Speakers

DigiTech Local Government Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Building a stronger customer-centric council through innovation

Simon has been working in IT since 1997.  With a focus on customer service and business improvement Simon has helped many organisations through digital transformation.  Now at Wollondilly, one of Australia’s fastest growing councils, Simon is improving efficiency, productivity and customer experience through the implementation of the very best available technology.

DigiTech Local Government Summit: Session - Piloting digital transformation rollouts successfully

Local Government Parking Summit: Session - Effective parking strategies in urban planning

Kendall grew up in Sydney and has had a lifelong interest in urban planning and sustainability issues, leading him to gain university qualifications in environmental management and urban planning.  His career of several decades has been in the areas of land use planning, transport planning and sustainability management.  In this time he has worked for local councils, NSW Government agencies, universities and planning consultancies.  Kendall is now a Senior Transport Planner at Inner West Council where one of his projects is the development of a new Council parking strategy.  In undertaking this project he is interested in how parking policy reform can further Council’s aims to make the Inner West more liveable, affordable and sustainable.

Smart Communities Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Discussing what it means to be a resilient community and how to get there

Dr Paul Barnes is the Judith Neilson Research Fellow (Disaster Resilience) at the University of New South Wales and Coordinator of the ‘Resilient Futures Collective’ - a cross-faculty initiative.  

He has experience from specialist roles in applied emergency and risk management, and policy development, at both State and Federal levels and as a tenured academic.  

He also serves as a visiting Professorial Fellow attached to the Torrens Resilience Initiative at Flinders University, Adelaide, an adjunct Associate Professor within the School of Engineering & Information Technology at UNSW/ADFA, and as a Senior Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

He is a Member of the International Military Council on Climate & Security (Washington DC), the World Economic Forum Expert Network on Risk & Resilience, and a (Non-Resident) Associate Fellow of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

Masterclass A: Digital twin for smart community development

Dr Jack Barton manages the Geospatial Research Innovation and Development (GRID) lab at the University of New South Wales undertaking research into Digital Twins, LiDAR applications and 3D urban decision support systems. Jack is a Chief Investigator on the ARC Resilient Intelligent Infrastructure Systems Industry Transformation Research Hub, ARC Centre for Next-Gen Architectural Manufacturing and an Adjunct Professor at the Far Eastern University, Manila.

Jack is experienced in working in a cross-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder engagement environments and collaborates closely with research, industry and government stakeholders nationally and internationally, having worked as a Senior Research Fellow, City Futures Research Centre (2004–2010), Urban Data eResearch Facilitator at the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN, 2013–2017) and as Associate, Digital Delivery at SGS Economics and Planning (2018–2019).

Jack completed his PhD in Architecture (2008) developing a 3D Spatial Decision Support System for the Management of Public Housing. He has managed his own consultancy for over two decades specialising in urban modelling/simulation and 3D geospatial analysis. Contracts include working as 3D Project Manager for the 15th Asian Games Doha 2006 with Spinifex Interactive, 3D scoping reports AURIN (2012), City of Sydney (2006), Sydney City Map 2000, winning East Darling Harbour (Barangaroo) competition entry with Hill/Thallis/Berkemyer (2006) and visualisations for Sydney Sustainable 2030 (2008) and Car-free George St. (2010).

Jack sits on Scientific Committees for Urban Data Management Society (UDMS) and International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS). He has presented keynote addresses at OSGIS (Nottingham, 2014), SIMPI (Manila, 2016),  co-convened the International Climate Change Disaster Management conference (GI4DM2020), 3DGeoInfo22, convened MicroSimSym14 MicroSimulation Symposium with the National Centre for Economic Modelling (NATSEM). Jack was on the AURIN Management Committee and Academic Subcommittee (2013–2017) and actively participates in the Smart Cities Council Australia New Zealand Digital Twin Challenge.

Local Government Parking Summit: MAYORAL PANEL DISCUSSION - Using parking to increase community satisfaction and liveability

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Working smarter not harder – efficient business strategies in innovation

Elisa Bourke is the Deputy Program Manager for Intelligent Water Networks where she oversees a number of projects that trial and showcase new technologies, innovations and thinking for water corporations and provide development opportunities for their emerging leaders.

Elisa is an experienced Manager, with a demonstrated history of working in the utilities, food and beverage industries

DigiTech Local Government Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Improving council services through technology - lessons from the coalface

DigiTech Local Government Summit: Session - Completing cloud migration on time and on budget

Sharon is a service focused ICT leader, with a passion for transforming customer and user experiences and improving business processes and outcomes using technology. Sharon joined Hornsby Shire Council in January 2020 to lead the IT Operations and Business Transformation functions.

While a relative newbie within local government, Sharon was previously a business consultant for 20 years, working primarily for Local Government clients. She led various projects including strategies, service and process reviews, procurement and contract negotiation, project and change management.

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Australia’s smart cities in 2022 & beyond

Geoff Brock was born in Frankston, Victoria but was raised in the Mid North of South Australia where he has spent more than half his life working towards a better future for the residents of the Port Pirie region.

Mr Brock was first elected to the Port Pirie Regional Council in 1989, has been a JP since 1993, and served on numerous community committees before being elected mayor in May 2003.

From his arrival in Port Pirie in 1976, Mr Brock worked in Port Pirie's lead smelter, which was eventually acquired by Nyrstar. Prior to that, he was a manager for BP Australia at Port Augusta, covering nearly 80% of the northern areas of South Australia, before becoming an owner-operator of a roadhouse at Port Augusta.

Mr Brock is the Independent State Member for Stuart and was elected on the 19 March 2022. Prior to this, he retired from Nyrstar in September 2007, and in 2009 was elected to the seat of Frome as an Independent Member in a 2009 by-election until a redistribution leading up to the 2022 state election.

Since March 2022, Mr Brock has served as the Minister for Local Government, Minister for Regional Roads and Minister for Veterans Affairs in the Malinauskas Labor cabinet. From 2014-2018, Mr Brock served as the Minister for Regional Development and the Minister for Local Government in the Weatherill Labor Government.

Mr Brock and his partner Lyn have 12 grandchildren between them.

Smart Communities Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - How can smart technology help councils reach net zero?

