Michelle Price
Chief Executive Officer, AustCyber
Michelle was AustCyber’s inaugural Chief Operating Officer and Company Secretary, joining the company in January 2017 and was appointed CEO in April 2018. Prior to joining AustCyber, Michelle was the first Senior Adviser for Cyber Security at the National Security College within The Australian National University and developed the blueprint for the ANU Cyber Institute.
Before joining the ANU, she held various strategy and risk management roles across the Australian Government, including at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, where she was instrumental to the delivery of the Government’s 2015 Cyber Security Review and Australia’s first Cyber Security Strategy, released in 2016. While at PM&C, she was also the architect of the world’s first national security strategy risk framework and managed the Government’s Coordinated National Security Budget across three federal Budgets.
Michelle is a director on the board of the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre (A3C) and co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Futures Council on Cybersecurity.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Economics, Business Law) from Macquarie University, a Bachelor of Design (Visual Communications) from the University of Technology, Sydney and is an alumna of the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Innes Willox
Chief Executive, Australian Industry Group
Innes Willox is Chief Executive of the Australian Industry Group, a leading industry organisation representing businesses in a broad range of sectors including manufacturing, construction, transport, defence, ICT and labour hire.
Innes was appointed Chief Executive in May 2012. Innes is Deputy Chair of Australian Super, Chair of the Migration Council of Australia and President of the Global Business Coalition. Prior to joining AiGroup in 2008 he served as the Australian Consul General to Los Angeles from 2006 to 2008, Chief of Staff to the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, from 2004 to 2006 and earlier was Manager of Global Public Affairs for Singapore Airlines based in Singapore (2000-04). Innes began his career as a journalist. His positions included Chief of Staff at The Age newspaper in Melbourne and Chief Political Correspondent for The Age in Canberra.
Sarah Bailey
CFO and Executive Director, Penten
Sarah is an accomplished finance and business executive with over 20 years’ experience in finance, strategy and governance.
Sarah joined Penten from EY where she consulted to federal government agencies on finance transformation. Sarah is Penten’s CFO, Company Secretary and a member of Penten’s Board of Directors.
She previously held senior financial roles at Australia Post and National Australia Bank where she managed the transformation of finance operations, plus all financial and regulatory reporting of the National Australia Bank. Sarah also founded a successful CFO advisory for SMEs in Australia.
Sarah is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Chartered Accountant. She holds two bachelor’s degrees in Commerce (Accounting) and Arts (Psychology), and a Graduate Diploma of Business Leadership.
Kate Pounder
CEO, Tech Council
Kate is an experienced tech policy expert and senior executive who has worked across the public, private and non-profit sector.
Former McKinsey consultant, and Accenture MD.
Helped found Australian data analytics consulting company, AlphaBeta Advisers, opening and growing their Canberra office over four years.
15 years of technology policy experience, including with the Australian Industry Group, Network Ten, and Federal Government.
Passionate about growing Australia's tech sector, creating new jobs and businesses, and helping all Australian businesses make the most of tech adoption.
Dr Lesley Seebeck
Honorary Professor and CEO, Cyber21
Dr Lesley Seebeck is Honorary Professor and CEO of Cyber21. The former CEO of the Cyber Institute, Australian National University, she has held senior executive roles in the Federal Government, as Chief Investment Officer at the Digital Transformation Agency & the Bureau of Meteorology, and in the Department of Finance.
Dr Seebeck has experience in strategy, policy, management, budget, IT and research roles in the Australian Public Service, industry and academia. She has worked in the Departments of Finance, Defence, Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Office of National Assessments, and as an IT and management consultant in private industry, and two universities.
Dr Seebeck served on the Government’s Naval Shipbuilding Advisory Board from 2019-2020. In March 2017, she was recognised as Federal Government CIO of the Year.
Dr Seebeck has a PhD in IT, an MBA, a Masters in Defence Studies and a Bachelor's degree in Applied Science (Physics).
Robert McAdam
CEO, Sekuro
Robert McAdam began his security career in 1990 with the NSW Police Force. After 8 years of active service, he moved to IBM Global Services Australia as a Program Manager, then transferring to IBM’s Security and Privacy Practice as the Program Manager for Penetration Testing, Managed Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems across Asia Pacific.
In 2002, Mr McAdam started Pure Hacking, specialising in conducting independent security penetration testing, and positioning itself as an impartial authority in the security field. Mr McAdam founded CXO Security in 2018 with a vision to become Australia’s leading cybersecurity consultancy for executives. Mc McAdam is currently the CEO at Sekuro, created in 2021 to bring together complimentary cyber organisations with exceptional focus on people and quality.
Mr McAdam has a Bachelor of Psychology from Macquarie University, a Masters in Information Technology from Bond University and a Masters in Project Management from George Washington University.
The Hon Melissa Price MP
Minister for Defence Industry, Minister for Science and Technology
Minister Price was sworn in as the Minister for Defence Industry on 29 May 2019 and as the Minister for Science and Technology on 8 October 2021. The Minister and the Defence Industry portfolio were elevated to Cabinet on 30 March 2021. First elected to the Australian Parliament in 2013 as the Member for Durack – the largest electorate in Australia. Minister Price has previously served in the Environment portfolio and has held a number of Parliamentary Committee roles including the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. A lawyer by profession, Minister Price brings over 20 years of experience in the private sector from a variety of commercial and legal roles. She has also supported the community through working with the not-for-profit sector.