Speakers
Featured speakers
Connect directly with leaders and senior directors across Asia Pacific
Daniella Pittis
Group CISO, Flight Centre
Daniella Pittis is Group Chief Information and Security Officer at Flight Centre Travel Group Limited (ASX: FLT). With nearly two decades at FCTG, she leads Enterprise Technology, Information Security, Privacy and Enterprise Risk for the group globally. Beyond her executive role, Daniella serves on multiple governance and advisory boards, including Brisbane City Council's Audit Committee, UQ Business School, AusCert, and Australian Information Security Association (AISA). She is also an active advocate for diversity in technology as a long-standing committee member of Womenwise, FCTG's women's leadership initiative. Recognised as an industry leader, Daniella received the Leadership Professional Technology Award from Women in Technology (2021) and was named Women In Travel Technology Award winner (2019). She brings extensive expertise in digital transformation, enterprise risk management, and building security-focused cultures in complex, multinational environments.
Mark Stirton
Group CEO, The Warehouse Group
Mark Stirton's career is marked by a series of significant roles and achievements in finance and business. He joined The Warehouse Group as Chief Financial Officer in April 2024 and was promoted to Group CEO in August 2025. His previous position was as the Chief Financial Officer at Mr Price Group in South Africa, where he served for almost 10 years. Stirton's career began at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as an articled clerk and has since seen him hold multiple MBAs and qualifications, including CA (SA) and FCMA. His strategic mindset and entrepreneurial agility have been instrumental in his success, as he has been nominated for the 2022 CFO Awards for his work with Mr Price Group. Stirton's journey is a testament to his resilience and determination, having overcome significant challenges in his life and career.
Jo Egan
Chief Customer Officer, AGL Energy
Jo Egan is a seasoned executive with over 26 years of experience in consumer services-based organisations. She has held several senior executive roles within Customer Markets at AGL, including leading the Multi-Retailer Growth Strategy and being appointed as Chief Customer Officer in June 2022. Jo has a strong background in product development, marketing, and channel strategy. Prior to joining AGL, she led Product & Sales at TRUenergy and served as the General Manager of Operations at PCI. Jo holds a Masters of Business Administration and Management from Deakin University, is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and is a member of Chief Executive Women. She was appointed to the ActewAGL Joint Venture Partnerships Board in May 2024 and is also a member of the ActewAGL Safety, Audit and Risk Committee.
Tim Whiteley
CIO, ASX
Tim was announced as ASX’s new Chief Information Officer in May 2023, following the creation of a stand-alone ASX technology division. In this role, Tim is responsible for ASX’s enterprise technology strategy and technology modernisation program; technology security and governance; technology infrastructure; and core technology functions of enterprise architecture, solutions engineering, quality engineering and testing, system integration and critical situation management. Tim is a highly skilled technology transformation executive with more than 25 years' experience in technology and project execution roles in the financial services industry. He has a proven capability running core technology functions and delivering large-scale, complex technology transformations. Tim joined ASX to lead the CHESS Replacement Solution Design work in November 2023. Prior to ASX, he was General Manager of Westpac’s Customer Service Hub program, Consumer and Business Banking (2020-2022), a position he held concurrently with his role as General Manager in Westpac’s Group Technology division (2015-2022). In his time with Commonwealth Bank of Australia (2003-2013), he held numerous technology and business roles, including as Technology Executive for Core Banking Modernisation program delivery. Tim has also advised ASX 200 listed companies on technology-led transformations and was a Director in the Technology Advantage practice at Boston Consulting Group.
Rebbecca Kerr
Integrated Technology Group Manager, Fortescue
Rebbecca Kerr joined Fortescue in May 2025 as the newly appointed Group Manager of Integrated Technology, leading efforts into drive innovation and sustainability in the mining and green energy sectors With over 25 years’ Technology experience, Rebbecca has strong foundations in technology and operations having held both corporate and consulting roles for complex organisations of different scale, scope and complexity. Her experience spans strategy, cyber, commercial management (including large scale offshoring), technology architecture and IT and OT operations. Her diverse career includes working with originations in agriculture, financial services and she has consulting experience in education, government and transport. She has worked across State, Australian based and Global organisations. Rebbecca is a Board Member and Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee for University of Notre Dame and is a member of the Technology Advisory Board for St John of God.