Melissa Burrage is an environmental manager whose career has included working in private business, State and local government, in Victoria, interstate and oversees over the past 30 years. She has been with the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council since 2014. During this time, she has delivered award winning programs for the Shire regarding Climate Change and stormwater and water management. She is an Al Gore trained Climate Reality Leader and is driving the change within Mornington Peninsula Shire to deliver on the Climate Emergency.

In 2019, Mornington Peninsula Council declared a Climate Emergency and 12 months later the Council and community focussed Climate Emergency Response Plan was before Council for adoption. This plan was one of the first half dozen Climate Emergency plans adopted in Australia. It won the 2021 Ambition award at the Cities Power Partnership’s Climate Awards and was featured by Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance regarding how communities are using the Climate Emergency to make big new moves to decarbonize locally. It targets net zero GHG emissions for the municipality by 2040 and has 5-year interim emissions targets to keep things on track. It is now into the 3rd year of delivery.

Local Government Parking Summit: Session - An economic perspective – balancing optimal turnover with adequate occupancy

Smart Communities Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Discussing what it means to be a resilient community and how to get there

Cindy Cassidy has a 25+ year career in science and agriculture including in research and business management at some of Australia’s largest agribusinesses, along with working in regional NSW as CEO of a not for profit farming systems group – Temora based, FarmLink Research.

Cindy is currently the Director of the Southern NSW Drought Resilience and Innovation Hub, where her extensive networks and long history in agriculture are being called on to help shape this next phase of innovation in the sector. She is also a Director with Agrifutures Australia and sits on their Audit Committee.

In 2015 Cindy received the RIRDC (Agrifutures) NSW/ACT Rural Women’s award and used the award to explore national and international approaches to agricultural innovation.

Cindy Cassidy has a Bachelor of Science and Master of Agriculture.

Local Government Parking Summit: Session - The future of parking in a modern urban environment

Charles Casuscelli is the CEO of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) representing the collective interests of Local Government in Western Sydney.

Charles is also appointed as an Australian Defence Force Liaison Officer (Army) and provides advice to the NSW State Government on Emergency Management.

Formerly he was the State Member for Strathfield (Legislative Assembly) between 2011 and 2015, and was appointed Chair of the NSW Parliament’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee.

Charles has held a number of senior executive appointments in the public and private sectors. In particular Charles worked at the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority as the NSW Transport Management Centre’s Project Director/GM and was responsible for the operational management of the NSW road network.

Smart Communities Summit: Masterclass A - Digital twins for smart community development

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Digital twin and digital fabrication – technologies to support a smarter city and engage your community

Claire Chaikin-Bryan is the Smart Cities Lead at Lake Macquarie City Council where she is implementing numerous initiatives to support Council operations and the community.  Claire is a qualified Town Planner and Civil and Environmental Engineer with a background in construction planning and project controls, visual arts, graphics design, digital engineering and computer programming. She has been working in the Smart Cities space since 2016 and was the Australia/New Zealand 2020 Smart Cities Emerging Leader.

DigiTech Local Government Summit: Session - Delivering positive customer experiences through digital innovation

Elspeth Cronin is responsible for Customer Service at Northern Beaches Council. Her career has encompassed senior customer-focused roles in both the private and public sectors, specialising in customer experience and transformation.

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Rethink City Living - How video is shaping cities across the world

Brian Cross is the Business Development Manager for Milestone Systems, covering the South Pacific region. He is a qualified electrical engineer and has been in the electronic security industry for 19 years. In this time, Brian has gained invaluable experience across all facets of the industry, including working for integrators, and security distributors,  before joining a large access control manufacturer and now finally with Milestone Systems where he has been for the last three years. As part of his role Brian works with security consulting firms across Australia and New Zealand, while also engaging with enterprise end user organisations to advise them on their Video Management requirements.

Brian has also previously owned his own security company, where he worked closely with councils across Queensland, and understands the unique challenges and opportunities that councils across the ANZ region face.

DigiTech Local Government Summit: Session - Deploying the ‘Voice of the Customer’ (VOC) effectively within a council

DigiTech Local Government Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Building a stronger customer-centric council through innovation

Greg has had a diverse 20-year career in transformation, digital services, technology, product management, customer experience and operations.  An innovative digital product designer and manager across many industries, including owned start-ups, where he bootstrapped his own digital products, delivered go-to-market strategies and grew to new & established industries.

Greg is passionate about customer experience and how technology can play a pivotal role in building a trusted brand – even in the government sector.  Key achievements have included launching and delivering new CX teams and cultures, delivering and scaling digital experiences and developing talent for sustainable success.

Smart Communities Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - How can smart technology help councils reach net zero?

First elected to City of Parramatta in 2017, Cr Donna Davis was elected Lord Mayor in January 2022, and is the third female Lord Mayor in its 160-year history. She is proud to lead this inclusive and diverse Council, which includes eight female Councillors.

As Lord Mayor, Donna is committed to working with the community to ensure the City continues to flourish and evolve, building on the work that has been done over consecutive terms of Council.

Donna is passionate about including the community in Council’s decision making and would like to provide more opportunities for public input. She would also like to ensure appropriate development that complements and respects the existing built and environmental heritage across the City of Parramatta.  She is very aware of the pressures on our City and is a strong advocate for the delivery of increased open space, infrastructure, and essential services.

Another priority for the Lord Mayor is cementing Parramatta as the premier arts and culture destination outside of the Sydney CBD through the redevelopment of Riverside Theatres and harnessing the significant local talent that calls Parramatta home in Council’s events, arts, and cultural programming.

Donna has a degree in Arts with Honours and has worked for a number of Federal and State Members of Parliament over the past 10 years. She held positions in the former Department of Employment, Education and Training and was previously involved in establishing funding for regional indigenous communities in Tasmania.

Smart Communities Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Discussing what it means to be a resilient community and how to get there

Known as the "person paid to worry for Sydney", Beck Dawson champions urban resilience and systems thinking for cities, connected to the global Resilient Cities Network. The Resilient Sydney Office uses robust community research to identify community risks to inform public policy and city-wide action. The Resilient Sydney strategy was launched on 24 July 2018 with five directions and 35 actions for disaster risk reduction and better resilience planning for people in Sydney.

