s Consumer Data Right/Open Banking standards setting. Dr Zhu has authored over 300 papers and is a regular keynote speaker. He delivered the keynote “Software Engineering as the Linchpin of Responsible AI” at the International Conference on Software Engineering. His latest book, “Responsible AI: Best Practices for Creating Trustworthy AI Systems” and “Engineering AI Systems: Architecture and DevOps Essentials,” reflect his vision for the rigorous engineering of responsible and safe AI systems for society.

Bill Simpson-Young is co-founder and Chief Executive of Gradient Institute, a non-profit research institute that works to build safety, ethics, accountability and transparency into AI systems. He has a background as a software engineer and technologist and has led teams of researchers, software engineers and designers developing novel computer technologies for global technology companies (Canon and Unisys) and research institutions (CSIRO and NICTA). He and his teams have built new technology and products in areas such as machine learning, computer vision, spatial data systems, data privacy, web technologies and computational law.​ Bill has also been on the executive teams of three leading Australian science and technology organisations (Canon’s Research and Development lab CiSRA, National ICT Australia and CSIRO’s Data61) and is on the NSW Government’s AI Review Committee, the ANU School of Computing Advisory Board and several government research grant review committees.

Jon is Anchoram’s Managing Partner for Enterprise Data and Digital Solutions. Jon more than 35 years of computing experience in industry and academia, both in Australia and the UK. In recent years, Jon has worked with many clients in government agencies, assisting them on their data management improvement journey.

Jon has published widely in many fields of software engineering, information systems, and computer science, and he is a frequent speaker at Australian and International conferences. Jon is very active in DAMA Australia, where he is a frequent contributor to DAMA events, and an ardent advocate of data literacy and training. Jon is currently (2025) Vice President of DAMA Australia.

Martin is a published author, analyst and facilitator.  He has been a public servant, a Ministerial Chief of Staff and a consultant and advisor. He has held positions in the federal and NSW public sector and worked for Cisco’s innovation and strategy group for 12 years leading a practice across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

As well as his own consulting and advisory work, Martin has held advisory roles with Deloitte and PwC and chaired or been on the boards of think tanks, advisory groups and committees for state and federal governments, including the inaugural NSW AI Advisory Committee.  He has also chaired or been a Board member on a range of civil society organisations including The Australian Centre for Social Innovation and the Centre for Policy Development.

Areas of focus include digital transformation, strategic thinking and planning for public sector organisations, management and leadership development, social care, cities and urban planning and learning and skills, including higher education.

He is part of the team supporting The Possibility Partnership exploring approaches to human services systemic change and is a Practice Fellow at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government for digital government strategy and leadership. In that role Martin co-directs the Deputies Leadership Program and convenes and leads a new program, Public Leadership for the Digital Age.

Dr Paul Hubbard is the Co-Head of the AI CoLab, a cross-sector initiative to advance inclusive and impactful uses of AI. The AI CoLab brings together government, industry, academia, and civil society, and is partly funded by the Australian Public Service Capability Reinvestment Fund.

With a deep background in economics and public policy, Paul has been at the forefront of leveraging artificial intelligence to drive innovation and inclusivity in public policy. He has almost two decades of service across key government departments, including Treasury, Prime Minister and Cabinet, and Finance. His extensive experience has equipped him with a comprehensive understanding of policy-making and problem-solving.

Paul holds a PhD in Economics and is the author of two books of short economics fiction, “A Wealth of Narrations” and “A Theory of Moral Sentences.” He also hosts the popular “Masked Economist” podcast, where he simplifies complex economic concepts for a broad audience within the Australian Public Service.

Bonnie is the Chief Innovator in Residence at the Municipal Association of Victoria where she leads the MAVlab. MAVlab is an innovation lab working collaboratively with our network of 79 Victorian local governments and the broader sector to prepare for and respond to the increasingly complex challenges that our communities are facing. The lab focuses on four programs of work include: The Futures of Local Innovation, Risk infrastructure and resilience, Active Democracy and engagement and Service innovation and technology.

Bonnie Shaw is also a Professor of Practice in the School of Design & Social Context at RMIT University where she leads a program of research focused on the cognitive and behavioural impacts of chronic stress.

Bonnie’s career as a landscape architect and urban designer was derailed early on when she designed a globally popular game and became immersed in the dark underbelly of London street gaming, interactive theatre and emerging technology. This led to fellowships at the Institute for Contemporary Arts (London) and the Senseable Cities Lab at MIT (Boston).

Since then, Bonnie has worked at the forefront of advanced technology development and innovation, strategic change management and community engagement with organisations as varied as the (Obama) Whitehouse, Capital One Bank, Foundation for Young Australians, NASA, the World Bank, Hilton Hotels and several start-ups. In her role as the Smart City Practice Lead at the City of Melbourne, Bonnie helped to establish and lead Australia’s first (and multi-award winning) Smart Cities team.