Izwan Ismail
VP, Group Technology & Commercialisation, PETRONAS
Izwan Ismail is the Vice President of Group Technology & Commercialisation at PETRONAS since October 2024. He is responsible for steering the development of technology and digital initiatives, including the safeguarding and solutioning activities for the PETRONAS Group, while pursuing commercialisation opportunities. Prior to his current role, he was the President & CEO of PETRONAS Canada Energy Limited and the Country Chairman for PETRONAS in Canada. Starting his career at Arthur Anderson in Sydney, he qualified as a chartered accountant before joining PETRONAS in the year 2000. He has held several senior leadership roles, including Senior Vice President of Finance and Group Vice President of Corporate Planning & Development at AET. In 2013, he was appointed as Head of Corporate Finance at PETRONAS, and in 2017, he joined the President’s Office. Before relocating to Canada in 2020, he served as the Senior General Manager and Executive Assistant to the President & Group CEO of PETRONAS. Izwan has developed an extensive portfolio of international working experience, having held positions in Sydney, Singapore, London and Calgary. He also served as Chairman and Director of PETRONAS subsidiaries and joint ventures. Izwan holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a double major in Accounting and Information Systems from the University of New South Wales, Sydney (Australia) and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, Boston (USA). He is a Fellow of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and is a member of both the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.
Sharmila Tsourdalakis
Chief Customer & Digital Officer, Stockland
Sharmila has over 25 years’ experience working in senior executive roles across technology, innovation, customer and digital. Recognised for her expertise in driving transformational change and commercial outcomes, she is currently the Chief Customer & Digital Officer at Stockland. In this role, Sharmila has executive accountability for driving customer centricity, innovation culture, digital and data strategy and leveraging technology to enable the business strategy. Sharmila is also currently a non-executive director of Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. Previously, Sharmila held roles including Executive General Manager of Banking and Wealth Technology at Suncorp, and Chief Information Officer at GPT Group. In 2019, Sharmila was awarded the Chief Executive Women’s scholarship, attending the Disruptive Innovation course at Harvard Business School. Sharmila has a strong belief in continuous learning, championing STEM, diversity and inclusion and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Sharmila has been an active sponsor and advocate for diversity and inclusion across gender diversity, accessibility and cultural diversity throughout her executive roles. Sharmila is the current executive sponsor of the Cultural Diversity employee advocacy group at Stockland. Sharmila graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in marketing and accounting in 1995, and a Bachelor of Laws in 1997.
Michael Carapiet
Independent Non-Executive Director, MPMS
Michael has over 40 years of experience as a senior investment banking executive and investor. Michael first joined Macquarie Group in 1985 and was Head and Executive Chair of Macquarie Capital and an Executive Committee member from 2005 to 2011. Michael is Non-Executive Director of MUFG Pension and Market Services (previously Link Administration). Michael has been a non-executive director for several ASX listed and Government entities, including Chair of Link Administration Limited. Michael was also the Chair of Smartgroup Corporation Limited, one of Australia's leading staff salary benefit providers. His roles for the NSW State Government included Chair of SAS Trustees and Chair of Insurance & Care NSW (icare). He has also served on Federal Government Boards and was Deputy Chair of Export Finance Australia, a founding director of Clean Energy Corporation and Board member of Infrastructure Australia.
Kym Niblock
Chief Digital and Technology Officer, Sky New Zealand
Chief Content Officer Kym joined Sky in December 2024 and brings 30+ years of media experience with brands including Spark, TVNZ, Foxtel, BBC.com, Viacom, B Sky B, Nickelodeon and MTV Networks. A seasoned and innovative digital leader with a global outlook, Kym has held executive management roles in the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. In New Zealand, she was CEO of Media at Spark, where she set up and delivered Lightbox. Most recently she has been with TVNZ as the Chief Product/Information/Digital Officer working across consumer and enterprise products, including TVNZ+. Kym specialises in taking disruptive initiatives to market and building them into large scale and sometimes global businesses, that are leading the way in carving out new business, value and revenue models at the forefront of the media revolution.