The Resilient Sydney program began in 2015 and is a collaboration of all 33 local government councils in metropolitan Sydney with state government, business and the community. A metropolitan steering committee oversees the funding and operations of the Resilient Sydney Office, which is currently hosted by the City of Sydney.

Smart Communities Summit: Session - How out of home media is making cities & communities smarter

Michael currently leads the Commercial function of oOh!’s roadside billboard offering as well as the company’s Planning & Government Relations teams.

Managing close to 4,000 billboards nationally, Michael’s role sees him engaging with a wide variety of property owners – from State Governments and local councils, to large corporates and SME’s, to private landlords – right across metropolitan and regional Australia.

With extensive experience in the development application process to digitise new or existing sites, Michael is also acutely aware of the planning and regulatory issues that impact the industry and oOh!’s existing and prospective property partners.
Over his 13 years in the Out of Home industry, Michael has witnessed the emergence of more sophisticated audience data and insights capabilities and how these can be utilised to better inform commercial decision making.

Michael has also had previous roles with global service providers G4S and Sodexo in the United Kingdom, overseeing the management of complex government and corporate contracts. He holds Bachelors of Arts and Laws (UTS), a Master of Commerce (Management) (UNE), and most recently completed a Master of Politics & Policy (Deakin), where he focused his research on a comparative analysis of ‘smart city’ developments in Australia and internationally.

Local Government Parking Summit: An economic perspective – balancing optimal turnover with adequate occupancy

DigiTech Local Government Summit: Session - Creating effective change through shared services and collaboration

Mathew was elected to Council in 2004 and served as Dubbo City Council Mayor from 2011 through to the amalgamations in 2016. After a break from public life, Mathew once again stood for election in 2021 and was elected to Dubbo Regional Council where he currently serves as Mayor.

Mathew is known for an attitude of innovation and open communication. He created the Community Leaders’ Breakfasts; the Mayoral Developers’ Forums and the ASX200 CEO Series. He raised over half a million dollars with Tour de OROC and as Chairman of Evocities, organised the Evocities MTB Series.

Outside of Council, Mathew has started six successful businesses that have racked up 24 major business awards; he has written four books; has a technology column in 142 newspapers; technology segments on nine different radio stations and a weekly technology podcast.

Mathew is married with four children; is an active member of Mensa; races mountain bikes and thinks he is a poet.

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Fostering innovative green technologies for a sustainable and smart future

Brook is Managing Director of Delos Delta, leading smart city, innovation, economic, sustainability, data, and digital programs for clients around the world.

Expert in both smart tech and sustainability policy, Brook works at the intersection of these fields to drive better environmental and 'green economy' outcomes. 

Brook is a former president of the Australian Smart Communities Association, and former Executive of ACT Government. 

As a Churchill Fellow, Brook has visited and studied the drivers of digital transformation in Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Local Government Parking Summit: Session - Discovering how IoT technology improved parking in Sydney’s historic The Rocks district

Victor Dominello is a senior Minister in the New South Wales Government and has held various portfolios over the last decade including Aboriginal Affairs, Innovation and Finance.

In 2019 he was appointed the inaugural Minister for Customer Service and in 2021 was also appointed the inaugural Minister for Digital Government.

Victor firmly believes the use of real-time data and technology are the most powerful ways to improve quality of life and reduce suffering.

Victor was a member of the original Crisis Cabinet which led the NSW response to Covid-19 and now sits on the Covid-19 and Economic Recovery Committee.

His particular focus has been on delivering digital solutions such as the Service NSW QR code check-in feature and the real-time data analysis which has informed the state’s decision making.

Victor has been the driving force behind the roll out of the Digital Driver Licence, the establishment of the $2.1b Digital Restart Fund and the rapid expansion of the Service NSW app to include QR code check-ins, the voucher programs, such as Dine and Discover, Covid-19 test alert notifications and the registration of positive rapid antigen tests.

In addition to digital, technology and customer experience, Victor is also obsessed with Batman

DigiTech Local Government Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Improving council services through technology - lessons from the coalface

David Farmer commenced in his role as Chief Executive Officer of Central Coast Council on 12 April 2021.

An accountant by profession, David has nearly 40 years’ experience in Local Government in New South Wales and Queensland.

He has been the Chief Executive of four Councils over the past 23 years, being Mudgee in Western NSW, Cairns City in Far North Queensland, his home town of Wollongong and recently as the CEO of Ipswich City Council, the fastest growing Council in Queensland.

Each of his last three roles have involved major challenges in governance and finance. David has assisted an elected Council successfully return from a period of Administration at both Wollongong and Ipswich. At Cairns he oversaw the recovery of the organisation, taking over 5 years after a poorly implemented merger. This involved turning around a deteriorating financial situation and correcting a failed IT systems implementation.

Two of his proudest achievements are the major foreshore projects of the Cairns Esplanade and Wollongong’s Blue Mile.

Across these diverse locations he has been able to partner in developing major industry growth in sectors such as tourism, agribusiness- particularly wine, and urban development. In Wollongong he led the city as it successfully transitioned from its dependence on its traditional industries of coal and steel making into tertiary sectors such as financial services and international education.

David is married to Andrea and together they have four adult children.

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Opening remarks from the Chair

Peter is a recently retired Manager in Local Government. He retired in July this year after 45 years of consecutive service both at Blacktown and Penrith Councils.

Commencing in finance Peter changed his career direction in the nineties and was appointed to the Community Relations Officer position which first introduced him to Sister Cities. From there he made Sister Cities one of his passions ultimately achieving Life Membership of Sister Cities Australia. Peter had stewardship of Council’s Sister Cities program for over 20 years partnering with cities in New Zealand, South Korea, China, The Philippines and Liverpool Plains in rural New South Wales. This program has delivered some wonderful commensurate benefits and outcomes.

In terms of community, Peter was responsible for Council’s extensive events program including iconic celebrations for Australia Day, Blacktown City Festival, Blacktown Medieval Fayre, Cities Marathon and more recently developed Council’s Central Business District Activation Strategy.

Peter also has a passion for sport being a former NRL first grade referee, A grade cricketer average golfer. Peter has been President of a number of sporting organisations and is currently serving on the Boards of both the NSW Rugby League Referee’s Association and Springwood Golf Club.