Bonnie has previously held adjunct professor roles at both Georgetown University (Washington DC), Melbourne Business School (Melbourne VIC). She was a finalist in the prestigious Australian and New Zealand Women in AI Awards, was awarded a globally renowned Relativity Award for AI Leadership, and is a trained Human Potential Coach, bringing data driven bio-hacking approaches to stress management and performance enhancement.

Bonnie is the convenor of the Brain Health Futures Summit (coming in November). This is a two day program bringing together world leading practitioners in neuroscience, brain health and psychology, climate change, public policy and community resilience, and leadership practice, workplace design and advanced technology to connect on the growing challenges of chronic stress, its impacts on the brain, body, workplace and our communities, and to explore innovative ways that we might step up to these challenges with purpose.

Distinguished Professor Fang Chen is a globally recognised leader in artificial intelligence and data science, with deep expertise spanning the full lifecycle of AI—from foundational research to real-world deployment at scale. She currently serves as Executive Director of the Data Science Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, and has held senior leadership roles at Intel, Motorola, and CSIRO.

Professor Chen has led the development and deployment of AI-driven solutions across a broad range of critical sectors, including government, transport, water, energy, agriculture, education, finance, health, telecommunications, and real estate. Her work is grounded in ethical, human-centred AI and has delivered measurable, system-wide impact across both public and private domains.

She is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the Australian Museum Eureka Prize, the NSW Premier’s Prize for Science and Engineering, and the Women in AI Australia–New Zealand Award. She holds over 30 patents and has authored several books and more than 400 peer-reviewed publications worldwide.

A trusted advisor to both government and industry, Professor Chen serves on the Industry Innovation and Science Australia (IISA) Board, the NSW AI Review Committee, and the Advisory Board of the ACM Journal on Responsible Computing, among others—playing a key role in shaping national and international policy and regulatory frameworks for the responsible and impactful use of AI.

Anthea Roberts is CEO and Director of Dragonfly Thinking. She is an interdisciplinary researcher who has worked at the ANU, the LSE, Columbia and Harvard. Anthea focuses on new ways of thinking about complex and evolving fields, and is the author of the frameworks on which Dragonfly Thinking’s AI tools are based. She engages extensively with governments and businesses across the globe.

The League of Scholars has ranked Anthea as the world’s leading international law scholar (2019) and Australia’s leading international law scholar (2022, 2023). Her first book ‘Is International Law International?’ won the American Society of International Law’s top book prize, and her second book ‘Six Faces of Globalization’ (with Nicolas Lamp) was selected as one of the Best Books of 2021 by The Financial Times and Fortune Magazine.

At Dragonfly Thinking, Anthea led the company to win the inaugural National AI Sprint in 2024 for its innovative AI solution. The company was also selected as a feature showcase in the Edge of Government exhibition at the World Government Summit 2025 in Dubai.

Sourish is an accomplished ICT leader with over 18 years of global experience, dedicated to business transformation through strategic vision and execution in Digital Technology, Data, and Cybersecurity. He provides executive leadership to develop and implement enterprise systems that drive core business functions, prioritizing effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, process optimization, regulatory compliance, and security, all while delivering within budget and achieving significant cost savings.

Renowned for his thoughtful and pragmatic approach, Sourish guides customers and stakeholders towards innovative, cost-effective solutions, including the adoption of emerging technologies. He excels in building lean, high-performing teams that enhance business capabilities through technology and data, achieving both operational excellence and cost efficiencies. Sourish fosters a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and collaboration, driving organizational success in dynamic environments.

His strategic guidance to senior leadership on IT investments and opportunities ensures informed decision-making and sustainable growth. He is adept in Community of Practice, Project Governance, and Business Relationship Management, providing critical insights through impactful Presentations and effective Programme Delivery. Committed to maintaining and improving cybersecurity and data protection measures, Sourish safeguards digital assets and sensitive information. He ensures effective change management around IT initiatives, emphasizing staff training and readiness to maximize operational efficiency and adaptability. His comprehensive expertise spans strategy and planning, risk management, financial oversight, and general management, making him a visionary leader in the ICT landscape.

Jenny Humphrys has more than 25 years of experience working in the Australian Public Service, and is currently the Chief Data Officer at the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. She oversees a range of data-related functions including data management, ensuring data quality, and developing and implementing the data strategy. At the Department of Social Services Jenny was leading the Data Access Branch, providing centralised data access for income support data for policy development. Her 17 years at the Australian Bureau of Statistics included delivering labour market and economic insights and leading the integration of Single Touch Payroll data during COVID-19, providing real-time insights to guide government responses.

Adrian is currently Head of Innovation at APRA, a role that encompasses being responsible for the Data Science and Analytical Enablement functions within the organisation. Prior to this he was the Technical Lead on the Bank of England’s $25 million dollar implementation of their first big data platform, before moving to the PRA to build up their Data Science and Advanced Analytics function.

Adrian has presented widely to the international central bank and regulation community on Big Data, Data Science and AI. He also wrote the Chapter “Implementing Big Data solutions” for the ECB curated book “Data Science in Economics and Finance for Decision Makers”. He is passionate about enabling talented people to have a positive effect on the communities they serve through Data Science.