Peter Tompkins
CEO & MD, Downer Group
Peter joined Downer in 2008 and was appointed to General Counsel in 2010. He’s been the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer since February 2023. He was formerly Chief Operating Officer of Downer and prior to that was CEO and Managing Director of Spotless Group Holdings Limited. Peter holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce from Deakin University, and has extensive experience in infrastructure, construction and maintenance services, both as an operational and Group executive.
Melinda Howes
Group Executive, Superannuation and Investments, AMP
Melinda was appointed Group Executive Superannuation and Investments in January 2024, joining from KPMG where she led the Actuarial and Data Analytics team. She leads AMP’s Superannuation business which serves personal and corporate super members with flagship offering AMP Super. She also leads AMP Investments and AMP New Zealand. Melinda has deep expertise in superannuation with more than 30 years in the industry with roles ranging from product to sales and business line leadership. She also has experience in wealth management, life insurance, general insurance and not for profit organisations, including as CEO of the Actuaries Institute and Policy Director at ASFA. Melinda is an actuary and is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia. She has executive and non-executive director experience and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Jeff Dimery
CEO, Alinta Energy
Jeff joined Alinta Energy as CEO in 2011 and became Managing Director & CEO in April 2017. Jeff is a senior figure in the Australian energy sector with around 30 years of experience. He is a former Chair of the Australian Energy Council and current board member. Jeff was also a founding member of Australia’s Clean Energy Council, having previously served on the Boards of The Renewable Energy Generators of Australia and the Australian Wind Energy Association. He helped pioneer many of Australia’s earliest renewable energy developments including several wind farms and a large-scale solar project prior to joining Alinta Energy. Jeff’s formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Business degree from RMIT University and an Executive Programme at IMD in Switzerland.
Darren Shand
ONZM, Former All Blacks Manager
Widely respected for his transformative impact on New Zealand sport, Darren Shand was the All Blacks Manager from 2004 to 2023—an era often hailed as the team’s golden age. Under his leadership, the All Blacks clinched back-to-back Rugby World Cup victories in 2011 and 2015, triumphed in fifteen Tri Nations and Rugby Championship titles, and completed Grand Slam tours of the Home Nations in 2005, 2008, and 2010. Their dominance saw them named World Rugby Team of the Year ten times and recognised globally as World Sports Team of the Year at the 2015 Laureus Awards. With a Bachelor of Physical Education from Otago University, Darren’s early career included a pivotal role as Marketing Manager for AJ Hackett Bungy, helping define Queenstown’s adventure tourism brand. His talent for culture-building was later recognised by Swiss multi-national pharmaceutical company, Novartis, where he joined their Culture and Leadership Advisory Board in 2023. In 2014, Darren was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rugby. That same commitment to excellence now continues through his platform Winning Teams. Drawing on over two decades of experience driving the high-performance culture behind one of the world’s most successful sporting teams— a winning percentage of 83% across more than 250 matches during this period—Darren now works with leaders worldwide to foster peak performance environments. His leadership philosophy is shaped by the insights of thought leaders including Jim Collins, Patrick Lencioni, Simon Sinek, and Nicholas Janni, bringing a rich blend of organisational excellence, purposeful leadership, team health, and conscious development to everything he does.
Amanda Johnston
CEO & Co-Founder of Transhuman
As one of Australia's most globally acknowledged AI technologists and technology communicators, our next Speaker's contributions have been celebrated by TIME as a Next Generation Leader and by The CEO Magazine with the Start-up Executive of the Year award, underscoring her significant impact in social impact technology. In 2023, LinkedIn awarded her as a Top Voice in Artificial Intelligence, one of only 1500 top voices globally of over 1 billion users. Recognised as a subject matter expert in both emerging technology and modern leadership, Amanda lends her insights to esteemed organisations including Commonwealth Bank, The Australian Property Institute, YPO, Zoom, The Australian Digital Health Agency, Allianz, Leap, Kellogg’s, Universal, Stanford, Women Making Waves, The Education Department, Schmidt Futures, Optus, ADMA and Google Cloud, among others. She has built a substantial following on her social audio channel, engaging 300,000 subscribers and reaching tens of millions with content on emerging technologies.