In 2014 Peter was awarded the Order of Australia for service to sport and the community and upon retirement from Council was awarded the Key to the City of Blacktown.

Considering all of the above Peter’s most important achievement  is the love of his family, 3 kids and 3 grand children.

DigiTech Local Government Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Building a stronger customer-centric council through innovation

Carmel Foster is the Director, Corporate Strategy and Resourcing. Carmel has held senior management and leadership roles in local government and has also worked in state government and private sectors.

Most recently, Carmel was the Corporate Services Group Manager at Port Stephens Council responsible for finance and procurement, ICT systems development and support, business improvement, human resources, risk management, statutory and commercial property functions and the holiday parks including the recently constructed Koala Sanctuary at Anna Bay.

Carmel is passionate about delivering valued services to the community with a strong focus on business improvement and customer service.  Ms Foster has post graduate and master’s Degrees in urban planning and property, is a qualified property valuer and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

DigiTech Local Government Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Improving council services through technology - lessons from the coalface

DigiTech Local Government Summit: Delivering Next Generation of Digital Council

Naren is an award winning Business Technology Leader with over 20 years’ experience of aligning technology strategies with business outcomes and customer needs. He is an expert at managing the strategy and delivery of large digital business solutions and transformation initiatives in complex services environments, securing positive outcomes and implementing new technologies with commercial value.

Naren is passionate about driving change and helping strengthen an organisation's digital mindset, cyber resilience and innovative culture across the whole of the business and deliver even better value for our customers by making the right investments into the future

Naren has delivered many achievements during his career, including winning the WHICH-50 Digital Experience award for best in community innovation, the 2016 Secretary’s Award for Innovation and the Secretary’s performance award for outstanding performance and commitment to the Department of Planning and Environment.

DigiTech Local Government Summit: Session - Cultivating a council-wide cyber security culture with associated policies, frameworks and training

Jacqueline is a highly motivated business professional with over 30 years’ strategic business experience successfully delivering flawless execution and operational transformation with a wealth of experience across the public and private sector. She also had experience in academia, teaching and mentoring students to achieve their best.

Jacqueline has a genuine passion for developing vision and strategic directions, and developing solutions to deliver improvements that impact significantly on business’ operations. She is quick to assimilate new ideas, concepts and cutting-edge technologies whilst demonstrating an analytical approach to solving complex problems and responding to the needs of the business.

Developing professionally has been key to my success. She is currently a Doctorate in Business Administration candidate; hold an Executive Graduate Diploma in Business Administration, Graduate Diploma in Company Secretary, Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce and Diplomas in Computing, Financial Planning and Financial Services.

DigiTech Local Government Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Building a stronger customer-centric council through innovation

Mark Higgs leads the NSW Government digital channels team, focussed on creating customer centric digital experiences.

Mark oversees the OneCX program, working with 10 NSW Government clusters and over 750 websites to build nsw.gov.au as the single location for customers to source information. The website has played a pivotal role during the COVID-19 pandemic making it easy for customers to find the information they need from across government in one place.

Before joining the public service in 2015, Mark managed several award-winning engagement, communications and digital projects for global brands such as Vodafone, Nestlé, nudie, Commonwealth Bank, Woolworths, Weet-Bix, ING Direct, and the Palm Jumeirah Dubai.

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Investing in city-wide innovations to make Adelaide a connected and innovative place to visit and do business

Ian leads the Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA), a fully owned subsidiary of the City of Adelaide, which was established in 2021 to: 
• To accelerate economic growth in the City of Adelaide by attracting investment and supporting businesses, festivals and events, as well as visitor, student and residential growth
• To promote the City of Adelaide as destination and ‘magnet city’ and increase its visitation and use by residents, workers, visitors and the community in general; and
• To position the Rundle Mall as the State’s premier retail and commercial shopping precinct in order to sustain retail, business and economic viability

To meet these objectives, AEDA works closely with businesses, industry groups and the State Government.

Ian joined the City of Adelaide in 2018 as the Director Growth and had oversight responsibility of a diverse portfolio encompassing Economic Development and Sustainability, Marketing and Communications and management and strategic development of Council’s $500m property portfolio.  A key feature during this time was the delivery of Ten Gigabit Adelaide, Australia’s first city-wide fibre optic network, connecting 1,000 buildings across the CBD and North Adelaide.

Prior to joining the City of Adelaide Ian was the Executive Director for Enterprise Canberra (Australian Capital Territory Government) responsible for marketing the ACT as a tourism destination to national and international audiences, attracting and developing events, growing and promoting arts in the ACT and overseeing the Territory’s sport and recreation program including sporting infrastructure, elite sporting teams and participation programs.

Ian is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and received a Public Service Medal for his contribution to Canberra’s visitor economy.

Smart Communities Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Discussing what it means to be a resilient community and how to get there

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Thinking smart for the sustainability of Australia’s rural heartland

Greg Hoffman PSM is one of Australia’s leading local government professionals with 50 years’ experience working in State and local government across three states and the Northern Territory. He has held positions of CEO, Commissioner, Managing Director, policy analyst, advocate and industry representative. In his current role as Executive Officer of the North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (NWQROC), Greg’s focus is on the people, policy and politics of the State’s remote and productive North West Region. He is also a co-founder of the Western Queensland Alliance of Councils (WQAC), a collaboration of the three regional organisations of councils covering 22 local government councils in Western Queensland 

Greg is passionate about regional Queensland and has devoted a lifetime assisting councils, regional bodies and communities to ensure their voices are heard and that they receive a fair return for the contribution they make to the State and national economies.

Greg holds qualifications in accounting, management, public policy, media and company directorship. He has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to local government having received a Public Service Medal in 1993, a Centenary Medal in 2002 and a National Emergency Medal in 2011 for his contribution to Australian society, government and emergency services.

Smart Communities Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Discussing what it means to be a resilient community and how to get there

Sam Kernaghan is the Director of Resilience Programs at the Committee for Sydney – an organization passionate about the future of Sydney. Over the past 20 years Sam has worked with more than 50 cities across Asia, New Zealand, Australia and the US, to build resilience to growing shocks and stresses – risks that are being intensified by climate change, urbanization and globalization. Sam has led the development and implementation of climate and disaster resilience programs with the Rockefeller Foundations’ 100 Resilient Cities, the Asian Development Bank, and the New York State 2100 Commission. Sam was instrumental in designing Arup’s city resilience index and the characteristics of safe and resilient communities with the International Red Cross.  Sam holds a bachelor of economics and a masters of environmental management.

Session: Analysing ACSC’s cyber maturity measurement program and its government uplift

Brandon King is the acting Assistant Director General of the Standards, Technical Assistance and Research branch at ASD, an area that is responsible for publishing the Australian Government Information Security Manual, Essential Eight Maturity Model, Small Business Cyber Security Guide, research into Operational Technologies and international standards.

He is passionate in working with industry to create actionable and practicable cyber security guidance suitable for all Australians. He previously led work to enhance the support and delivery of ASD’s Information Security Registered Assessor Program.

DigiTech Local Government Summit: Session - Working collaboratively to develop integrated digital infrastructure and data

Joanna joined the Western Parkland Councils in January 2021 to drive City Deal projects and facilitate collaboration across all three levels of government to deliver the vision for the Western Parkland City and unlock opportunities for our communities in education, business and employment. An entrepreneurial and determined executive with over 26 years’ experience driving Australia’s economic growth, Joanna had previously provided leadership and strategic advice to Local, State and Federal Governments in the design and implementation of economic development, industry expansion and innovation advancement programs, including the design and implementation of 24 economic development programs, the establishment of a leading start up incubator and the implementation of the Entrepreneurs’ Programme.

Smart Communities Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - How can smart technology help councils reach net zero?

Steve brings over 20 years in consulting and general management roles leading large scale transformation and zero emission technology adoption projects in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, UK and USA. Relevant experience:

• Significant experience in modelling the impact of renewables on regulated businesses and managing government programs
• Led fleet transition planning for numerous organisations including the NSW government passenger fleet (circa 12,500 vehicles)
• Led review of TfNSW's Heavy Vehicle division assessing possible options for transition and pathways to achieve full transition
• Led strategic reviews and state and federal levels of the EV to Grid ecosystem to assist in guiding new policies and incentives to accelerate and shape it

Masterclass A - Digital twin for smart community development

Ryan MacVeigh has been championing the adoption of location intelligence for over 12 years’ with diverse clients around Australia and New Zealand. His expertise is in strategic GIS planning, leading implementation of GIS infrastructure and advising on the right tools to deliver innovative, engaging, and informative ways to tell meaningful stories through the use Location Intelligence. He now takes these skills to deliver impactful digital spaces as WSP’s Digital Solutions Advisory Lead.

With experience delivering Digital Twins ranging from singular asset to state-wide scales, Ryan’s expertise and knowledge is sought after by agencies who want to ensure their solutions are future proof, leverage from robust data structures and platforms and, above all, become places where people want to explore and engage.

Local Government Parking Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Assessing the potential impact of driverless vehicles on planning for the future

Philip Mallis is a transport planner based on Melbourne specialising in strategic policy and governance. Having previously served as a councillor and with a background in public policy, urban planning and international relations, he has a unique perspective on local government. He puts his spare time to use designing maps, watching birds and producing educational material about local history.

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Smarter Green Infrastructure management with aerial intelligence

Sam is a geospatial statistician with a particular interest in ecology and species distribution modelling. He has a background in tree canopy research using both visible spectrum imagery and AI datasets from Nearmap, and is now part of the UNSW EcoStats Research group where he is currently a PhD candidate. Having joined the Nearmap AI team in 2017, he now heads up the Solutions Engineering team helping customers get the most value from Nearmap content.

DigiTech Local Government Summit: Session - Learning from the innovative digitalisation at Service NSW

Katie brings a wealth of business and leadership experience to Service NSW, with a particular passion for growing and empowering people.

In her current role as Executive Director, Digital Services, Katie leads a diverse group of teams responsible for end-to-end digital customer experiences.

Under Katie’s leadership, Digital Services teams power the Service NSW website, mobile app, and all supporting platform and security architecture. Product teams continually develop innovative new digital experiences for customers, for example, the Dine and Discover program, COVID Safe Check-In, and NSW/VIC Border Permits.

Katie previously led the Projects division as Executive Director, during which time she oversaw revolutionary programs like the Digital Driver Licence and Mobile Service Centres. Prior to joining Service NSW Katie was Director, Central Policy Office and Chief Executive of the Mine Subsidence Board at the NSW Department of Finance, Services, and Innovation.

Before joining the NSW Government Katie was Services and Transformation Manager at Rio Tinto, where she was responsible for human resources, industrial relations, health and safety, and community relations.

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Harnessing smart technologies to develop a smart Greater Launceston transformation

James is the Manager of Innovation and Performance at the City of Launceston. James has held a wide variety of senior professional and board positions across a range of sectors including not-for-profit organisations, government, university and private companies, most recently as Director of Northern Transformation for UTAS and Director of Northern Cities for the State Government along with board roles including the Chair of Tourism Northern Tasmania, Cycling Tasmania and Chair of the Launceston Airport CACG. James has a particular interest in regional development, innovation and strategy. His primary background is in agricultural science, he is a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Program (MDB), and has been part of community development programmes in the USA and India.

Smart Communities Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - How can smart technology help councils reach net zero?

Scott McKenry has been EAGA’s Executive Office since the Alliance’s inception in 2013. Over this time, Scott has delivered numerous high profile and innovative climate change mitigation and adaptation projects. Many of these initiatives have extended beyond EAGA’s eight member councils to include the whole local government sector with significant state-wide impacts.

Smart Communities Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - How can smart technology help councils reach net zero?

Anna leads the City of Sydney’s Sustainability & Resilience team, which sets the vision, targets and action plans for environmental sustainability and urban resilience; and works with internal and external stakeholders to deliver against these goals. 

Anna is driven to help organisations become more effective at delivering environmental and resilience outcomes. She enjoys working in a collaborative style to address complex sustainability challenges, using her strengths in project management, change management, facilitation, and communications.

Before joining City of Sydney, Anna worked in the finance sector, state government and consultancy in sustainability and community engagement roles.

Smart Communities Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Evaluating the planning and community approach in developing a smart community

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Deep diving into smart technologies for planning structures

Dr Adam Mowlam has a wealth of experience leading multidisciplinary teams across all levels of government and a broad range of areas including smart cities, digital twins, spatial sciences, technology innovation, business process integration and data management.