Roger Benedict
Chief Conductor, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Roger Benedict’s career has encompassed work as a conductor, soloist, orchestral player, chamber musician and teacher. From 1991-2000 principal viola in the Philharmonia Orchestra, London, and following that the same position in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, since 2002 Roger has been Artistic Director of the Sydney Symphony’s acclaimed Fellowship Program. At the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he is an Associate Professor, Roger is Chief Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra and also heads the viola department. From 1997 – 2002 he held a teaching position at the Royal Northern College of Music in the UK, and he gives masterclasses throughout Europe and Asia.
Susan Woods
COO, Reserve Bank of Australia
Susan Woods is the Chief Operating Officer of the Reserve Bank. She commenced in this position on 4 March 2024. Ms Woods joined the RBA in 2018 as the Assistant Governor (Corporate Services) with responsibility for Information Technology and Workplace and the Enterprise Data Office. Before joining the RBA, Susan held various roles in the private sector for over 30 years. She was General Manager of Business Technology & Transformation at StatePlus, where she was responsible for information technology, the design and implementation of a new operating model for the business, and the enterprise strategic project portfolio. Before that, she was a Partner at Deloitte in strategy and operations consulting and has held senior roles with Capgemini and Ernst & Young. Ms Woods is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Fredrik Lindstrom
Executive CIO Personal Banking, NAB
Fredrik Lindstrom is an experienced executive in the banking and finance sector, currently serving as CIO of Personal Banking at NAB. With a strong background, Fredrik has held significant roles including CIO of Retail Banking and Chief Digital Officer at Commonwealth Bank, and Group CIO and Executive Vice President at Danske Bank. Additionally, Fredrik has contributed to governance as a Member of the Board of Directors for both SkySparc and MobilePay. Educationally, Fredrik holds a Master of Science degree in Electronic Engineering from The Faculty of Engineering at Lund University, obtained from 1994 to 1999.
K. Krithivasan
CEO and Managing Director, TCS
K. Krithivasan, also known as Krithi, took over as the CEO & MD of Tata Consultancy Services on June 1, 2023. In his three-decade plus tenure at TCS, he has held various leadership roles in delivery, customer relationship management, large program management and sales and has a strong track record of successfully leading TCS’ largest industry vertical, the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance business. In his first year as CEO, Krithi sharpened the multinational company’s focus on industries by realigning the organisational structure into key business groups. He has steered TCS’ strategy for creating the world’s largest AI ready workforce. As CEO his focus has been on two key pillars: customer centricity and employee empathy. Under Krithi’s leadership, TCS continues to be recognised as a Global Top Employer. During his tenure, TCS’ brand value has risen by $2 billion, according to Brand Finance and has been rated as one of the world’s most admired companies by Fortune Magazine. He co-chairs the B20 Digital Transformation Taskforce in Brazil and has served as a member of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) National Council. Krithi joined Tata Consultancy Services in 1989 as an assistant system analyst in New Delhi. He moved to North America in 1997, where he was soon promoted to Regional Manager for TCS Florida. In the year 2000, Krithi took over as the e-business delivery head and was promoted in 2004 to head the BFSI Solution Centre. From 2018, he led the unit to achieve double-digit growth driven by strong momentum in all major markets. In his role as the head of the BFSI vertical, Krithi steered TCS’ expansion into high-growth markets such as Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. Born in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, Krithi received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Madras and a master’s degree in industrial and management engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur. He is a proud father of two daughters and attributes his success to his family.