He currently spearheads the Smart Cities Program at the City of Greater Geelong, one of Australia's largest municipalities. Previously he was the Strategic Lead Digital Twins with the Victorian Government and the Manager Smart City Office with Wyndham City Council.

His current role involves thinking beyond the now to develop and deliver smart ‘beyond the curve’ initiatives by fostering a creative and dynamic environment that encourages the creation of new ideas and tests the established thinking. He leads a diverse team heavily focused on addressing transport and environmental challenges and is passionate about data-driven decision making.

Adam graduated from The University of Melbourne with a PhD and both a Bachelor of Geomatics Engineering and Bachelor of Information Systems, he is the current Vice President of Australia Smart Communities Association (ASCA).

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Smart communities in action: Sydney Olympic Park tour

Luke is the Director, Illawarra Shoalhaven City Plan with the NSW Greater Cities Commission, and current Treasurer of the Australian Smart Communities Association.  

Previously, Luke led the NSW Government’s $45m Smart Places Acceleration Program and established the NSW Smart City Innovation Challenge program. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance), Master of Planning, and an Executive Master of Public Administration. 

Luke is passionate about his role as a leader in the public service with a strong focus on collaboration and innovation. He has a diverse background with experience in state and local government as well as roles in the banking and finance sector. He has spent over 10 years working in the NSW public service where he led the development and implementation of strategic land use plans for the Illawarra-Shoalhaven and the South East & Tablelands.

Local Government Parking Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Assessing the potential impact of driverless vehicles on planning for the future

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Utilising 5G networks and IoT to connect garbage trucks to assess the region productively

Cr Nguyen was elected Mayor of Brimbank City Council in November 2021; this is her first time as Mayor. She served as Deputy Mayor in her first year in office 2020-2021.

Cr Nguyen is 25 years of age, and has a double degree in Commerce and Economics, speaks English, Vietnamese and German.

Her interests include youth empowerment, multicultural engagement, digital transformation and innovation, climate change and sustainability and mental health.

The daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Cr Nguyen has lived in Brimbank for over 20 years.  She was born in Brimbank and proudly attended schools in the local area, and as a youngster she developed a passion for giving back to the West by volunteering and working within the community.

Her parents instilled in her an immense gratitude for being raised in an area that had such rich multicultural diversity.  She is passionate about community and driven by innovation, collaboration and grabbing hold of opportunities.

Cr Nguyen decided to run for Council to represent and drive better outcomes for young people and multicultural communities in response to COVID-19; serving and representing almost 211,000 people in one of the largest and the second most disadvantaged municipality in Melbourne.

As a young person of colour and Brimbank Council’s first Vietnamese-Australian Mayor, she also wants to be a role model for future generations. Through her leadership she aims to demonstrate what can be achieved with a willingness to have a go, take every opportunity as a learning opportunity and collaborate with others who are passionate about building resilient and sustainable communities.

Smart Communities Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - How can smart technology help councils reach net zero?

Portia Odell is Director of the Cities Power Partnership where she leads the delivery of the program’s strategy and impact. She holds a PhD from Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute and has a history working with communities, startups and governments helping them accelerate their climate projects. She is passionate about advancing the critical work of local governments taking meaningful action on climate change and is interested in the intersection between research, innovation and policy.

Local Government Parking Summit: Session - Case study: Developing and implementing an effective parking strategy for Albury

Bilee grew up in rural Victoria with a knack for all things maths and science, which led her to gain a Bachelor of Civil Engineering with Honours from La Trobe University. She has fifteen years local government experience, starting with a traineeship at the Rural City of Wangaratta while studying, and then a rapid career progression from graduate engineer in bridge construction to Team Leader of Traffic & Transport at AlburyCity Council in under five years. In her time at Albury Bilee has focused on changing the narrative surrounding transport and how people get around a regional city, with a focus on supporting Albury to become a prosperous, thriving and sustainability city of the future.

DigiTech Local Government Summit: Session - Exploring data trends and the potential for local government

Dr. Ian Oppermann is the NSW Government’s Chief Data Scientist working within the Department of Customer Service. He is also an Industry Professor at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). 

Ian has been recognised as a Global Leader in Data and Analytics (Corinium’s Global Top 100 in 2020 and 2022) spanning the domains of government, industry, academia and standards. Ian has an MBA from the University of London and a PhD in Mobile Telecommunications from Sydney University. Ian is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers Australia, a Fellow of the IEEE, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW, is a Fellow and Immediate Past President of the Australian Computer Society, and a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is Chair of Australia’s IEC National Committee and JTC1, the NSW AI Review Committee and the NSW Smart Places Advisory Council.

Local Government Parking Summit: Session - Lessons from emerging trends in international parking – what users want from parking

15 years experience in Traffic and Transport Engineering and Planning having worked in both State and Local government in 3 different continents. Worked on major projects such as the Hong Kong – Macau – Zhuhai Bridge, Macau Light Rail, Level Crossing Removals (Melbourne). Has been involved in strategic policy writing (Parking and Cycling Strategies). Very interested in ITS and Technology integration to enable informed decision making.

Smart Communities Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Evaluating the planning and community approach in developing a smart community

Local Government Parking Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Assessing the future of electric vehicles, recharge stations and the impact on transport and parking strategies

An experienced urban planner, Shona leads the City Strategy team for Cumberland City Council. Shona is responsible for the smart places, strategic planning, economic development, place making, community engagement and homelessness functions with a strong focus on delivering outcomes for residents, businesses and industry.

Cumberland City has established a Smart City in Granville and is developing its first community focused Smart Places Strategy. The focus is on achieving benefits for residents and businesses, as well as how smart places can create internal efficiencies within Council.

Having worked across different local government areas and private industry, Shona draws on a decade of experience to lead innovative, place based outcomes for the community and deliver sustainable housing and jobs growth.

Smart Communities Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Evaluating the planning and community approach in developing a smart community

Jennifer delivers population-wide outcomes through destination marketing, communications initiatives and stakeholder engagement. At the City Renewal Authority, Jennifer’s team is responsible for increasing city centre activity, providing direction and advice on Authority’s diverse renewal projects and managing internal and external relationships. The agency is charged with shaping the growth of central Canberra to make it a highly liveable place. In a partnership with the community, the Authority aims to create a lively and attractive city heart through design-led urban renewal practice with a focus on social and environmental sustainability.

Local Government Parking Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Assessing the future of electric vehicles, recharge stations and the impact on transport and parking strategies

Councillor Michael Regan was the first popularly elected Mayor of Warringah in 2008 and was re-elected in 2012 and 2021. Under his leadership, numerous projects such as the completion of the Narrabeen Lagoon trail and the creation of the All Ability Precinct at Collaroy were implemented.

Warringah was awarded the A.R. Bluett Memorial Award, which recognises the best-performing council in the state. The prestigious award acknowledged a wide range of accomplishments including organisational improvements, a sound financial position, collaboration with community groups and a strong emphasis on projects serving the arts community. Council was also recognised for its excellent infrastructure renewal programs including the Forestville Sporting Facilities.

Prior to being elected to Council, Michael worked in the local government sector for nearly two decades in a range of roles including customer service, cleansing and town planning.

Local Government Parking Summit: Session - Transitioning from parking to charging

Local Government Parking Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Assessing the future of electric vehicles, recharge stations and the impact on transport and parking strategies

Tim works as a project manager in Transport for NSW supporting the EV transition. Tim brings extensive EV charging experience from multiple sectors and is currently supporting the delivery of EV charging infrastructure throughout NSW.

Local Government Parking Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Assessing the potential impact of driverless vehicles on planning for the future

Local Government Parking Summit: MAYORAL PANEL DISCUSSION - Using parking to increase community satisfaction and liveability

Local Government Parking Summit: Session - Bolstering population and tourism growth with a modern parking strategy

Local Government Parking Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Assessing the future of electric vehicles, recharge stations and the impact on transport and parking strategies

Paul Robinson is the General Manager of the Roadmarking Industry Association of Australia (RIAA). The RIAA is the peak industry body for road marking and pavement t markings, including car parks, airfields, service stations, warehouses, and so on.

The RIAA works with State Government, Local Government, road safety stakeholders, Australian Standards, and a range of industry regulators. RIAA members are bound by a code of conduct and commuted to professional standards.

Paul has an extensive background in Associations management, events, and public speaking.

Local Government Parking Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Assessing the potential impact of driverless vehicles on planning for the future

Masterclass A - Digital twin for smart community development

Harman is the Smart Cities and Places Lead at GHD Digital, where he pursues his passion of developing innovative solutions for Smart Cities, Precincts & Buildings. He brings with him 20 years of global work experience with various technology-related businesses in USA, Dubai, India and Australia. Harman is a Certified Smart Cities Practitioner and a regular speaker on smart technologies, applied innovation and digital transformation.

In the past, he served as the Chief Innovation Officer at Brady Family of Companies, USA, where he led the organisation to be awarded the “Most Innovative Workplace” in North Carolina in 2017. He also led the development of an IoT platform for smart buildings, built on world leading SAS Analytics technology. Harman holds an MBA from London Business School and currently serves on Standards Australia’s committee for Smart City Systems with the goal to foster the development of standards in this evolving space.

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Smart communities in action: Sydney Olympic Park tour

Susan Skuodas has a career history of over 25 years in the public and private sectors, with experience in in strategy development and execution, stakeholder relations, strategic partnerships, community engagement, communications, customer experience, event delivery, project management and, more recently, place management and place making.  As the Director, Place Management at Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Susan oversees the Place team that focuses on delivering high quality, effective and sustainable place outcomes and customer experiences to activate public spaces, build a strong sense of community and drive visitation and engagement.  More recently, Susan has been collaborating within the Authority, Government and with industry on a range of Smart projects, including the NSW Government’s SmartShuttle trial of autonomous vehicles, and in the development of Smart place strategies for developing precincts.

Susan is passionate about applying place-led and people-centric projects to strategy and service delivery, ensuring that projects generate sustainable outcomes for communities, make financial sense and consider future generations.

DigiTech Local Government Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Improving council services through technology - lessons from the coalface

Poly is passionate about transforming business systems to deliver superior services to customers, with more than 20 years' experience leading the upgrade of asset and facilities management programs across Government and private sector companies. Poly puts people at the heart of every decision to improve user experience, customer experience and cost efficiencies for tax and rate payers.

An integral member of Serco's Facilities Management leadership team, Poly is overseeing major change and business improvement projects to achieve ISO 55001 Certification (Asset Management Systems) across Serco's Asia Pacific operations.

Poly holds a Bachelor's degree in civil engineering and Master's degrees, including a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Australian Graduate School of Management, UNSW.

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Smart Regional and Rural Communities – Challenges and Opportunities

Neil is Director Environmental, Planning and Building Services at Bathurst Regional Council having previously served at Griffith City and Shoalhaven City Councils. Prior to working in local government, Neil’s career was in higher education specialising in agricultural engineering applications. His working life has always been within regional communities and industries, including family interests in the beef supply chain.

DigiTech Local Government Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Improving council services through technology - lessons from the coalface

Amit has 25 years of industry experience, the majority of which is in leading accounts/programs/services/departments of varying complexities and sizes in industries such as local government, state government, disability, health, education, airlines, airports, utilities, and law enforcement in an ever-dynamic world.

He is a MBA (Distinction) from UK, and Masters in Computers from India.

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Challenging the global community with innovative competition and collaboration

Robert manages the Smart and Sustainable Hobart Unit at the City of Hobart and oversees Hobart’s Smart City Program, Sustainability Programs, City Security, and Smart Parking teams. He is a mechanical engineer with a background in renewable energy, energy storage, smart city projects, project management, and communications, and he has held management roles in both engineering and publishing industries.

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Lessons from the award-winning precinct with a smart heart – The Connection Rhodes

Joy brings together her diverse experience in learning technology, workshop facilitation, research, professional development training, regional outreach, community engagement, and collection management in her role with City of Canada Bay Libraries. After successfully establishing The Learning Space in Rhodes, she now leads a multi-disciplinary team of children’s, youth, outreach, emerging technology and local studies specialists that works alongside the community at City of Canada Bay’s three libraries. Together, they are working to re-imagine a very different kind of public library service with community engagement and programs at its core.