Girish Ramachandran
President, Growth Markets, TCS
Girish Ramachandran is President, Growth Markets at TCS overseeing a USD2.5 Billion business in a dynamic region covering 12 countries and over 50,000 employees. A result-oriented Technology and Sustainability Champion, Girish is responsible for the growth, strategy and business results, with a dual focus on driving digital transformation and accelerating growth for TCS' customers, and being a trusted partner for businesses, governments and society-at-large. Girish believes in harnessing the power of technology and innovation to catalyse and drive sustainable business outcomes. He contributes actively to the wider business community, helming the role of Chair of Confederation of Indian Industry – India Business Forum (CII-IBF) ASEAN and Oceania chapters, and serving on the Supervisory board of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the pioneer in sustainability reporting standards, among other appointments.
Vikram Singh
Country Head Australia & New Zealand, TCS
Vikram has more than two decades of global experience in information technology, strategy and business development. As the Country Head for TCS in Australia and New Zealand, he is responsible for sales and operations across both markets. Recently, TCS partnered with the University of Auckland Business School to launch its Asia Pacific Digital Sustainability Index, which Vikram pioneered to help businesses better understand how businesses can add a sustainability lens to their digital transformations. Vikram assumed his current role in 2019 after a decade running TCS operations in the Philippines, during which time the company was named Technology Company of the Year at the Asia CEO Awards. He previously worked in business development roles in North America and corporate sales in the company’s home market.
Robert De Castella
Olympian & Founder of the IMF
Founded the IMF in 2013 and helped establish Indigenous Marathon Project in 2010. Robert holds a Bachelor of Applied Science and is Director of Your Bread Company Pty Ltd; SmartStart (Australia) Pty Ltd; and Rob de Castella’s SmartStart for Kids Limited. He has also been a Director on the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, chairing the Selection Committee, Chairman of Leisure Australia Foundation; Director of the Australian Institute of Sport; a Non-Executive Director of the Australian Sports Commission; and Chairman of the ACT Health Promotion Board. Mr de Castella was Australian of the Year in 1983 and has been a world champion and world record holder in the marathon. He has represented Australia at four Olympic Games and has won two Commonwealth Games marathons. He is the Founding Member of The Indigenous Marathon Foundation.
Alex Rolls
Head of Creative and Innovations
Currently Head of Creative and Innovations, Nine Wide World of Sports, Alex Rolls is an experienced, talented executive with a demonstrated history of success in the sports media industry in Australia. Skilled in Creative, Editorial and Innovation management in Media/Broadcast/Content production, with an expertise in building broadcasts/content solutions from the ground up across the entire Sports/Media industry - Olympic Games, Cricket, Rugby League, Tennis, Football, Netball.
HOSTS and MODERATORS
Adam Spencer
Math Geek & Comedian
With 25 years of experience in television, radio and events, Adam loves curating challenging and thought-provoking conversations. He has interviewed prime ministers, Hollywood stars, Fortune 500 CEOs, Nobel Prize-winning scientists and Australians of the Year. And he was also the first to interview our legendary Thai cave rescuers.
Amy Duggan
Board Director & Former Matilda
Amy Duggan, a renowned television host and board director in the sports industry, has made significant contributions as a change agent and advocate for women's sports. She has an impressive background, having played football for Matilda’s and was the Host of the biggest and best Women’s World Cup in 2023. Amy's journey in sports began at a young age when she represented Australia at just 13 years old. She made her senior debut for the Matilda's at 17 and was part of the team that achieved success in the Oceania World Cup Qualifiers and participated in the 1999 World Cup. Amy also played in Australia’s WNSL, had stints in the US W-league, and was an alternate for the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. Following her retirement from international sports in 2005, Amy entered the media industry. Over the past 20 years, she has established herself as a skilled newsreader, journalist, and host and analyst for various news and sporting outlets across Australia. She has covered significant events such as Australia's AFC win in 2010 and has hosted and commented on W-league, Matildas, and Socceroos games until 2020, and was also a host for the 2019 Women's World Cup. In her role as a board director for Venues NSW and Football Australia, she brings valuable strategic expertise and has made a substantial impact on both organisations. Amy's unwavering passion for sports and her dedicated advocacy for women's sports have garnered significant media coverage, establishing her as a prominent figure in the industry.