Local Government Parking Summit: Session - Developing strategies to engage and communicate effectively with constituents

Local Government Parking Summit: MAYORAL PANEL DISCUSSION - Using parking to increase community satisfaction and liveability

Jay Suvaal is deeply committed to the Cessnock Community. He grew up in Kearsley, where he attended the local public primary school before enrolling at Mt View High School, Cessnock. He now lives in West Cessnock with his wife Emily and their young sons Ethan and Caleb. He is active in the community and enjoys camping, fishing and playing hockey.

In 2016, Jay was elected to Cessnock City Council and in 2021 he became the city’s youngest Mayor. He has brought new ideas and a collaborative approach to the Council to achieve the best outcomes for the community. He is committed to listening to the people to ensure the community benefits from decisions of the Council.

Having had to travel out of the Cessnock area to pursue his own career, Jay is committed to supporting the development of a strong local economy that support business growth and provides employment and opportunities for the people who live in the Cessnock Local Government Area. 

Jay has professional experience working for both State and Federal Governments and understands the importance of building strong and positive relationships to achieve good outcomes.  He brings this understanding to his role as Mayor.

Smart Communities Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - How can smart technology help councils reach net zero?

Jitendra has worked in a variety of roles in companies serving consumers, utilities, airlines, and governments. He has formed and participated in a number of startups, including Energy Response Pty Ltd, a company that created an electricity demand response industry in Australia and New Zealand. This business is now part of the enel X group.

He earned a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from McGill University, and a Master of Business Administration from Western University’s Richard Ivey School of Business.

Jitendra is the founder and creator of Localvolts, an authorised retailer operating a peer-to-peer electricity market in the National Electricity Market.

Local Government Parking Summit: Session - The impact of peer-to-peer car sharing and ridesharing on parking planning and development

Kate is the Head of Policy and External Affairs at Car Next Door - Australia's largest peer-to-peer car sharing platform. Before joining Car Next Door, Kate worked to promote sustainable transport with the City of Port Phillip, was a lawyer focusing on carbon reduction and energy projects, and a policy advisor in the NSW Attorney General's department. Kate is passionate about reducing the impact of private car ownership on our cities and our planet through tech-enabled local car-sharing.

Smart Communities Summit: Session - Future direction of Australia’s smart cities

The Hon. Wendy Tuckerman MP is the Minister for Local Government and Member for Goulburn.

Mrs Tuckerman has extensive experience in local government after serving 17 years as a Councillor, Mayor and Administrator.

The Minister knows that local councils are crucial to the NSW economy and building strong, connected and resilient communities.

Mrs Tuckerman’s key priority is to guide and support the sector that invests more than $12 billion each year in infrastructure, facilities and services, manages $178 billion in assets, and employs more than 48,000 people across the State.

Elected as a Councillor in 2004 to Boorowa Council, Mrs Tuckerman then become the first female Mayor of Boorowa in 2007. In 2015 she was elected Chair of the Canberra Region Joint Organisation until 2016 when Mrs Tuckerman was subsequently appointed Administrator of the new Hilltops Council. She was again elected as a Councillor in 2017.

Mrs Tuckerman was elected to the Parliament of NSW on 23 March 2019 as the Member for Goulburn.

On 21 December 2021, Mrs Tuckerman was sworn in as Minister for Local Government.

The Minister has a number of responsibilities including Coastal Management, Public Reserves, Graffiti Control, and Companion Animals and guiding and assisting the State’s 128 local councils, 13 joint organisations and nine county councils.

DigiTech Local Government Summit: Session - Elevating digital capabilities in local councils through recruitment or upskilling

Karen Twitchett is the Director of Workforce and Technology at the Northern Beaches Council and leads the people function, information and digital technology, and strategy and organisational performance divisions. Karen has extensive leadership experience in Australia and Asia Pacific in human resources, corporate affairs, IT deployment, change management, and organisational development. Her career spans multiple sectors including major corporates, blue-collar and non-government organisations. She is also the author of Sweet and Unsavoury: case stories for people managers. This is Karen’s first role in local government and she brings a new perspective to the executive leadership team. While at Council Karen has sponsored the implementation of a workforce management system integrated with payroll, rostering and time and attendance.

Local Government Parking Summit: Session - Parking and COVID-19 – using data, technology, and policy to support city recovery

Local Government Parking Summit: PANEL DISCUSSION - Assessing the potential impact of driverless vehicles on planning for the future

Ken is currently the Team Lead of Strategic Transport Planning with Inner West Council. He has nearly 40 years of experience in both consultancy and local government. Much of his experience and insights have been gained working international in SE Asia, The Middle East, North America, Europe and Africa. Projects have included integrated transport strategies, electric vehicle encouragement policies and guided electric transport, as well as road safety and behavioural change programs.

He has recently stepped down from the position of Director of Future Transport for the, Dubai-based, International Centre for Integrated Urban Planning and Transport after 7 years at the helm.

Ken's passion is technological innovation in transport, with his current focus being autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles and emerging disruptive technologies.

Masterclass A: Digital twin for smart community development

With a background in operations research, Stephen has spent the last 2 decades as a software engineer building solutions that bring modelling & simulation, engineering-heavy data and visualisation together to improve organisational decision making. He’s currently obsessed with digital twins and identifying tangible applications of engineering data in operational contexts. Stephen is Technical Fellow for Software engineering at Beca and sits on the Asia Pacific Simulation Alliance expert panel.

DigiTech Local Government Summit: Session - Developing an open and centralised data exchange

Adam Worthington’s role is to manage the GIS Team, provide direction and support to improve our Geographic Information Systems and improve access to utilize data for both internal and external customers.

Adam has been working in the space of GIS, Information Technology, Surveying and Civil Engineering for approx. 30 years at Local and State Government levels and in the private sector.

Geographic Information Systems and Spatial data is a constantly evolving technology that allows people to view, analyse, measure, and provide insights into the World around us. I really enjoy working in this field at Penrith City Council as the Departments can be very diverse with their GIS data and mapping requirements.

Adam has travelled to many countries and enjoy motorcycle touring, riding to the middle of Australia to visit Uluru was a great experience and I hope to travel as much as possible in future years.